Heartland Firefighters of La Mesa said goodbye to canine member

KUSI Newsroom,
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KUSI Newsroom

LA MESA (KUSI)- A canine search dog and member of California Task Force 8 passed away. The 11-year-old dog, named Stella, lost her battle with cancer.

A ceremony was held to honor Stella for all the service she has done with Heartland Fire.

Santee Fire Department and San Diego Fire Department were there to support.

“Stella was a vital resource for the entire Nation, and a deeply loved member of this department,” said Heartland Firefighters of La Mesa.

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It is a sad day for @heartlandfirefightersoflamesa as we lost a member of our department. Stella, 11 years old, lost her battle with cancer. Stella was an Urban Search & Rescue, FEMA Type 1, canine search dog and a member of California Task Force 8. Captain Kirk has had Stella for 10 years and has spent over 2,000 hours training to find victims during all types of disasters; most recently the Montecito Mudslides and Hurricane Irma. Stella was a vital resource for the entire Nation, and a deeply loved member of this department. She was excited to see you every shift and would always brighten your day. We can all learn something from Stella’s stellar attitude and work ethic, she will be greatly missed. Thank you for your support today @santeefire and @sandiegofiredept #fire #firefighter #fireengine #firetruck #searchandrescue #usar #california #sandiego #lamesa #lamesavillage #dog #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #instadog #dogs @heartlandfirefighters #chiefmiller @chief_miller

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It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of Stella, Captain Matt Kirk’s Search and Rescue dog. Captain Kirk has had Stella since 2009, she came to him from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, which trains K9’s to find people during disasters. She has been part of our Heartland fire family and part of USA&R Task Force 8 as a FEMA type 1 canine search dog. She has been on several deployments, including hurricane Irma and the recent mudslides in Montecito. She will be greatly missed and we offer our deepest condolences. We would like to thank Santee Fire Department and San Diego Fire & Rescue show of support during this time of need. #Heartlandfire #HFR #K9 #FEMA #USA&R @santeefire @sandiegofiredept @heartlandfirefightersoflamesa @heartlandfirefighters @chief_miller_

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