TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Greg, a former police officer turned search and rescue volunteer and his K-9 partner Ares started the hunt for survivors last Friday in the wreckage Hurricane Ian left on the coast of Fort Myers.
Greg, who has asked that we not use his last name, told ABC Action News he and Ares worked the path of destruction one building at a time.
“I would go three streets over, work my way back to the first street, work my way back to my truck, give him a break, give him water, and then go,” he said.
Greg and his partner set early on Sunday, day three of the search. It was still dark out when Ares picked up a scent inside the tatters of what was once someone’s home.
“And he wanted to rush up the stairs,” Greg said. “So, I let him go for a minute.”
Greg cut his arms and hands digging through the debris before reaching the home’s owner who was trapped in his bathroom for two days after the ceiling caved in. The man was thirsty and hungry but otherwise okay.
It’s not the first life Ares has saved, he saved Greg’s too.
Greg served on the police force with his last partner Apollo. The two retired together in 2012. Apollo died in 2019 and so did a piece of Greg.
“I didn't know how I’d keep going,” he said.
Shelley Garton who breeds Rottweilers in Hernando County heard about Greg’s loss. She offered to give Greg, whom she’d never met, the pick of her next litter. Garton told ABC Action News Greg cried when he heard the news. It was the first time he’d ever been able to pick his own partner.
The gift gave him the will to live and a new purpose. He and Ares trained for the last three years to save lives in the wake of disaster.
“It's just another form of saving a life or saving lives and helping my fellow man,” Greg said.
What’s next for Ares? Greg said they will keep training, so they’ll be ready whenever and wherever they are needed next.
