Rocket, Sonoma County’s beloved K9 search-and-rescue hero, retires after 9 years of service

On Aug. 1, the Sonoma County Fire Department celebrated the retirement of its beloved ‘furry friend’ and longtime search dog, Rocket, an 11-year-old Border Collie mix.

Partnered with Windsor Fire Department Capt. Mike Stornetta, Rocket had been on the job for nine years.

During that time, the pair had been deployed to several disasters across the nation, including 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, which inundated Houston with floodwaters, as well as the 2018 mudslide that devastated parts of Montecito, and 2021’s Hurricane Ida, which wrecked parts of Louisiana and surrounding portions of the Gulf Coast.

The Smithsonian Channel, in 2021, featured Rocket’s story in a series titled, “Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs.” His searching skills were demonstrated to show his quick ability to locate human scent beneath significant amounts of rubble.

Rocket’s deployment to a 2016 plane crash in Santa Rosa gained him significant national recognition when he successfully verified that no living victims remained in the plane’s ruins.

“It was a huge area search,” said Stornetta. “It was nighttime and was rainy and they were trying to do everything they could, but there was nothing as impactful as Rocket running that scene to confirm that there was no one left to save.”

Rocket was born in 2012 and was found as a stray in Sacramento.

He was taken in by Andrea and Chris Bergquist, who work with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. The canine initially displayed high energy and was deemed unadoptable. He was then put on a euthanasia list.

The Bergquists, however, saw Rocket’s potential and took him into their home where he flourished.

After keeping him as a pet, they then had him tested again, this time for the SDF where he exceeded expectations and passed. The couple donated Rocket to the SDF on the spot.

In August 2014, he was partnered with Stornetta, who initially took an interest in working with a disaster search team after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Stornetta visited the SDF in Santa Paula and clicked with Rocket almost immediately.

“He would not take his eyes off of me,” he said. “Wherever I was, I was his person. It was obvious that this was my dog.”

After completing their training, Rocket and Stornetta achieved their Federal Emergency Management Agency certification, which allowed them to begin responding to national crises.

Though Rocket succeeded in assisting in crises across the country, back home in Windsor, he also had a significant role.

“We used Rocket to debrief after some pretty horrific calls that we had gone to,” Stornetta said. “Having Rocket there at the station to pet and take away some of that anxiety we had been feeling after those calls was really impactful.”

Stornetta said his fellow firefighters all love Rocket and had been exceptionally welcoming in adding Rocket to their team at the station.

Though Rocket’s search career has concluded, he’ll still be around the station as a firehouse dog, ready to comfort firefighters or greet students on field trips to the station.

“That was always the best part — just having him here,” Stornetta said. “If you have a bad day, you look down and you’ve got your dog with you.”