A former shelter dog in North Carolina has been deployed to assist the rescue efforts in Texas during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Rocket, a half Belgian Malinois, half Border collie, was discovered by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation from a Sacramento shelter.
As a puppy, Rocket was later deemed “unadoptable” because of his “rambunctious” disposition, or high energy level.
WATCH: Helping dogs displaced by Hurricane Harvey
A post on the Ricon Valley and Windsor Fire Protection District’s website reveals that Rocket had just one day left before he was set to be euthanized when a group that trains dogs to help in search efforts during disasters came to rescue him.
After being discovered, Rocket was trained to meet FEMA standards, and was eventually paired with fireman Mike Stornetta for training in Windsor, Calif.
The Windsor Fire Protection District’s Stornetta and Rocket are now trained to find live victims during disasters, so when Harvey hit, the pair travelled to Texas to help in search-and-rescue missions in the areas of the state that were hit hardest.
“It’s an amazing story,” Stornetta told KTVU. “You take an animal that some people might consider worthless… you take that animal and give that animal a job and they go from worthless to absolutely priceless,” the firefighter said. Stornetta points out that Rocket’s high energy is an asset in their line of work.
Hurricane Harvey, which eventually turned into a tropical storm, was the largest storm in the United States in more than a decade. The storm brought with it mass flooding that displaced over one million people. Residents in affected Texas counties have begun returning to their homes and recovery is underway.
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