Shelter Dog Was Once Put on a Kill List Due to His High Energy — but Now He’s Saving Lives in Texas

A shelter dog who was once slated to be put down due to his intense energy is now helping save lives in Texas after Hurricane Harvey.

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Rocket, a border collie mix, is from California, but he’s now in Texas with handler Mike Stornetta, where the dog is being used in search and rescue missions to help victims of the storm, The Daily Mail reported.

Just five years ago, Rocket was going to be euthanized, as no one wanted to adopt him.

But staff at a California shelter luckily realized that the dog’s high energy could actually come in handy when it came to search and rescue missions, so they contacted the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.

At first, though, Rocket was rejected in 2012 while he lived in the Sacramento SPCA, but with some training the pooch passed and was brought home by National Disaster Search Dog Foundation volunteer Andrea Bergquist.

Now, he’s helping save lives.

He was later partnered up with Stornetta and was certified in 2014 by FEMA. Rocket’s mission in Texas is the second time he and Stornetta have been deployed together.

“I’m so glad that Mike and Rocket are able to respond to those in need (in Texas)! It is truly amazing to see how far Rocket has come!” Bergquist said. “I’m overwhelmed to think of all of the people and time and effort that has gone into a stray dog that no one wanted. This is what it’s all about!”