TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Task Force 1 spent 16 days inside the devastating disaster areas in Texas after flash flooding killed more than 130 people.
Their mission started as three days of active rescues, with more rain adding to the floods.
In the days following, the team was given new orders.
"We got reassigned to the search and recovery mission down there. So, that was really our first time to see the Guadelupe and the damage done," said Matt Bell, the OK-TF-1 program manager.
Bell said with the new assignment, they searched an eight-mile area, checking and rechecking for missing people.
At that point, the team brought in their cadaver canine unit. The unit speeds up the process with the dogs trained to use their senses to find people who've died.
"Honestly, it was a very challenging mission for us," Bell said.
2 News talked with the canine team after the mission.
WATCH: 'Very challenging mission': OK-TF-1 reflects on Texas trip alongside K-9 unit:
"They’re an invaluable tool. These dogs, what they can do, no human can do. They can search an entire rubble pile and see if someone’s there or not," said OK-TF-1 Canine Research Specialist Jeff Leon.
He said the dogs train about two days a week, sniffing out cadaver parts in difficult disaster-simulated areas. They're at work every day, always ready for the call.
The team searched through rubble and water, providing closure to at least one family.
The K-9 on the trip, Truman, is a hero among Oklahomans.
Over the years, he's given families peace of mind and used his talents to search quickly when timing matters.
After an EF-4 tornado hit Barnsdall in May 2024, he was one of the first K-9 units to respond and search for people.
Truman was the nose leading search and recovery efforts in Texas.
This mission – closure for some on the task force.
With a long career, this was Truman’s last deployment task force 1 team. He's passing the leash over to a new pup, Lambo.
"When we were done for the day or the last day we were coming home, I knew that was it for him," said Leon.
Leon and his family are home for Truman and said he's doing well, but it's time to hang up the leash.
"He still wants to work, but he’s getting to that age that if you don’t take care of him, something could happen. And just, I’m his advocate. You know, I got to take care of him," Leon said.
Truman is not just a dog for Leon.
"We go away from our families, but they are our family, so it’s nice having somebody with you at all times," said Leon.
Truman welcomed his successor, Lambo, into the Leon family as well.
He's the mentor and role model for other dogs in his field.
"Lambo is going to be just as good or better than Truman because all the stuff that I learned with Truman, I can incorporate that with Lambo now," Leon said.
Both dogs represent the Oklahoma standard alongside their heroic human counterparts.
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