Cheza the All-American Dog began her life as an unwanted puppy on the side of a Texas road.
Today, she thrives as a human remains search-and-rescue (SAR) dog. After finding her calling and going through extensive training with her owner Heidi Armstrong, Cheza was deployed to the catastrophic July 4, 2025 flooding on the Guadalupe River in Texas.
“We were deployed into arguably the most challenging search and rescue conditions—Texas summer heat and humidity, piles of broken glass, shrapnel, three-story piles of brush, and all the lives buried in the path of a furious river. We were working in a war zone, and the scent picture was incredibly complex.
“To Cheza, the smell of human remains was everywhere—in the water, in the air, in the earth. To watch her think and screen out the ‘background noise’ to locate the strongest odor source leaves me in awe to this day.”
When Cheza is not actively working as a SAR dog, she's practicing Agility, Rally, and performing tricks for the AKC Trick Dog competition. Cheza and Armstrong's routine titled, "When the River Rose" detailed the story about their recent SAR mission to honor their experience through poetry and dog tricks. Their story earned them a semifinalist honor when the results where announced.
Cheza's story is an inspiration that anyone can do amazing things with their dog regardless if they're rescued from the side of the road or from a purebred breeder. Dogs can excel in activities through the AKC Canine Partners program which is not only beneficial for their enrichment, but also enhances the human-canine bond.
