Shields is Theodore's owner. As foundation president, he trained Theodore in seach and rescue.

Both seventh- and eighth-grade students at Southern Regional Middle School in the Manahawkin section of Stafford recently had a chance to meet Shields and Theodore.

The eighth-grade student body is broken down into one of four teams of about 120 students who share the same teachers in the same classes, said Marissa Reynolds, English teacher and one of the team leaders. As a service project, Reynolds' team raised more than $500 over the past two months for Bear Search and Rescue Foundation through a bake sale and an appeal letter sent to students' parents, she said.

"Most search-and-rescue teams are never paid for what they do," Shields said. "They (the teams) are (made up of) all volunteers. Even the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) teams don't get paid unless they are on an actual mission."

The foundation is named after Bear, also a golden retriever, who was owned by Shields. At the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Shields was living in Connecticut and traveled with Bear to the World Trade Center site to assist in rescue-and-recovery efforts. Shields said Bear found the most bodies at that site, including Fire Chief Peter J. Ganci.

Bear Search and Rescue Foundation was founded in 2002 2. Among other goals, the foundation seeks to equip such teams, as well as provide or arrange for transportation for them where needed.

Bear Foundation teams, known as Bear's Navy, were requested by Gov. Kathleen Blanco in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"How old are they (the dogs) when they start, and how old are they when they retire?" said Bill Lynch, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from the Ocean Acres section of Stafford.

"Bear started when he was 4 months old, and they usually retire at 8, although Bear was 11 when he was at the World Trade Center," Shields said.

Shields gave a demonstration on how search-and-rescue dogs work.

"It's all a game to Theodore," Shields said, producing a tennis ball that he used to train the golden retriever. "It's a natural instinct. He wants the ball more than anything."

Shields then covered Theodore's eyes while handing the ball to a student, asking that the ball be placed underneath a chair. Shields gave the command of "Find the baby" and after a few minutes of narrowing down where to look, Theodore found the ball to cheers from the students.

"That was great," Lynch said.

Lauren Steadman, also 14 and an eighth-grader from Manahawkin, agreed.

"That was really cool," she said, petting Theodore. "They're both special, both Theodore and his owner."