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Information on Rescue Dogs
by Barbara Jane Allen
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Overview
Rescue dog and its handler at work.
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Rescue dogs are used to search for people who are lost, have escaped the law, or have been the victim of a disaster, such as an earthquake, tornado, flood, avalanche, plane crash, or collapse of a building. Volunteer handlers work with the dogs in a close partnership that begins when the dog is a young pup. Working together, handlers and dogs locate and rescue dozens of people each year throughout the world who otherwise might not have been saved.
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History
In the 18th century, St. Bernard dogs rescued people during snowstorms near a monastery in the Swiss Alps. These large dogs could smell people buried beneath the snow. They would dig them out and provide warmth by lying on top of the person until the monks arrived. In 1972, the American Rescue Dog Association was established to provide training and standards to dog rescue associations across the country and to supply rescue units during major disasters.
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Search Techniques
Dogs perform rescues either by air scenting or trailing. In air scenting, dogs elevate their noses and sniff the air for the sent of a human, either alive or dead. With this method, dogs can locate people buried under debris in buildings, underwater or under snow. In trailing, dogs sniff the scent of a person's skin cells left on an article of their clothing and then track the person by sniffing the ground for that person's scent.
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Training
Training a rescue dog takes about two years and begins when the dog is between two and 10 months old. First, the puppy is taught obedience commands, such as "sit" and "stay." At six months, it is trained to sniff the air to locate its handler and then another person. Dogs also learn trailing by sniffing a person's clothing and then tracking the scent. Agility exercises, such as climbing obstacles and walking over debris and on slippery surfaces are an important part of their training.
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Types of Rescue
Dogs have found people alive who have been buried beneath rubble for days after an earthquake. They have tracked the trail of a lost child found unharmed in the wilderness. Newfoundlands have rescued survivors in the water after a boating accident, and rescue dogs have found people trapped beneath an avalanche. Cadaver dogs, rescue dogs that have been trained to locate dead people by their scent, have recovered bodies of people who did not survive a disaster.
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Best Rescue Breeds
Most medium to large dogs, 50 to 70 lbs. work best as rescue dogs. Herding, working or sporting breeds, such as Border Collies, German Shepherd Dogs, Dobermans, Giant Schnauzers, Newfoundlands, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are excellent choices. Although many are purebred, mixed-breed dogs are used also. Character and temperament are key. A smart and friendly dog who likes to play and retrieve objects, can remain focused and is not afraid of noises or being touched is a good candidate to be a rescue dog.
