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�We have a missing person." It's the call Search and Rescue (SAR) dog-handlers dread, and the call for which their close canine companions are trained. From lost hikers to missing toddlers, finding missing persons is a game these dogs win every day.
Dogs Use Scent
The estimated 4,000 Search and Rescue dogs in America are integral to law enforcement because of their incredible sense of smell. Experienced SAR dogs can lead their handlers to a person several miles away simply by sampling the breeze. Because canine noses have greater sensitivities and capacity for sensing smells, dogs are more than 1,000 times better than humans at detecting odors. Specially trained dogs can even find drowning victims under several feet of water and survivors of collapsed buildings under tons of rubble.
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Best Breeds
According to Nancy Lyon of New London, New Hampshire, president of New England Canine Search and Rescue, the best breeds for search and rescue dogs are herding dogs, such as:
- German Shepherds
- Border Collies
- Australian Shepherds
"They have the necessary drive and behave cooperatively with people," says Lyon.
Other effective search and rescue breeds include:
- Labrador and Golden Retrievers
- Rottweilers
- Doberman Pinschers
- Bloodhounds
What breed is right for your home? Find out with our Breed Selector
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How Search and Rescue Dogs are Trained
SAR dogs are taught through �
They are trained to find someone via air scent or to meticulously track a given area. They must sort out conflicting odors (scent discrimination) and not be distracted by wildlife, other dogs, or people. "The training process can take years," says Cheryl Kennedy of Livermore, Colorado, SAR Dog Section Chair with the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). (Your dog may not be Search and Rescue material, but you can still teach basic commands and obedience.
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The Handler/Dog Relationship
SAR dogs and their handlers are extremely close because of mutual trust and understanding. "Many handlers say it's like dancing�sometimes you lead, sometimes the dog leads," explains Lyon. "It's not who's in charge. The authority flows back and forth, like good dancing."
"The SAR handlers' credo is trust your dog's nose and instinct," adds Norma Snelling of Oakhurst, California, past president of the California Rescue Dog Association and Region 9 representative for National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR). "You need dogs to find the subject in spite of you."Snelling recalls a training session years ago in which she and her Golden Retriever, Tracer, had searched an area seven times and never found the subject. Throughout the search, Tracer kept returning to a trash-filled gully, which Snelling thought was a distraction. But when she finally let Tracer go, he then immediately found the victim on the other side of the gully�150 feet outside of the designated search area.
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The Day After 9/11
Search and Rescue dogs received tremendous international publicity following the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. More than 315 specially trained dogs searched for survivors. Paul Morgan and his 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Cody Bear, arrived at Ground Zero from Boston within 24 hours.
"Cody sensed the urgency," recalls Morgan, author of "K-9 Soldiers: Vietnam and After" (Hellgate Press). "He was on track. He did a great job."
During his time on the scene, Cody found several bodies. "At one point, a FDNY battalion chief asked if Cody was good because Cody was sniffing around at his feet," Morgan says. "It turned out that we were standing over a body we didn't know was there."
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Water Rescues
Another type of SAR work in which dogs excel is water rescue. The Newfoundland breed has the size and girth needed to pull a struggling swimmer to safety or even tow a small boat to shore. �Newfies�� webbed feet and rudder-like tails enable them to maneuver easily in deep water. But not just any dog can be a water rescue dog.
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Tough Training
To receive water rescue certification, dogs must undergo arduous training. Here are just a few of the requirements of WET DOG (Water Education and Training Dog Obedience Group). Learn more about WET DOG.
- Perform a single retrieve, such as fetching an object that the handler throws into the water.
- Perform a dropped retrieve, such as fetching a life vest that he did not see being dropped from a boat.
- Tow a boat in chest-deep water for at least 50 feet.
- Take a line to a person who is in swimming-depth water.
- Swim out to their handler and then tow the person to shore.
Search and Rescue dog handlers find immense satisfaction in their work, whether it's locating missing persons alive or bringing closure to a grieving family via a cadaver search.
But what do their dogs get out of it? "It's the most fun on earth," Nancy Lyon says. "Dogs do it because it feels great. We're tapping every natural instinct in a dog."
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IAMS� Dog Food
SAR dogs need a healthy, nutritious diet, like that provided by IAMS dog foods, [links to 3.1] to perform at their best. The premium nutrition of IAMS is available in formulas specific to a dog�s breed, size and age. Dry, canned and pouch varieties are available in a number of flavors, along with treats and sauces.
Read more about Rescue Dogs.
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