Canine First Responders: Search & Rescue Heroes

Our search and rescue (SAR) canine-family dates back to the early 18th century in the Swiss Alps. It is said that the monks of the St. Bernard Hospice and monastery used our help to guide and locate missing travelers. Today, there are four types of search and rescue that pooch-people specialize in: trailing, tracking, air scent, and disaster.

What makes us so well-equipped to help our human friends in this line of work? Well, first of all, we have pretty good noses, like a REALLY GOOD SENSE OF SMELL. Even though there are around 360 breeds within the dog kingdom, the most qualified for this occupation are Collies, Hounds, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Spaniels, St. Bernards, Beagles, Labrador Retrievers, Terriers, and Pointers people. Along with their fantastic sense of smell tracking ability, these breeds are known for their high intelligence, keen sense of sight, and athletic swimming ability, which are all integral for these perilous and sophisticated search and rescue missions. It takes around 600 hours of training for every dog-person, and just like humans, each breed learns at their own pace.

Please allow me to present some touching stories about our search and rescue achievements from around the world, proving that we animal-people are God’s blessed gift to humankind. An eight-year-old girl named Giorgia was suspected of being buried under the debris. Incredibly, Leo signaled to his human co-workers the girl’s location in less than 40 seconds. After nine hours of rescuers digging with their bare hands, young Giorgia was found alive. Leo helped save her life!

Lastly, I will talk about my lively friend, Ruby, a Border Collie and Australian Shepherd-person mix. Ms. Patricia Inman volunteered at the shelter and intervened multiple times when people wanted to euthanize Ruby. With Ms. Inman vouching for Ruby, Corporal O’Neil adopted and began to train the pup. Patricia Inman’s heartfelt compassion for Ruby would later be the key to saving her own son’s life. Ruby’s story became widely known, and a Netflix show called “Rescued by Ruby” was made to honor her rescue efforts.