Search and rescue dogs aid law enforcement to find missing people who may have been involved in accidents, natural disasters or who are lost, by picking up human scent. There are two types of search dog: tracking and air scent dogs. Tracking dogs find one particular human scent and follow it, such as when people who are lost in the wilderness. Air scent dogs find any scent in a given area, which is useful for finding people buried in avalanches or urban wreckage.Buzzle.com: Search and rescue dogs
Haiti Earthquake 2010: SAR Dogs Were the Key
Many US and International Search and Rescue (or SAR) dog/handler teams responded to the Haiti earthquake disaster as soon as relief and rescue workers could enter the country http://news.discovery.com/animals/search-and-rescue-dogs-from-around-the-world-go-to-haiti.html. These highly trained teams worked for weeks in very hazardous conditions in the effort to find survivors in the rubble.
Search and Rescue Dog Breeds
Haiti Earthquake 2010: SAR Dogs Were the Key
Ron Weckbacher of Thousand Oaks, California, with rescue dog Dawson. Weckbacher is one of many elite dog/handler teams that traveled to Haiti. Photo Credit: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Search and Rescue Dog History and Trivia
NSARDA.org: Using Dogs For Search & Rescue
Bloodhounds.org: History Of The Bloodhound
BreedRetriever.com: Bloodhound History
FurryCritter.com: History Of The Saint Bernard
- This page was created by Ryan S, a Part Time Guide in the Mahalo Greenhouse (see the original), and curated by Jonathan.
If you'd like to help us create the best spam free search results on the Internet, apply to be a Part Time Guide!</em>
References
Fast Facts
-
Fact:
Many breeds are suitable for search and rescue
-
Fact:
A search dog must be athletic, well-socialized, calm, sure-footed, healthy and certifiedSearch Dog Foundation: What Do You Look For in a Search Dog?
-
Fact:
A tracking search dog can pick out a target odor in a sea of odors
-
Fact:
When following a person, a dog may follows the trail of odor from skin cells that flake off the body
-
Fact:
Bloodhounds' long ears and loose facial skin form folds that scoop and trap scent around their noses
-
Fact:
"Cadaver dogs" are trained to find human remains
