It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together on a short excursion into the life of search and rescue (SAR) dogs.
While you can read on the history of dog rescuers in one of the previous articles, the one today is going to focus in more detail on their training and on all that it relates to. For example, did you know that dog rescuers undergo a long training and that they are selected into the program not only according to their health state and breed, but mainly according to their desire to work, temperament and relationship with the trainer? However, most often, the dogs of the shepherd or hunting kind are chosen.
If a dog rescuer is supposed to perform their work well, they have to trust their handler unconditionally. From a very tender age, the dog has to be absolutely composed and it mustn’t show any fearfulness or aggressive behaviour. Such dog should therefore calmly stand sounds of shots, of a saw and the like, which normally scare the other dogs. Enormous demands are laid also on their physical shape. The size of the dog is also determining. The dog handler must count with the fact that they are going to lift the dog in the future, help them up or hand them over. Therefore, extremely large breeds are not suitable, same as the ones that are extremely small.
During the training, a SAR dog prepares even for extreme conditions. They are subjected to unexpected obstacles. These are represented by unusual situations that the dog may encounter. The dog can reach the top level “already” in two to four years. However, such training isn’t something one-off: on the contrary, training takes place for the entire life of the dog.
Even SAR dogs may specialize and pass numerous expert exams that test their readiness in various situations. Since they need different skills for every activity. Among the rescue disciplines belongs:
aerial search and rescue – the dog searches for lost persons in terrain, e.g. in the forest, it usually concerns children or elderly people;
disaster search – locations of buried people, in the Czech Republic most often in collapsed family houses after gas explosion, in collapsed buildings or various factory structures;
avalanche search – search of persons buried by an avalanche;
rescue from ice – help to the people who have fallen under ice;
drowning search – search for the drowned and rescue of the drowning – this is the youngest discipline during which the dog lies beside the handler on the bow of the boat and it searches using their scent on the surface of the water for the drowned;
and rescue tracking.
Experts estimate that one dog rescuer can cover the work of up to twenty people! Since they are able to explore wider areas mainly due to the fact that they have a much better developed scent, sight and hearing. This way, they are able to register even subtle signs of life. The high number of survivors is helped also by the fact that dogs are capable of working faster than humans.
The largest organisation that devotes itself to the training of search and rescue dogs in the Czech Republic is the Association of rescue brigades of dog handlers of the Czech Republic . The association is active abroad as well, where it helps e.g. after earthquakes of a larger scale.
I believe that these hard working dogs deserve genuine respect and acknowledgement. And I only wish you that you would never need their help. But if this has already happened to you or you witnessed such an event, I would be glad if you shared your experience with us.
Food is one of the most basic needs of dogs as well as humans. How to make sure your dog has enough necessary nutrients? And if you opt for dry food, what options are there? And what to consider when choosing?
Most of us care about the contents of the packages with dry food but have you ever thought about the packaging itself? Do you know what is used for the packaging of dry food, how different are individual materials and what innovations can you find on...
You can recognize a Burmese cat mainly because of its silky fur and beautiful, deep gloss with typical signs of a colour that is not present in any other breed. Besides its glossy fur, this breed has also a great nature which makes these cats great...
Dachshunds, from smooth-haired, wire-haired and short-haired to long-haired, are popular companions and not only in the Czech Republic but in the world as well. And they are great companions! Even though they are quite stubborn.
Cats may bite from many reasons and if you would like to make this undesirable behaviour stop, it is important to understand why they do it. The fundamental thing is to eliminate the cause but we can also help with other things.
Do you like baking and you have noone to bake for? You probably haven’t thought about your dog companion. However, you might also make some tasty and healthy goodies at home for it as well. I’ll tell you how.
Only a few per cent of loss of water may cause serious problems for your dog. However, we often don’t pay attention to its drinking and underestimate its importance. When there is a risk of dehydration, do you know how to avoid it or recognize it?
Dry food with larger proportion of meat might not only have positive effects on dogs’ organisms, when processed well, it will also make happy even the pickiest gourmets that usually don’t like dry food. Thanks to a holistic approach, you’ll keep the...
The days are getting warmer and our dogs and cat starts to shed. This has a negative impact on your household with all the hair. Have you found a way to reduce the contamination with hair at least a bit and speed up the process of shedding?...
Do you also barely resist the temptation to cuddle a dog, no matter if yours or someone else’s? It’s no surprise, a new study shows that such contact with a dog is like a drug for human brain.
There are plenty of reasons why we get flat-faced dogs. For their specific appearance, great nature, loyal love to their owner... And maybe also for their need of constant attention that makes us feel well. The flat-faced dogs are simply cute....
Brown rats, mice and hamsters as well as other rodents are quite small pets and sometimes, we don’t even think about dealing with them being overweight. However, if we like our pets and we want them to be well and stay with us as long as possible,...
