A guide to canines used to save lives. Information on breeds, training and how they adapt to searching terrain for injured people.
For many years people have relied on dogs to help out in emergencies. Because dogs have a sharp sense of smell, search and rescue dogs can make the difference between life and death in some disastrous situations. After a tornado, earthquake, flood or other natural disaster, search dogs can seek out and find survivors so they can get the fastest treatment. Trauma patients need to be seen as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of death. The longer it takes to find victims, the higher the death toll can become. That is why these specially trained dogs are so valuable to the survival of those trapped.
Not just any dog can become a rescue dog. Ones that are used to seek out survivors after a disaster need to be trained and can't be shy or afraid. They need to be able to venture into collapsed buildings and other structures to find those trapped inside. These dogs are trained to sniff out the scent of any human that is trapped beneath the rubble. These dogs are also used in airline disasters and other situations where finding survivors is a race for time. These dogs are also used to search for drowning victims. Because the person's scent rises to the top, dogs are able to locate where the person is located. Same holds true for those trapped in an avalanche. Dogs are able to pick up the scent of someone who may be trapped under the snow, increasing the odds of survival.
Other types of search dogs are those used to hunt down specific people who may have wandered off or are lost. These dogs are used to find lost children who may have wandered off in the woods and may have gotten lost, or for elderly patients who may have wandered off from a nursing home or other facility. These dogs have saved many lives.
Some dogs are used to search vehicles and packages for drugs. These dogs have been trained to recognize the scent of every illegal drug out on the streets. If someone has stashed drugs even if they try to hide the scent, these dogs can still pick it up. These dogs are an indispensable tool for law enforcement. Because of these dogs, there has been more drug busts that have prevented illegal drugs from being distributed on the street.
For tracking fugitives, search dogs are an important asset to the police force. These dogs will follow the trail of a fugitive until they find him. A criminal is no match for the dogs keen sense of smell. People think that if they run through the water that the dogs won't be able to find them This isn't always true because dogs can pick up a scent up to a half a mile away and can almost always get back on the trail of the person they are searching for. The other benefit is that the dogs can usually out run the fugitive who is on foot giving the dog a better advantage.
