Fearless Lifesaving Dogs

Your lovable pooch resting happily at your feet may one day be known as one of the many wonderful fearless lifesaving dogs who save lives every day all over the world. Suppose it is the middle of the night and your home catches fire. Your dog is going to know this well before you do, and through their barking and tugging on you and your family members, alert you to the fact your lives are in danger. What makes this fact even more amazing is he or she has received no training to do this. Thankfully all dogs have this instinct, so many are specifically trained to become these fearless lifesaving dogs saving lives.

Any dog can be trained for rescue operations, but there are a few breeds that stand above the rest. German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, and the Bloodhound breeds are great for their ability to track scents. These fearless lifesaving dogs rush into very dangerous situation with the sole intent of finding humans. Avalanches, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, home and building fires and raging flood waters are just a few of the dangerous environments a trained rescue dog willingly and without hesitation tread into when lives are in danger. Their loyalty is something hard to put into words and what do you think they expect as a reward for going in harm’s way? Nothing more than a hug and the love of those around them!

The dogs selected to undergo the expensive and very extensive training to become lifesaving dogs are put through test after test to determine if they have what it takes. Once they have passed these initial tests the real training begins, and can continue for at least one year depending on the specific job the dog will be expected to perform.

The ability to pick up scents and follow these odors given off by humans is essential to most rescue dog training. Some training is geared towards water rescues when the victim is visible, and the dog has to leap from a moving boat or hovering helicopter without any hesitation as seconds can mean the difference between the person struggling in the water drowning, or being pulled to safety by the dog.

Training also involves the ability to track criminals on the run from law enforcement.

These wonderful and fearless lifesaving dogs certainly have my admiration, and I would imagine yours as well.

Has a dog saved your life? Please relate your stories to our readers and on share this article on Facebook and Twitter.