Search and rescue dogs are the hard-working heroes of disaster relief. With a sense of smell far more powerful than man's and an ability to probe nooks and crannies that humans cannot penetrate, these dogs find people in even the most difficult situations.
Skilled volunteer search and rescue (SAR) units across the United States and around the world operate in conjunction with local law enforcement or other applicable emergency services agencies to assist in the location of missing persons. Experts estimate that a single SAR dog can accomplish the work of 20 to 30 human searchers.
It's not just about smell, either.
The dogs' superior hearing and night vision also come into play.
Even in cases where victims are presumed dead, dogs are invaluable assets. They locate the bodies so family members can have closure and give their loved ones a proper burial.
Not all SAR dogs perform the same type of search.Some dogs are tracking (or trailing) dogs.
Others are air scent dogs.
Tracking dogs need to smell something which belongs to the missing person, like a shirt.
Then they search for just that smell, with their nose to the ground.
Air scent dogs, on the other hand, work with their nose in the air.
They pick up human scent anywhere in the vicinity.
They don't need an article to work from or a scent trail. They locate a scent carried in air currents and seek out its origin--the point of greatest concentration.
They might be called in to find a missing hiker located "somewhere in the national park."
Air scenting dogs might specialize in a particular type of search: 
Avalanche dogs search for people who are trapped under the snow. Urban disaster dogs search for human survivors in buildings that collapsed due to a natural disaster (earthquake, mudslide, hurricane, typhoon, tornado or flood) or an act of terrorism. Cadaver dogs search for the scent of human remains. Water search dogs locate drowning victims even when the bodies are completely immersed.
Water search and cadaver dogs are the only types specifically trained to scent for human remains, though some SAR dogs may be cross-trained to alert for both scents in different ways.
People's scents are as unique as fingerprints. Wherever we go, we leave an invisible trail of scent behind us which dogs can easily identify.You see, we're constantly shedding skin cells.
The bigger cells fall to the ground and the smaller particles float in the air.
Dogs can easily smell these microscopic cells.
That's because their sense of smell is about 40 times stronger than ours.
Search dogs can work day or night, in all kinds of weather.
They're especially effective where human sight is most limited--in the dark, in dense brush or debris, and in collapsed buildings.
SAR dog training capitalizes on a dog's natural prey/play drive. For these dogs, locating the origin of a human scent means playing an intense game of "find the ball."
That's the bottom line: associating human scent with something the dog wants very badly, and then teaching him to alert his handler to its location.
Each time the dog completes a task, he gets his reward--a hug, a treat, or playtime with a favorite toy.
Alert is the term used to describe the signal used by the dog to tell the handler he has located the victim or object of the search.
There are several types of alerts: Focused bark for a minimum of 30 seconds as he remains with the victim Passive alert where he quietly sits down at the location of the find Aggressive alert where he digs at the location of his find (especially useful in avalanche search situations) Re-find where the dog returns to the handler, barks, then returns to the location of the victim.
SAR dogs learn skills like getting used to climbing different surfaces; walking on shifting rubble; navigating a tunnel; balancing; not being afraid of high places, noisy helicopters or moving vehicles; following the directions of the handler (by verbal and hand signals); learning how to climb ladders; and being able to ignore all distractions.
Training search and rescue dogs can take anywhere from 1 to 3 years. Some SAR dogs are professionals employed by rescue services, but most are volunteers. They are family pets who train and practice regularly with their owners so they can be called out at a moment's notice to help in a rescue effort.
In general, the best prospects usually come from the sporting and herding breeds such as the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois and Border Collie.
These breeds are chosen because of their physical strength, high energy and strong prey drive.
Many rescue dogs actually come from animal shelters because they had too much energy for their original owners.
With their excellent sense of smell, desire to please, and love of people, the Golden Retriever is a natural breed for this heroic activity.
To succeed as a search and rescue worker, a dog must possess certain qualities. He must be intelligent, agile, confident, obedient, adaptable, and have a high level of endurance and persistence.
He must learn to be calm in noisy, stressful and changing situations. He also has to get along well with other dogs and people, as they often travel many miles with other SAR teams to rescue sites.
A good candidate has a high degree of trainability. But a SAR dog who can't think for himself is useless. Air scenting dogs work off-leash, so the handler won't always be nearby to give commands. The ideal search dog can solve problems on his own but is always aware of his handler.
We all love a hero, don't we? And search and rescue dogs are some of the biggest heroes of all.They often go above and beyond the call of duty to save someone, risking their lives in the process. Many people owe their lives to these amazing dogs.
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