Certified urban disaster live find canines and their handlers play a critical role during the rescue phase of deployments when people may be missing. These dogs are trained extensively to go into disaster zones, such as those affected by a hurricane, earthquake or tornado, and use their incredible sense of smell to detect even the faintest scent of someone alive beneath the surface of the debris. Dogs can cover even the most challenging terrain more quickly than humans and their keen sense of smell can identify people buried alive – especially those who are unconscious and unresponsive – faster than any piece of equipment. A Search Dog’s job is to locate victims in need and then bark to alert their handlers where the strongest source of scent is. The handler’s job is to assess the area in order to help the canine strategically cover the entire search area, taking into account wind, temperature and other factors, and, most importantly, to keep their canine partner safe before sending him/her on a search.Once someone has been found, a handler will then assist with the rescue efforts of the victim. Whether or not a Search Dog finds someone buried alive after a disaster depends on many different things, but the canine’s and handler’s mission is always the same – leave no one behind. These incredible Search Teams train each and every week to stand ready to respond at a moment’s notice when called upon to make sure no one is left behind in the rubble and for that, we are so grateful.
