A search-and-rescue dog is one trained to find missing people after a

natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans ar ...

man-made disaster Anthropogenic hazards are hazards caused by human action or inaction. They are contrasted with natural hazards. Anthropogenic hazards may adversely affect humans, other organisms, biomes, and ecosystems. They can even cause an omnicide. The freq ...

. The dogs detect human scent and have been known to find people under water, under snow, and under collapsed buildings.

Applications

A dog with aptitude for finding dead bodies or body parts, whether buried, hidden or submerged, may be called a "cadaver dog". In Croatia such dogs have been used to find burial sites almost 3000 years old. Police, death investigators and anthropologists may work closely with cadaver dogs and their handlers.

Training

Training of a search dog is usually begun when the dog is still a puppy.

Organizations

Numerous countries, cities and regions have search and rescue organizations using dog-and-handler teams that can be mobilized in an emergency or disaster. Here are a few organizations. *

International Rescue Dog Organisation The International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) is the worldwide umbrella organisation for search and rescue dog work and partner of the UNO. It unites more than 250,000 people worldwide with about 2,000 certified search and rescue (SAR ...

(IRO) is the worldwide umbrella organisation for training and testing of search and rescue dog work. IRO partners with International Search and Rescue Advisory Group and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

for coordinating disaster relief missions worldwide. *

FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Members of FEMA US&R Task Force at World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks. A FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (US&R Task Force) is a team of individuals specializing in urban search and rescue, disaster recovery, and emergency triage ...

, US teams of dogs and handlers which are deployed to emergency and disaster sites within hours. * Emergency Response Team Search and Rescue respond to emergencies and disasters in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. * Special Tasks and Rescue Dog Operations Unit supports the

South Australia Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Po ...

with tracking, searching, and finding lost persons. * Alabama Search and Rescue supports public safety agencies in Alabama with tracking, searching, and finding lost persons using scent discrimination trailing Bloodhounds. www.ALSAR.gov

Notable dogs

* Beauty, a Wirehaired Terrier, was a search and rescue dog during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. * Jake, a Labrador Retriever, was a search and rescue dog that worked the disasters of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

(2001) and

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

(2005). * Orion, a

Rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat ...

, helped save the lives of at least 37 people in 1999 from drowning during flash floods in Vargas, Venezuela. * Rex, entered burning buildings to find trapped people during the

. * Mancs, a German Shepherd trained to find people buried by earthquakes.

References

External links