If you know anything at all about the team of writers here at PupsterPassion.com, then you know that we are all crazy about dogs. We think all dogs, no matter the breed, size, or shape, are totally amazing.
However, there is a very special place in our hearts for dogs that save lives. Dogs so brave that they even risk their own lives to rescue us. We think this is an amazing thing and really exemplifies the powerful relationship between dogs and humans.
Not only do dogs keep up happy and healthy, but they also save our lives. We decided to celebrate this by coming up with a list of some cool ways dogs keep us safe from harm.
Table of Contents
- Mountain Rescue Dogs
- Disaster Search and Rescue Dogs
- Water Rescue Dogs
- Mine Detection Dogs
- Avalanche Rescue Dogs
- Guard Dogs
Mountain Rescue Dogs
A great example of this is in the UK. There is a charity there called Mountain Rescue. Whenever anyone is reported lost in the hill, they have huge areas of really wild, dangerous terrain to search.
Doing this just with manpower would take a huge amount of time, so they use search dogs to speed things up. The most common breed of dog used is the border collies. The local farmers use border collies on the same terrain, so they are very well suited to the task.
They are very tough, very intelligent, hard-working, and have excellent endurance and speed. These dogs will work for hours and hours in terrible conditions, risking their own lives to find lost hikers.
Disaster Search and Rescue Dogs
These dogs are specially trained to hunt for people trapped in buildings, rubble, landslides, etc. They run around sniffing for any sense of trapped people and then alert their handlers, who can then try and dig them out.
Water Rescue Dogs
Incredibly, some dogs will actually dive into the sea and rescue people who are drowning. The most famous breed that does this sort of work is the Newfoundland breed.
They are bred to be powerful swimmers, with thick coats, huge webbed paws, and immense courage and willpower. They will dive into rough seas, swim to the drowning person, and pull them to safety.
(BTW, click here if you have a new young dog and want some puppy house training tips…)
Mine Detection Dogs
Mainly used by the military, these dogs are trained to smell out explosives and alert their handlers. Obviously, this has huge potential for saving lives in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
Avalanche Rescue Dogs
Mostly used in ski resorts. Avalanche rescue dogs are trained to search and find people trapped under the snow from a falling avalanche.
Guard Dogs
For thousands and thousands of years, we have used guard dogs to keep us safe. Many breeds have been bred specially to protect us from intruders.
Rottweilers, Dobermans, Boerboel Mastiffs are all great examples of excellent guarding breeds.
So, just from this very short list, you will see how lucky we are to have dogs on our side. They dig us out of avalanches and collapsed buildings. They find us when we are lost and scare away people who would do us harm.
All more great reasons why dogs are awesome and deserve so much of our love!