Sniffer Dogs Work to Save Lives in the Wake of the Haiti Disaster

Duncan - Karel Navarro, AP

In what appear to be one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in modern history; many search-and-rescue task forces are relying on sniffer dogs to scour the vast amount of rubble for signs of life. Even in the high-tech times we live in with robots, listening devices and search cams, none of these devices can cover such a large area of rubble as quickly and effectively as man’s best friend.

Sniffer dogs are highly-trained to detect the scent of human life, not deceased humans. Debra Tosch, the executive director of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, says only one of every one-hundred dogs they test for entrance to their training program gets accepted. Tosch says the best breeds for the job tend to be: Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, border collies and German shepherds.

The sniffer dog’s job is to locate find areas where there is a scent of human life. At that point search-and-rescue teams rely on high tech equipment to verify the presence of a survivor either by camera or very sensitive listening devices. Once they feel confident they have located survivors they must figure out how to get them out from underneath the rubble safely. This involves slightly more mechanized equipment like saws that cut through steel and rebar cutters to cut through reinforced concrete.

At some point the search-and-rescue dogs will give way to the cadaver dogs and the mission will change to a recovery. However, survivors have been found alive 7 days out in similar disasters so the search-and-rescue dogs will continue to climb ladders and maneuver through the vast amounts of rubble.

Story: The Science of Sniffer Dogs, by: Alan Boyle