Dogs aiding in water rescue - seems like a fabulous idea! Most dogs love the water and would fare well in a situation where they were going into the water to help rescue someone who is drowning. That’s exactly what’s happening in Italy - dogs are being trained to go in a helicopter, jump from the ‘copter and help to rescue someone in peril on the water.

Well now, that’s very interesting indeed! I love the idea of using our furry friends to help in rescue situations, and you know that there are certainly plenty of dog breeds that would love this type of work! I know for a fact that my Retriever would LOVE to be involved in anything having to do with water, and that she’s smart enough to take the rigorous training that is required of these dogs to learn such skills.

Let slip the dogs of water
Canines in Italy jump from helicopters to save drowning bathers
IRENE CHIAPPISI
Reuters and staff

LAKE ISEO, ITALY — St. Bernards have long saved lives in the snow. Now dogs are being trained in Italy to jump off helicopters and help rescue people drowning at sea.

Dog lover Ferruccio Pilenga says his Italian Dog Rescue School, where large Newfoundlands, German shepherds and Labradors learn to take the plunge from a helicopter and tow drowning bathers to safety, is the first of its kind.

“Any dog weighing more than 25 kilos is suitable to become a rescue dog, as long as it is docile and likes the water,” Mr. Pilenga said at a recent training session for around 50 dogs on the shores of Lake Iseo, in northern Italy.

The dogs leap into the water with their human handlers. In a typical situation, the handler will put one arm around the swimmer in distress while gripping a special harness on the dog with the other hand. The dog then helps pull both of them to safety.

But Mr. Pilenga told The Independent newspaper of Britain that the dogs can often go where human rescuers can’t - up to dangerous rocks and in and around crevices. The dog is attached to a rope and once the animal reaches the person in distress with a life buoy, both can be pulled to safety.

Once the dogs graduate from the school, they and their masters will be able to help patrol Italy’s beaches as volunteers for the Civil Protection Authority. Some dogs can even tow a rubber dinghy with four people aboard, say the trainers.

Mr. Pilenga set up his school in 1989, with the help of some friends.

Nearly 20 years on, the academy has 10 branches around Italy. It takes about three years to train a dog and the academy’s canine graduates are credited with saving a number of lives.

Most dogs seem to enjoy the experience and “can’t wait to climb on the helicopter,” said Mariangela De Michele, who heads a training centre in the Abruzzo region. “We don’t force the dogs to jump. If we see signs that they are reluctant, such as keeping the tail between their legs, we go back.”

Story courtesy of The Globe and Mail

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