We have canines certified and training in several areas so that we can offer many options to the agencies we serve. The following is information on each or the types of search canines AASAR uses.
Disaster dogs are used to search for people in many types of disasters like mudslides, rockslides, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, explosions, building collapse, airplane crashes, train wrecks and many others! Disaster dogs must be able to remain calm and focused in extremely stressful circumstances. The dog will work off leash. These dogs are trained to stay with the trapped individual and bark until their handler can mark the spot and call in the rescue team.
A wilderness air scent dog will follow the scent of a person as it is carried on the breeze. This type of search dog will generally work off-lead. Most air scent dogs will locate any human in the search area, not just the lost person. Finding other people in the area could be useful because it may help us find witnesses with more information about the lost person’s location.
A human remains detection dog can detect the scent of a person after they have died. They are trained to alert only on human remains, not on animals. They can be used in many different situations. They can be used outdoors or indoors. They can search in a wilderness or urban setting.
A trailing dog follows a person's scent footstep for footstep. They are trained to locate a person by following a scent trail. They follow where a person's scent has drifted from their body and landed on the ground; that may be right along a person's path or many yards away, depending on factors like wind speed and direction, time of day and humidity. They generally work on a long lead. Trailing dogs can be used in a wilderness or urban setting.
We can provide public safety agencies with a short briefing about search and rescue dogs and their capabilities. Each talk will include a short demonstration with the type of search dogs your agency is most interested in. We can taylor the briefing to best suit the needs of your agency. If you are interested in Search Dogs 101 please e-mail us at info@alamoareasar.org
This 12-minute DVD was designed by the Association of National Park Rangers to show children, ages 4-12, what to do if they become lost in remote areas such as parks or forests. It follows the actions and thinking of 7-year-old Kelly, who sets out on a long-awaited hike on a beautiful day in the woods with her parents and brother. She runs ahead, gets separated from the rest of the family and becomes lost. After the DVD children can meet one of our search dogs! If your group is interested in Lost...but Found, Safe and Sound email us at info@alamoareasar.org
