Jen5200 (04-17-2019), kimbersmom (04-18-2019), Mollysmomma (04-19-2019), Mr Kleb (04-18-2019), Snowshoe (04-18-2019), zd262 (04-18-2019)
I went skiing at my local mountain today and took a break to watch an avalanche dog demonstration. These working dogs are an impressive tool that ski patrol uses to keep the mountain safe.
We watched Mango, a 6 year old golden retriever, demonstrating a search for a buried person. A trained avalanche dog can find a buried person faster than any human, and with avalanches time is the most important factor for survival.
I asked what breeds they used and the answer was Labradors and golden retrievers. The reason? They need smart, driven, athletic and trainable dogs that are also super comfortable and friendly with people. The dogs spend all day patrolling the mountain and meeting people, and the handlers consider the dogs to be ambassadors of the mountain. I was super lucky to ride a lift with one of the labs today.
It’s clear these dogs love their jobs! Here is Mango finding her handler “buried” in the snow. It’s all a game to her!
Jen5200 (04-17-2019), kimbersmom (04-18-2019), Mollysmomma (04-19-2019), Mr Kleb (04-18-2019), Snowshoe (04-18-2019), zd262 (04-18-2019)
Mango! What a great name for her color!
These dogs work so hard, just for the joy of finding someone in the snow, aren't retrievers grand?
That's so cool! What was it like being on the lift with them? I imagine that is a difficult task to train
They jump right up and sit next to their handler who can hold onto the dog's harness. It's one of the first things they do with puppies - get them used to riding a chair with their handler. So cute! The dog I rode with kind of stepped out in front of the chair and did a little running jump as the chair spun around and he knew exactly when to jump off at the top. They have kennels at the top of some of the lifts so the dogs can be positioned around the mountain throughout the day depending on conditions.
Here's a little video about them.
barry581 (04-18-2019), Murphy030813 (04-19-2019)
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