They do it without question, without attitude, without a hint of being scared, they search for people who are trapped and can't alert anyone to where they are, the search dogs are heroes.
At 1:15pm local time, an SDF Search Team in Port-au-Prince located three girls, trapped alive since Tuesday in the rubble of Haiti’s devastating earthquake.(I seem to have some special connection to this team, not sure why. HA!)
Bill Monahan and his Border Collie, Hunter, were searching a neighborhood near the Presidential Palace, concentrating on a large bowl-shaped area of rubble which was all that remained of a 4-story building.
After criss-crossing the area, Hunter pin-pointed the survivors’ scent under 4 feet of broken concrete and did his “bark alert” to let Bill know where the victims were. Bill spoke with the survivors, then passed them bottles of water tied to the end of a stick. As they reached for the water one of the girls said, “Thank you.” Highly trained rescue crews from California Task Force 2 are now working to extricate the girls from the wreckage and provide first aid.
Bill and Hunter continue to search, as do the 6 other SDF teams on the ground in Haiti:
These dogs are heroes. They ask for only a chew toy as a reward. I suspect that they fully understand that they are saving lives, why else would they get depressed when they don't find anyone alive.
Here's a glimpse of what these dogs do.
Dogs can be heroes in other ways as well:
As you all know, my family fosters service dogs. Right now our house is dogless. A few months ago we had Elliott, he has now gone to a 5 year old autistic boy. Good boy Elliott! While we had him, he needed to be dropped off everyday to the training center, we hooked up with two other foster families and formed a "dog pool" so every morning I would drive all three dogs to the training center. Thank goodness I have a Jimmy, because 2 kids and three dogs would not fit into a Smart car.
Those three dogs are going to make a huge difference to three families. Elliott is the black one. Most importantly they love what they do. They are the true heroes!
5 comments:
Thank you Hunter (and "Hunter") for all the good you do with your dogs.
My poor little mutt could find people too if everyone had a doggie treat in their pocket. He loves broken clam shells - very tough to get out of his mouth and what's up with his liking seaweed?
Bless you for your love of dogs and the work and effort you put into their care and training.
Thanks
"My poor little mutt could find people too if everyone had a doggie treat in their pocket."
LOL!
I echo West Coast Teddi's sentiments.
BTW, why is Elliott smiling while his buddies are so serious?
Five more survivors found this morning.
Elliott was smiling because he knew he was about to be placed in his new home while the other two were just starting their formal training. He also knew I was a soft touch when it came to treats.
Aw, the cute little poochie woochies. I love dogs - in fact, I like dogs more than most people I meet. Dogs are honest and don't have hidden agendas - unlike cats. Don't shoot me, all you cat lovers. I'm just a totally commited dog guy and am totally ambivalent where cats are concerned. How's that for stirring up the pot. LOL.
Hunter, there was a springer spaniel a few door down from our house when I was a lot younger - his name was Fred and he, also, smiled. It was hilarious watching him smile - he was one great pooch, that's for sure.
When I retire, if my health is still good, I plan to get into the guide dog foster program. Those dogs and the people who train them have a special place in Heaven reserved just for them.
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