Shelter Dogs Trained To Sniff Out Survivors After Disaster Strikes (VIDEO)

During the critical immediate hours following September 11, the Haiti earthquakes and the tornado in Joplin, MO, rescue workers knew they had limited time and resources to rummage through the rubble to find survivors. Which is why when disaster strikes, rescue workers call on the trained pooches from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, CNN reports.

Funded solely by grants, donations, awards and corporate support, the organization has been creating and training teams of dogs and handlers certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency since 1996.

When Wilma Melville, founder of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, arrived to the Oklahoma City bombing site, she at first felt uncertain. “Can we really do this?” Melville told the news network. “Can we really find live people?”

In addition to saving human lives, the organization also saves at-risk dogs. Ninety percent of the dogs that the organization trains come from shelters.

“Finding live people is our goal,” Melville told CNN. “But, providing hope for the onlookers and a place for the firefighters to start, those are meaningful, meaningful objectives.”

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Comments

[Bizmark]

03:20 PM on 09/04/2011

In my work I meet a lot of people. I find the truly disgruntled don't have pets. No cats, no dogs, no birds...never considered it. Several times I've convinced one of these unfortunates to visit the shelter w/ me. Usually silent types who speak only when spoken to or when complaint permits a rant, I never try to reason why but I guess these are the types who can't sustain relationships due to their lives or their genes -- even the damaged can do it w/ a little help from these four legged survivors. Dogs expect little more than water/food and a walk around the neighborhood, they forgive easily even the most outrageous acts, they amuse, they make you laugh out loud, they express themselves in sometimes hilarious ways (see You Tube) and their loyalty is astounding -- medicine for the lonesome life.

I have convinced a few of our unhappy brothers (neighbors and friends of friends) to take home a shelter dog. I've seen the difference a pet makes in the lives of the less than well adjusted. Still unable perhaps to make human relationships work, at least their loneliness has been replaced w/ responsibility and companionship, a starter kit for relationship-building w/ people -- I know it can be a big first step because I've seen dogs work their peculiar brand of magic on humans. It can make your eyes glisten....

[RealityBaseCamp]

03:27 PM on 09/04/2011

The line, "Who saved who?" appears on pet-rescue t-shirts, and it tells the story.

[femmyror]

01:53 PM on 09/04/2011

Wilma rules!

[Huzie]

01:01 PM on 09/04/2011

Just adopted two rescued Beagles. One from Maine, one from North Carolina. The woman who runs a rescue there is a saint, which is more than I can say for the miscreants who abuse and abandon these darling dogs and leave them on rural roads to fend for themselves and perhaps die. My lucky pup was found and did not end up at a shlter down there where they more often than not are kill shelters ( How's that for any oxymoron)

[Pennsanic]

11:14 AM on 09/04/2011

That's a great video about Wilma.

[olitenup]

10:18 AM on 09/04/2011

I have a shelter dog. He is absolutely terrific in every way.

[Connie Markley Boppre]

11:55 AM on 09/04/2011

my shelter dog is so sweet. shelter dogs are the best !!!

[Axekick]

10:02 AM on 09/04/2011

I am early into my second year with my first shelter dog. He is also highly intelligent, delightful and an absolute joy. He has never damaged anything inside the house, or in the yard. He almost instinctively knows right from wrong, when tempted to do wrong he looks at me waiting for approval and if it isn't granted he walks to my feet and gently lays down.

I do allow him free reign in the house and every morning when I awake, he is laying about one foot from my face so the first thing I see each morning after the alarm clock is a wagging tail excited by my presence. It is a degree of love I've never experienced with any other animal, and before him I was traditional a "cat person."

God forbid anything ever happen to him but if or when it does, he will be replaced by another shelter dog.

[camanokat]

02:33 PM on 09/04/2011

We have 4 rescues here, all awesome pupsters.

[Kalamama2]

09:45 AM on 09/04/2011

Please take a good look at this video folks. They are not all pure bred animals, they are ALL hero's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXjTEm4BPI&feature=related

[oilfield]

09:33 AM on 09/04/2011

the intro pic....doubting that was a shelter dog.

[Kalamama2]

09:38 AM on 09/04/2011

Why would you doubt that?

I work with rescues and they come in all sizes and breeds including pure bred dogs.
The saddest part is that most come to us due to neglect or abuse, but some people no longer have the means to take proper care of their animal and have no choice but to give them up and hope they find another good home.

[Ann-Pittsburgh]

09:27 AM on 09/04/2011

What a brilliant idea. The organization's website (searchdogfoundation.org) says that dogs who are eligible for the program should be Labs, Goldens, border collies, or members of other hunting or herding breeds, between 9 and 18 months old. I'll send this info to a volunteer at a shelter with very high intake and a low adoption rate. She says that most of the dogs who come into the shelter are Labs and Lab mixes, including puppies. The program could give some of these dogs a job and a chance for a new life.

[erinker]

09:14 AM on 09/04/2011

What a fantastic organization! Not only do they provide such an amazing service at disaster sites, they provide dogs with a second chance! I have added this organization to my donation list!

[karen lyons kalmenson]

08:57 AM on 09/04/2011

I am all shelter dogs by karen lyons kalmenson

my love is not something to be quantified,
analyzed or qualified.
it comes with trust that cannot be assailed.
a hearty bark, a wagging tail.
i give to you more than you can ever return
my love is true, does not have to be earned..
i am a shelter dog who needs a place...
to call my own, a loving space...
open your door and i will give you more....

[maxout22]

06:48 AM on 09/04/2011

I can't imagine my journey through life without my adopted dogs by my side.

[Connie Markley Boppre]

11:56 AM on 09/04/2011

me neither !

[Karmella]

05:52 PM on 09/03/2011

I think that what is being done with these dogs is outstanding. Instead of being put to sleep they are saving lives. I just wish people would be more careful with their pets so they won't end up in shelters in the 1st place.

[PatA]

08:40 PM on 09/03/2011

My girl, Clementine, was found on a highway, eating roadkill. The shelter director finally caught her after two weeks. She is half-airedale and we think, german shepherd. She is the most athletic dog I've owned. I hope to get her into training for search and rescue. I live in a mountainous area where there is no search and rescue team. She has no fear of anything physical and is very, very intelligent. I've only bought one dog in my entire 68 years. All rescues.

Rescue adult dogs, folks. They are harder to adopt out and will reward you with love and gratitude the rest of their lives.

[BonzaSheila]

09:23 PM on 09/03/2011

Thank you,PatA! - Both my beloved dogs are shelter mutts and adopted as adults.

[erinker]

09:15 AM on 09/04/2011

x10! Of course I love puppies (doesn't everyone?) but there sure is something to be said for an older dog!