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In a canine avalanche team, the dog and the handler are equally important.
They work hard to try to save the people who have been buried in an
avalanche. The handlers and dogs have to have quick response, they have
to search thoroughly, and they have to remember their own safety. They
need to have all of the skills necessary to search safely and effectively
through an avalanche. Search
dogs are the most important tools for finding people who were stuck
in an avalanche. It is very important for these people to be found quickly
because they will freeze to death if not found within a short amount
of time, depending on the temperature. Trainers
actually bury themselves inside of snow when they train the avalanche
dogs. A handler helps the dogs find the trainer. The trainers try to
make it as close to a real crisis as possible to try to convince the
dogs of the needs of the people that are buried. The dogs are rewarded
with playtime and praise. After their hard work digging through the
snow, playing with a Frisbee is real fun! Avalanche
dogs are very important now since there are so many skiers and snowboarders
on the mountains who may cross paths with an avalanche. These dogs are
great lifesavers!
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