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She explained that dogs like working with people, can work together, and have excellent noses which are efficient. When people walk, they leave their molecules of scent, and dogs can tell differences and recognize individuals by scent. While there are many good things about this, she also stated there are some problems.
The one was that it’s difficult to get dogs to walk on rubble because it is hard to walk on different unstable ground at the same time they are searching. The biggest problem, however, is that dogs have relatively short lifespans, new dog must always be being trained. The dogs they look for are medium sized, healthy, and love not only working but continually working. The most important thing is that a dog trust people and is not aggressive.
When Dr. Hornisberger talked about REDOG’s missions, she had many maxims related to rescuing. They go on mission with the goal to help people. Sometimes it’s in Switzerland, other times it is overseas. In her presentation she displayed: “A couple of seconds can change everything. Every call out is different.” “Search to find victim to you can rescue [sic].” “No search without rescue” “No search and rescue without medical care.” “Dangerous for all, safety first."
Dr. Hornisberger will spend the coming week meeting with Japanese search dog teams.
REDOG’s hompage can be accessed online.
Dr. Linda Hornisberger talks about her career