Dog teams have a very special role in the world of search and rescue. The dogs'
ultra-sensitive hearing, night vision, endurance and keen sense of smell have
continually proven to be invaluable in the effort to locate missing persons. Because
of their extraordinary abilities, dogs are often able to reduce the time spent
searching, thereby increasing the chances that the mission persons will be found
alive. A search dog's success stems from the fact that every human being has a
smell -- not detectable by human beings, but discernible by animals -- which is
caused by the constant stream of skin rafts and bacteria shed from the human body.
How this scent is detected by the animals is dependent upon the training they
have had in trailing or air scenting techniques. In both cases, the search dogs
are able to locate missing persons even if they are hidden from view. Experts
estimate that a single dog team can be as effective as 20 to 30 trained human
searchers in locating a missing person in a given period of time.
Read more about SAR Dogs