“A rescue dog can find 1 to 3 people in 20 minutes, where that might take 100 rescuers 24 hours”.
Thanks to Filson, we get a quick inside look to the work of rescue dogs. They are the best chance you have in the disaster of an avalanche. This particular avalanche dog, Leaf, has all of the trust of his dog handler. She knows to check the snow and study the science, but “no-one is there to make it safe for you”.
“A Nose for Rescue:
A highly-refined tool, a dog’s nose is made for tracking scents. Wet and spongy, it literally absorbs scents out of the air. Smelling with nostrils separately, it can determine the direction of the scent. Inhaling, a specialized scent chamber with 300 million scent receptors analyzes the air for scent and intensity. Combine that with the fact that dogs devote 40 times more of their brain power to smelling than humans do and it’s easy to see why man’s best friend passes the smell test when it comes to avalanche rescue“.
~ Filson YouTube Channel