Whistler's Avalanche Rescue Dogs Train With Helicopters

Ella Boyd
·2 min read

Have you seen dogs surfing? Skiing? Riding in a chopper?

Now we both have, as soon as you check out Whistler Blackcomb's footage of their Ski Patrol Dog Handling team training dogs to be heli-comfortable.

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Apparently, the footage, which was posted to Instagram yesterday, was actually shot earlier this fall.

Officials at Whistler explain "we caught up with Mike and Alex from our Ski Patrol Dog Handling Team and their partners, Ziggy and Freya to get a glimpse into their @cardadog helicopter training."

This training allows the dogs to be exposed to the helicopters. As you can imagine, this can be a lot for some dogs (my dog is scared of fireworks!) so it is especially impressive that not only do the dogs board the helicopters, they do so with a job in mind.

It's also important for the dogs to get that experience under their belts (collars?) in a controlled setting before the situation becomes consequential later in the season.

"Throughout the career of an avy dog here at Whistler Blackcomb it’s crucial that our teams have these opportunities for training to stay sharp and be prepared for response situations."

Avalanche dogs help out in critical situations by locating people buried under the snow in avalanches. A patrol dog can search 2.5 acres in around 30 minutes, and can smell a person buried 10-15 feet down.

One of the Ski Patrol dogs, named Ziggy, was a bit younger, making this footage of his very first flight.

We salute the pups hard work, and some of us are secretly jealous these dogs get to ride in the helicopters. It's a dog's life... no, wait, it's a dog's dream!

Related: VIDEO: Ski Pups on Patrol

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