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Canada Task Force 1, Vancouver's heavy urban search and rescue team, trains search dogs for disaster response, with annual validation and new recruits.
Canada Task Force 1, a Vancouver -based heavy urban search and rescue team, conducted annual validation training for its search dogs on Friday. The team, which consists of 160 members including paramedics, police officers, firefighters, engineers, doctors, City of Vancouver staff, and search dogs, is preparing for potential disasters such as a major earthquake.
Annual Validation Tests Search Dogs
The annual validation requires dogs to pass various tasks, including searching, obedience, directional control, and agility. Task Force Canine Lead and Vancouver Police Sgt. Bob Sandher told reporters that the dogs must meet these standards to participate in the task force.
During a session, Rico, a 10-month-old dog, demonstrated skills after recently passing Level 1 Live Find validation. Sandher explained that most dogs are toy-driven, while some are food-driven, and they enjoy the process as a game of hide-and-seek.
Training for National Disasters
Given the expectation that Vancouver is due for a major earthquake, the training takes on greater significance. Vancouver Police Department Const. Colin Naismith, a search dog handler and evaluator, said the team is training for a national disaster that they hope never comes but will be ready when it does.
The training also involves preparing dogs for challenging environments. Sandher noted that dogs will go over obstacles and jump out of helicopters, driven by their desire to please and win a toy.
Team Transition and New Recruits
The team is undergoing a transition as 11-year-old Cooper, a Labrador retriever, prepares to retire. His replacement, three-month-old Indy, was on display as she begins her disaster search dog training.
Sandher emphasized that while dogs and handlers can have off days, repeated failure to meet standards is not acceptable. The validation is pass-fail, ensuring only qualified dogs join the task force.
Canada Task Force 1 continues to train diligently, ready to respond when needed.
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