In the intensive search work that is going on in Turkey and Syria, the dogs represent a very important contribution. A trained disaster dog can search an area ten times faster than a human can. In events such as earthquakes, time is extremely important in order to save as many people as possible, explains dog trainer Fredrik Steen.
He believes that a dog can be a great asset in the search for survivors in a disaster area where people often search blindly and are desperate.
– With a trained rescue dog, you can search the area extremely quickly and mark exactly where to look, he says.
Furthermore, Fredrik Steen explains that it takes six to eight months to train a dog that is stable, confident and fearless.
– What you want is a dog with a huge engine. A lot is required of these dogs who have to search and work for long periods in the worst possible environment.