Furry Heroes Begin Training Tuesday

SPOKANE — A furry, wet nose could be the first thing you see after the next major disaster in the Inland Northwest. That’s because six dogs are training to be part of an exclusive search and rescue team.

Pete, Bailey, Cody, Boomer, Dax and Teigan began their training Tuesday at the Spokane Fire Department. They will spend the next two years learning how to find people buried in rubble and recover bodies from a disaster area.

They are the only disaster dogs in the entire state of Idaho and will serve the entire Inland Northwest.

They’re made up of a variety of breeds: Black Lab, Yellow Lab, Australian Shepherd and Dutch Shepherd and there’s no strict age limit either, the team is training a puppy along with the five adult dogs this time around.

Once training is over, the dogs will have to pass a test with 100 percent accuracy in order to become certified.

You can help these dogs through their training and into their lives as disaster dogs by attend an auction at the Coeur d’Alene Cellars Winery on September 26. Tickets are on sale for $20 at any Coeur d’Alene fire department.

All proceeds go directly to the dogs’ veterinary bills, food, training and travel.