Stories about sled dogs hauling medicine and supplies through the frozen wilderness have become the stuff of legends, but did you know pups are proving just as powerful in the waves as they are on the ice?
In Italy, an elite squadron of 350 specially-trained dogs from the Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs （Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio, or SICS） has successfully been patrolling the beaches, working as lifeguards. 300 SICS units, consisting of one dog and one trainer, are tasked with watching over approximately 30 of the country's busiest beaches. Thanks to their willingness to perform, strength, and fearless exploits-including leaping from helicopters into the surf below to rescue at-risk swimmers-an average of 20-30 lives are saved annually by the doggie guards, and that number continues to climb each year.
Earlier this month, when several families, including eight children, were endangered by strong wind and wave conditions while 330 feet from shore, three doggie lifeguards and their trainers rushed in to save the day. With the help of their human companions, dogs Eros, Mya, and Mira pulled everyone to safety in about 15 minutes.
The SICS program is the brainchild of 59-year-old Ferruccio Pilenga, who got the idea that dogs would make excellent lifeguards back in 1989 from watching his own Newfoundland. an immensely powerful swimmer named Mas. “He pulled a water-filled boat with three people on board for half an hour,” Pilenga told The Times of London. “A human cannot do that.”
The SICS program is arduous. After 18 months of basic training, only those dogs successfully completing the required steps are considered ready to move on to the more intensive aspects of lifesaving techniques, such as jumping from helicopters and leaping from speeding boats.
