Incorporating Tracking Dogs with Horseback Search and Rescue

I received an e-mail from Shirley who asked about the viability of, and considerations for using tracking dogs with horseback search and rescue (SAR) teams.

I do not have any experience using dogs for search and rescue.  I did all my search and rescue operations on foot, on horseback or in a helicopter.  But on the surface it would seem like a no brainer to incorporate trained search dogs with horseback SAR teams. And while at least one Federal agency, the U.S. Border Patrol, is doing so since around 2006 with good success, these are full time teams usually with young, fit handlers and younger dogs as well.  A canine-equine-human team is not something that can just be thrown together and expected to work well.

Granted dogs have a very keen sense of smell allowing their use to detect explosives, narcotics, other illegal contraband, and human remains, as well as track a human's scent on the ground and in the air over terrain, and likely have a role in complimenting horseback search and rescue, however most dogs will have a limitation in it's endurance.  One of the most experienced search dog handlers I know assured me that most dogs can be conditioned for endurance required for an all day search covering a good amount of ground, but many handlers and dog are not prepared for longer distance search in high ambient temperatures.      

Most dog handlers doing rural or remote based search and rescue normally carry water for their canines. The canines can also be outfitted with footgear, much like hoof boots for horses, to minimize the damages from hot sand, sharp rocks and cactus and mesquite thorns. But I would think that most part time search dogs just wouldn't have the endurance that horses do, so a joint role with horses and dogs would have to be managed mainly for the dogs' safety of over heating.

I have known two Cowboys whose dog's have died during gathers conducted over a signficant distance, say 10 to 15 miles. One of these was in fall weather, so extreme tempratures and environmental conditions could not be the biggest factor. Neither one of these dogs were very old, the oldest being around 7 years old as I recall. Even if any of my dogs were tracking dogs - they aren't except figuring out where my wife hides the dog treats - I wouldn't risk them in high heat, rough terrain or longer distance movements.      

And while your dogs and your horses may get along together, not necessarily all the dogs and all the horses in a larger group would work well together on the trail or doing a grid search. Just like you likely screen your search and rescue people so they are fit and healthy enough to conduct a search, and even multi-day searches, you would likely have to do rehearsals with the dogs and horses in a controlled area and also in a environment like you would get called to conducted a SAR mission to evaluate just how well the concept works for your SAR Team. The last thing you want to do it for your search and rescue mission to be turned into a dog evacuation mission.

Probably not the answer you were looking for, but if you are still going to try, maybe doing some short exercises with combined horse and dog teams, then incrementally increasing the duration and distance will see if this is viable for your SAR team.  Good luck.