Joyful Rescue w/ Lynne Cox

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How Water Rescue Dogs Literally Save People

About The Episode

Ever since she was a teenager, Lynne Cox has been doing open-water swimming. What started as her parents not wanting their kids to drown turned into them seeing the athletic potential and moving from a cold climate in the Northeast to the warm weather of sunny California instead. By 17, Lynne swam across the English Channel twice. She would go on to break world records, swim areas no one had ever tried or accomplished before, and eventually was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Lynne has also always loved dogs, and grew up with them around her. But she was unaware of the world of water rescue dogs, combining two things she was passionate about. A friend told her about these Newfoundlands and other breeds that would leap from helicopters into the water to save people from drowning alongside their owners. And that some dogs also served in a lifeguard role, the human and dog surveying the beach from the shore to help out if needed. All this combined piqued Lynne’s interest, and she needed to know more.

As a result, Lynne traveled to Italy to the Scuola Italiana Cani da Salvataggio (Italian School of Rescue Dogs), where she spent time with everyone from the instructors to the dogs to their human counterparts. She watched them train to be water rescue dogs and found the process fascinating. Lynne even participated in a demonstration herself, where she swam about 50 yards off share and then waited there to be rescued by one of the top dogs. When it happened, the dog came up to her and circled once first (which she later learned they do to make sure the person isn't afraid of dogs), and then offered a harness to hold while the dog swam back to the safety of the shore. These dogs can carry multiple people at once, and they move fast back to shore.

It's a training process that's a progression from a young age. Puppies are taught to swim in a supportive, gradual way with plenty of reassurance and help to build confidence and strength. Over time, other signals and techniques are implemented for the dog to be able to communicate in an instant with an owner for any emergency water rescue situation that may arise. The owners also have to be trained aside guards too, and do this in their own free time. Some of these water rescue dog teams work with the Italian Coast Guard and Italian Air Force, so they have to go through rigorous procedures and tests to be able to join – so it is very regimented and made sure to be safe.

Once approved, the water rescue dogs and their humans patrol beaches in Europe across countries like Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. While lifeguards are still there, this provides extra support and the dogs can help rescue more people at once. For example, last year there were 14 kids on rubber inflatable rafts that had been pulled offshore by a current – but luckily, two labs and their owners saw the situation and they were able to save all the kids. In the U.S. and Canada, a similar idea is starting to be implemented (with slightly different training methods), which could be a great thing to see in the future.

One of the most popular breeds for this role are Newfoundlands, who can pull up to six people at a time. Other dogs often trained include German Shepards, Labaradors, Golden Retrievers, Leonberger, and Italian Spinone's (who all can typically pull 2-3 at a time). One of the Newfoundland dogs that Lynne saw that inspired her, in particular, was one named Al - who she met as a puppy. Only two years old initially, Al had a different and overenthusiastic and excited temperament and was harder to train. However, her temperament lead to a discovery of a special set of skills and abilities within Al that hadn’t been done before. This inspired Lynne to write her latest book, Tales of Al, about all the incredible things she learned about how water rescue dogs are saving lives and the private owners committed to this purpose.

About The Guest - Lynne Cox

Lynne Cox is an open-water swimmer who had already swum the English Channel twice by age 17 and has since logged over 50,000 miles in the water. She's set numerous records and been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. To this day, Lynne is still an active swimmer. In addition, she’s authored many articles about her athletic achievements for publications such as the New York Times, LA Times, and more. In her new book, Tales of Al, Lynne looks at the incredible role of water rescue dogs – particularly in Europe, where she studied their training in Italy – and a Newfoundland named Al.

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