Meet Baggs: Training to Save Lives in Avalanche Rescues

Baggs the golden retriever may have been the runt of her litter, but she's now on a mission that could one day save your life.

The 5-month-old pup is training to become an avalanche rescue dog at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming. Right now, she's learning to ride chairlifts slung across ski patrollers' shoulders and play hide-and-seek games in the snow.

Her owner, Rob Brennan, a 34-year-old ski patroller, chose Baggs because she's confident, loves puzzles, and has a powerful nose. "She likes people, but she also really likes cruising around and sniffing," he said.

The training journey takes about two years and gets progressively harder. What starts as simple games of hide-and-seek will eventually involve finding multiple people buried in realistic avalanche scenarios.

To become certified, Baggs and Brennan must find up to three victims hidden in a football-field-sized area in just 20 minutes. Only dogs that are motivated, tenacious, calm under pressure, and good family pets make the cut.

The Bright Side

Dogs like Baggs play an irreplaceable role in avalanche rescue. Their noses can narrow down search areas significantly faster than any human technology, saving critical minutes that mean the difference between life and death.

Jackson Hole has maintained an avalanche dog program since 1979, and most western U.S. ski resorts now have similar programs. The resort currently has three seasoned rescue dogs and is training Baggs and another puppy to join the pack.

"Human technology cannot replace what they do," said John Reller, co-founder of Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, which certifies rescue dogs. "There is no substitute for a well trained dog and their sense of smell."

Though avalanches don't frequently occur within resort boundaries, these dogs can respond to incidents in nearby backcountry areas. When they're deployed, they're "worth their weight in gold," said Bill Vore, a 45-year-old patroller and avalanche dog handler.

Most days, Jackson Hole stations at least two avalanche dogs on the mountain, including at the summit of 10,450-foot Rendezvous Mountain. Only about half of avalanche victims survive an hour after burial, making these four-legged heroes essential to mountain safety.

For now, little Baggs is just learning the basics while frolicking in Wyoming snow, but her serious training could someday help bring someone home safely.