The ski patrol team at Mt Bachelor in Oregon has shared a heartwarming video of one of their rescue dogs getting a ride back down to base on a human colleague's shoulders at the end of a long day.
The clip, shared by adventureaday on TikTok, is adorable, but the resort's patrol dogs are hard workers with a very important job helping find and rescue skiers who have become buried by avalanches.
@adventureaday ♬ Crimson And Clover - The Shacks
The avalanche dogs at Mt Bachelor (Shasta, Ruddy, Cashew, and new puppy Jetty) go through several phases of training before joining the patrol on rescue missions. The first step involves getting them used to the mountain, with its skiers, chairlifts, and snowboarders. Trainers then get the dogs to fetch toys thrown into open snow caves, before eventually working up to finding people in covered and hidden caves.
In an interview with performance dog gear company Ruffwear, handler Alex explains that although cute, avalanche dogs like his partner Ruddy have serious work to do on the mountain.
"Basically, the biggest thing is that it's like any dog that’s in uniform," Alex explains. "If it runs up to you, don't immediately pet it. If it's with a handler, you can ask to pet the dog. But when these dogs are up here dressed in their uniforms they are working dogs just like if you would see a seeing eye dog out in town, so definitely approach them as if they're working."
It's hard work, but the dogs clearly love it. Another video posted a few days ago shows the same pup bouncing and running between its handler's skis as the team prepare for their first working day of the season.
@adventureaday ♬ The Look - Metronomy
"There are a lot of dogs in Bend, but we think this team may be the hardest working," say workers at Mt Bachelor. "Our team of avalanche dogs and their dedicated ski patrol handlers are on the mountain daily for continued training and conditioning to support the safety of our guests."
If you're visiting Mt Bachelor, you can give the dogs a helping hand by buying a T-shirt at the top of the Pine Marten lift. All proceeds go towards the purchase of food, insurance and certification programs for them.
- The best avalanche beacons: life-saving transceivers tested
