Colorado Resort Mourns Loss Of Beloved Avalanche Rescue Dogs

Anchin and Suka were 13 and 14, respectively. Monarch wrote they passed "surrounded by those that loved them most."

Anchin was Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (CRAD) certified, and Suka was certified in-house.

"Our hearts go out to their families and handlers," Monarch wrote.

CRAD—who helped train Anchin—was formed as a non-profit dedicated to creating dog-assisted avalanche response teams in the wake of the devastating 1987 Peak 7 avalanche outside Breckenridge Ski Area's boundaries. After the lethal avalanche, it took rescuers three days to locate the victims. 

With their keen sense of smell, dogs can expedite the recovery of victims who aren't wearing avalanche transceivers. 

According to The Washington Post, they're particularly useful in unwitnessed avalanches where patrol teams aren't sure if there's been a burial. Instead of running a probe line, the team can rely on an avalanche dog to provide quick clues.

Worldwide, the existence of avalanche dogs dates back to the 1700s, when large St. Bernards helped monks rescue travelers in the snowy, treacherous St. Bernard Pass, which connects Italy and Switzerland. 

The Smithsonian Magazine credits these brave canines with rescuing roughly 2,000 people over the course of nearly 200 years.

A 2018 blog post from Monarch provides insight into how a modern avalanche dog is trained.

The avalanche dogs first learn to recover their favorite toys from the snow's surface. As the dogs' skills progress, trainers begin burying the toy before including someone who pretends to be an avalanche victim. Eventually, the toy is removed, training the dogs to seek buried people.

While avalanche dogs, like their handlers, are hard-working employees, they're also, well, dogs, adding a cute factor to otherwise tremendously serious situations. This makes their benefit twofold.

I don't know about you, but seeing the face of a new four-legged friend after an avalanche would undoubtedly lift my spirits. Here's to Anchin, Suka, and the rest of their furry, lovable compatriots.