. Just thought you should know that in Italy we have something called Il
Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio literally, The Italian School of Canine Lifeguards!
They leap from helicopters or speeding boats, bringing aid to swimmers who get into trouble off Italy's popular beaches. For these lifeguards, the doggie paddle does just fine.
Hundreds of specially trained dogs from Italy's corps of canine lifeguards are deployed each summer to help swimmers in need of rescue.
These "lifedogs" wear a harness or tow a buoy that victims can grab, or a raft they can sit on to be towed back to shore, and unlike their human counterparts, they can easily jump from helicopters and speeding boats to reach swimmers in trouble.
With millions flocking to Italy's crowded beaches each summer, the Italian Coast Guard says it rescues about 3,000 people every year, and their canine helpers are credited with saving several lives.
It takes three years for the canines to reach expert rescue status, and currently 300 dogs are fully trained for duty, said Roberto Gasbarri, who coordinates the program at a center outside of Rome in the seaside town of Civitavecchia.
More:
HeraldNet.com - Nation/World: Lifeguard dogs paddle to the rescue
S.
ps: When I lived in the UK I had two Red Setters which I miss to this day.