In an effort to continually improve its nationally recognized Snow Safety and Ski Patrol, Alyeska has developed the Alyeska Patrol Avalanche Canine program, a reflection of Patrol’s on-going commitment to skier and snowboarder safety and rescue. The program utilizes highly trained air scenting rescue dog and handler teams. Since their arrival, the dog and handler teams have been training daily at Alyeska Resort.
The goal of the program is to broaden the available avalanche safety tools that Snow Safety and Patrol have on-hand at the Resort. The teams will also offer assistance to other organizations in backcountry rescue 
operations when necessary, as well as offer avalanche awareness education to the public. When it comes to avalanche rescue, time is of the essence. Rescue dogs provide a fast and efficient way of searching a large area that would take teams of rescuers a much longer to search with probes. Certified avalanche rescue dogs can detect human scent under layers of snow; ultimately increasing a buried skier or rider’s chance of survival. A trained rescue dog can indicate the location of a buried person or article by aggressive digging and barking. They also have the ability to tell a handler that an area is clear of human scent so decisions can be made to call off search efforts once it is determined that no one was involved in a slide.
The canine breed selected for the dog program is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, a small retriever with a distinctive red coat and fox-like markings. Ski Patrol Supervisor and dog handler Brain McGorry explains, “The Toller’s intelligence, trainability, and compact size make them an ideal candidate for search dogs. The dogs routinely load ski lifts, travel on snow machines, and are carried on the shoulders of their handlers.” Carrying the dogs keeps them away from sharp ski edges, crowds, and also enables patrol to transport them into far outer areas with deep snow and steep terrain. Smaller breeds typically have less health problems and a longer life span, and therefore a longer career as a search dog.
The two adult dogs at Alyeska Resort are named Zooka and Fundy. A new additon to the team for the 2011-12 season is Yuki (Japanese vocabulary for "snow") a five month old "puppy-in-training" from Sagewood Kennels in Wisconsin who is working with handler Tim Glasset and becoming familiar with the resort and general public. Yuki is very friendly and loves to meet new people.
Special thanks to supporters of the Alyeska Patrol Avalanche Canine Program
