Not only does Exie, a purebred German shepherd, hold a Whitewater season’s pass, she and handler Lindsay Eastwood have recently been certified by the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association.
Together Eastwood, 24, and three-year-old Exie are the only avalanche rescue dog team in the West Kootenay.
“There is another CARDA dog team in training in Rossland,” said Eastwood. “Our next closest CARDA resources include six teams in Revelstoke, one in Invermere, and three in Fernie. There have been other teams here in the past though none in the last few years.”
Eastwood said she and Exie only took a year and half to do the two-year training, which she attributes to Exie’s “strong background” of two years police training in Edmonton.
Previously from Kamloops, Eastwood and her charge now live in Nelson where Eastwood said she’s hoping to remain year-round.
A combination of a good nose with good training makes a good avalanche and wilderness rescue dog, but according to Eastwood, even more important is having a high hunting or prey drive.
“The desire to keep looking for the ‘prey’ for extended periods of time,” she said. “In our case we train the dogs to look for live human scent, which humans shed constantly in the form of skin cells, bacteria, parasites, etc. which make up a combination unique to people.”
She said without an “innately high hunting drive” it is very difficult to get the dog to want to work.
“We try to make searching the most exciting game our working dogs will ever play so that they will want to work when they need to.” And for Exie, she is trained to associate live human scent with her favourite game — tug-of-war. She uses her nose to find human scent in the air then follows it to the point where it is coming out of the snow. From there she digs to pursue the scent to it’s source.
In addition, German shepherds have a double coat which grows in thick, keeping them warm in the winter and her size is a great feature.
Lindsay Eastwood and Exie are always training. They are the only avalanche rescue dog team in the West Kootenay.
“She’s big enough to cover ground efficiently but small enough for me to carry,” said Eastwood. Whether the team arrives by helicopter or skis, Exie’s skill to quickly and comfortably stand balanced on Eastwood’s back is highly functional. Perching on Eastwood’s back saves Exie’s energy when skiing in deep or challenging snow conditions so she is fresh once they arrive at a search site. It can also make loading the dog in and out of helicopters easier.
Not just anyone can be the human side of this specialized team. Eastwood is a professional ski patroller at Whitewater, which requires an Occupational First Aid level 3 or equivalent first aid course and a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 1 Avalanche course. The pair are also members of Nelson Search and Rescue. (CARDA requires both of those certifications as well as a ground search and rescue to be a member.) Exie works alongside Eastwood on the Whitewater Snow Safety Team.
What happens once they are onsite varies on the situation but it usually entails Eastwood reporting to a task force leader with a discussion about how best to deploy the dog. Eastwood then gives Exie a search command and the pair get to work.
“For a hasty search we try to cover the area as efficiently as possible,” she said. “For a finer search we use the wind and work into it to give Exie the best chance possible of scenting something. My job is to help Exie cover the whole area and know where to search, as well as watch her body language for interest and indication.”
Eastwood said when Exie first gets a scent, she indicates with a subtle body language change, something each handler has to learn from their dogs. Once she has followed the scent to a point where it is coming out of the snow, she is trained to pursue it to the source by digging.
As far as people approaching a working dog, Eastwood said people should always ask the handler before approaching.
“Exie is a very social dog as she loves people but there will be times when it is not okay to approach her, so asking is a must,” said Eastwood, adding that at the ski hill, taking skis and boards off before approaching is important.
“We forget how sharp our edges are since we rarely touch them, but it is very easy for edges to cut Exie’s feet.”
The duo have not yet had an avalanche search but they are ready at any time.
“The best case scenario for Exie’s career would be to train lots and never be needed,” said Eastwood. “We just hope that everyone enjoying avalanche terrain has all the gear and training to keep them as safe as possible.”
CARDA is a volunteer non-profit charitable organization whose mandate is to train and maintain a network of highly efficient avalanche search and rescue teams across Canada.
