Alpine rescuers: Swiss canine training for avalanche search teams

The Swiss mountain rescue dogs are trained at a ski resort, where people busy skiing or sledding occasionally glance over at the canine students. Photos: dpa

Dog Woya sits quietly next to handler Karin Schmid, waiting for the next assignment.

“There’s been an avalanche. Two people are missing,” says Schmid, who runs a training course for avalanche rescue dogs in Switzerland.