I read this article and it moved me, so I decided to share it with you....
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Deep inside the condemned building, a person hides in a closet, the door closed
tight. Outside the room, far down a long hallway, a black Labrador Retriever is
released. The dog bolts down the corridor, darting in and out of empty rooms as
if pulled by an invisible leash.
When the dog reaches the last room at
the end of the hall and smells its quarry, it barks and scratches at the door
until the person emerges, rewarding the animal with praise and a rough tug of
war with a toy.
The debris-littered building is a
close approximation of a structure that's been pounded by a hurricane or other
disaster and helps prepare canine search-and-rescue teams for finding an injured
survivor lying buried beneath piles of rubble.
Outside, another dog, Kaiser, watches
intently as other teams of dogs and their handlers file into the dilapidated
structure for their turns.
Though his spirit is clearly willing,
Kaiser is nearly 13, and his body can no longer meet the rigorous demands of SAR
work. So the German Shepherd Dog watches the exercise while owner Tony
Zintsmaster offers the occasional reassuring word or ruffles the dog's ears.
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