So you are wandering in the forest, it’s a great day, sun shining above your head, and a gentle breeze that brings along the scent of fresh pine and wildflowers. Trying to score the last kill of the day, but then suddenly, without a sign, you get entangled in a trap that was certainly not intended to catch you.
And now you are stuck with no signal on your phone and no inkling how to get out of it, and you didn’t even bring your dog with you, because you wanted some time in nature all by yourself. It’s like a movie scene, where you are playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Some hooligans have trapped you, and now you can’t break out of this place without some help from your fellow sidekicks to come to your rescue. The quirks and perks of the hunting season. Ha! Who even gave the idea of venturing into some public land?
But don’t worry, the trapper who set this cage will surely come to visit when he gets a signal that he has captured a unique species, specifically a golden-haired, green-eyed Homo sapiens.
Don’t just get too panicked; we don’t live in the Stone Age, where hunters and gatherers placed death traps for catching game. Trapping has now transformed, and once you learn how it helps in ecological conservation and wildlife management, and that it is heavily regulated and humane, you will also come to accept it.
Moreover, specialized search and rescue breeds play a vital role in finding animals trapped in various environments and can even find a careful hunter like you. Oh! Come on, we are not mocking you for the situation that has befallen you; it was just a joke.
Dog Breeds That Rescued Hunters From Traps
1. Bloodhound
This trusty Bloodhound is a dual-purpose Hound, where on one hand, it helps with hunting through its exceptional tracking and trailing skills, and on the other hand, it is a wonderful search and rescue dog.
Science mentions that it has the most powerful nose with over 300 million scent receptors (when compared to humans’ measly 5 million, it is quite turbo-charged), a long head, big nostrils, and long, floppy ears that help it pick up more scents.
The Turbo-Charged Nose of Dogdom
These pups are a hunter’s best friends in the day and true detectives at night. Their high-energy reserves have led them to jobs in law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Because when they catch a scent, they don’t stop until they find the source.
Did you know? These super-powered dogs cannot only find things, but they can also detect scent trails up to 130 miles away and even after 12 days. This is also mentioned on Quora.
They are often used by investigators to find leads on criminals, as they work on cold cases. This puppy has successfully picked up scent trails that were 2-4 weeks old and beats most other dog breeds in scenting skills.
Bloodhounds are used in search and rescue teams a lot. They have quite a rugged exterior, but are big-hearted softies on the inside that enjoy family time.
2. German Shepherd
These ultimate popular stronghearted saviors and protection dogs are highly trainable and also highly adaptable. They can be taught to retrieve small game like fowl or rabbits without shaking or damaging the game. But yes, training them to return the game to hunters is crucial.
The Stronghearted Savior of Wildlife
Pawlicy Advisor notes they can even be used as guard dogs for protecting hunters and their game. But most importantly, they are great at tracking and following scent trails with their keen sense of smell, and are great at detecting scents up to 100,000 times more effectively than humans.
German Shepherds are one of those steady and sturdy dogs that can even hold themselves in the wild alone. Just in case they get trapped, they’ll be able to find food and shelter amongst wildlife because they are clever and intelligent.
Moreover, if you find yourself in trouble, make sure to keep some essentials handy to feed on to survive for a few days, like if you are venturing into coyote country or the territory of wolves. Also, make sure to take enough bullets with you to defend yourself if you end up in a dire situation and have to shoot a provoked animal down.
3. Basset Hound
This dog is the miniature and lower-to-ground version of the Bloodhound. It doesn’t have as many scent receptors as the Bloodhound, but it comes a close second with 275 million sensors, as noted by Healthy Paws. The Basset Hound is a slow-paced, easy-to-train, friendly, and smart pup, and a small pack of them can easily find you raccoons, birds, and rabbits, of course.
The Slow but Steady Hunters’ Pet
Hill’s Pet US says Basset Hounds are great at obedience, and when you realize the perks it brings to the table, you’ll bring it anywhere. This is the type of dog that used to help hunters catch some small game on foot. Moreover, this pup is also a great candidate for a search and rescue mission and can be the exact canine that you’ve been waiting for.
Trust these scent Hound pups to save you in a matter of a few hours or days, as they are great at finding scent trails. Moreover, if you are planning a big trip for the hunting season or something along those lines. Just make sure to hunt with a team of hunting dogs and friends who can help you out of traps and save you in time.
4. Saint Bernard
These dogs were born for rescuing mountaineers in the Swiss and Italian Alps amid avalanches and are known for excelling at their job. Hence, if you are planning another hunting expedition, it’s a good idea to take this legendary life-saving dog with a short, thick orange and white coat and massive head with you.
The Versatile and Courageous Alpine Rescuer – The Pride of Switzerland
Purina quotes that these descendants of the Alpine Mastiff are huge, but so endearing and calm, you’ll love them in your house. Although they are not ideal hunting dogs, but make great assistants for trappers who lay traps for small and large game on public land for conservation efforts.
These pups have a sweet temperament, are non-aggressive and friendly dogs that are suited for companionship.
Did you know? Saint Bernards work in pairs when rescuing victims of the avalanches, where when they find a survivor, one would stay behind to keep the victim warm with its thick and warm fur while the other went back for help.
5. Labrador Retriever
These bird dogs play a vital role in finding downed or crippled game birds. Hence are pretty good assistants and hunting companions. Labs excel in upland and wetland game hunting and retrieving of waterfowl. Moreover, they also work wonders in pheasant hunting, due to their scenting abilities and accurate flushing skills, and retrieving instincts.
The Ultimate Bird Dog Worthy of a Legendary Story
But did you know these originally bred gun dogs are also great search and rescue team members? Yup, you heard that right, this puppy helps in bomb detection and disposal, drug detection, and arson work.
What did you expect? These Labs aren’t just happy-go-lucky springing and overjoyous family dogs. They excel in many jobs, and tracking, detection, search, and rescue units are filled with these Labrador Retrievers.
Labrador mixes stand as the second most ranking in guide dogs. But that’s not where their specialty ends, this puppy is also the most popular dog breed on the AKC rankings for 32 years and has only recently lost its title to the French Bulldog three years ago.
6. Golden Retriever
Did you know? These highly affectionate and trainable Golden Retrievers are also one of the best search and rescue dogs. Their keen senses of smell and sight, and their ability to navigate through difficult terrains, when coupled with their instincts, turn them into great saviors and rescue dogs that can even locate people trapped under debris after an earthquake.
A Ray of Sunshine Amid Hopelessness – Ideal for both the family-run farms and the Wilderness
Continental Kennel Club states they can track and find Alzheimer’s patients who have wandered away from the care facilities and were even working at ground zero on 9/11, searching for survivors after the World Trade Centre collapsed. Now, training a rescue dog involves daily repetition until the desired behavior is automatic.
But these smart golden pups pick up on skills quite quickly due to their eager-to-please nature. Moreover, it is always important to get your new dogs checked out for health problems. By taking them to the vet and adopting from only dedicated breeders who are focused on keeping their lines healthy and pure.
7. Belgian Malinois
These Belgian Malinois pups are great at detecting bombs, drugs, and even cancer. They are great at their scenting skills, super smart, and quick to learn what you ask of them. But not only that, they have plenty of energy to boot at all times.
PetMD advises that if you bring one of these dogs home from an animal shelter, make sure the pups are gun-shy, and don’t try to desensitize them to gun shyness abruptly.
The Intense Outdoor Enthusiast and Bursting with Energy and Devotion
Just focus on the basics of training and socialization first to make them used to their surroundings, and then take them out slowly but surely on your hunting or trapping trips to train them to be the best search and rescue pups.
Moreover, if you are a trapper and hunter, then make sure to set up traps correctly to ensure you don’t get caught in one of your traps, or accidentally catch some other human or dog rather than a literal rat or raccoon whom you intended to catch.
Conclusion
Did you know? Trappers often find lost or stray dogs while checking their traps. Hence, they inadvertently rescue dogs caught in traps during their daily checks. Some trappers even have firsthand experience of returning lost dogs to their owners, which is quite chivalrous and kind.
Moreover, most sporting dogs available for adoption come from animal shelters or rescue programs and are turned over due to changes in family circumstances, which is incredibly sad. Out of these pups, many rescue dogs are at least one year old and may already possess some training or be fully trained.
Moreover, a key benefit of adopting rescue dogs is that the adoption process typically includes careful evaluations of the rescue dogs and potential owners for the best possible match. Adopting other than a sporting dog can also lead to companionship and hunting partnership, providing both emotional rewards for the owner and a fulfilled purpose for the dog.
