This past Thursday I shared a bluebird morning at Abasin with the wagging tail, wet nose and kisses of Rio the avalanche dog. Rio, a Golden Retriever, is one of six dogs that work for the resort. She is currently one of the team's rookies, at 19 months old, but recently passed her certification test after a year and a half of training.

Rio strutting her stuff. Photo Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort.

Roughly seven weeks after birth, puppies are administered the Monk Test in order to determine temperament. This can reveal a dog’s search and prey drive. Further, although almost any dog can be trained to search, Goldens, Labs, German Sheppards, Border Collies, and Australian Sheppards are the most popular breeds. Once selected, training can start as early as five months old, which was the case with Rio. This involves persistent obedience training as well as avalanche rescue drills five days a week. Despite the demanding training regimen, for Rio it’s playtime, said Matt Norfleet, Rio’s handler and Arapahoe Basin ski patrol foreman.

“Rio starts her day off with a morning meeting with the rest of the dogs just hanging out. Then she can either take the chair up or ride on a snowmobile to the top of the mountain. We’re always training, drills can range from playing hide and seek to putting two victims in deep holes and doing a full drill.”

Rio and Norfleet’s ultimate goal was to pass the certification test. This test consisted of one to three burials plus scented articles. Norfleet was allowed to probe for victims, but Rio had to mark where to probe. The duo passed by uncovering all of the burials within the 20-minute time limit.

Rio doing what she does best during a drill. Photo Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort.

Now that Rio is certified, her main job is working for Arapahoe Basin. However, each day there is a team that is on call with search and rescue. If an avalanche dog is needed, a helicopter is dispatched to pick up the team and drop them off wherever they’re needed in the backcountry. A dog team will consist of the dog, the handler and an avalanche technician. Although live recoveries have occurred, avalanche dogs are typically used for body recovery said, Rob Ware, Rio’s owner and head of lift operations at Arapahoe Basin. Often times when a team is dispatched, the victims have been buried for longer than 15 minutes, after which survival rates drop exponentially. A victim’s best chance of survival are the people traveling in his group.

To put Rio’s smelling capabilities into perspective, a study by the Seattle Police Department found a human’s olfactory gland is roughly the size of a postage stamp while that of a German Sheppard is close to three feet long. Even more, humans have approximately 5 million receptor cells while a German Sheppard can have as many as 220 million. In other words, a dog’s sense of smell is around 44 times greater. The study also found that with odor detection training a dog’s sense of smell increases.

Digger, a retired avalanche dog still contributing to the team by mingling with guests. Photo Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort.

Despite the amount of training, Ware typically fronts the costs of her care.

“Training really doesn’t cost you anything except for your time and effort,” Ware said. “When Rio does get certified maybe the ski area will pick up her dog food and veterinary fees, but I don’t ask them to do it. I do this for the joy.”

The typical career of an avalanche rescue dog lasts as long as 12 years depending on health. But, as the dogs age and retire, many are still used as service animals. This ranges from greeting resort guests to making appearances at local schools.

“Just having dogs around is a great facet of the job,” Norfleet said. “Everyone really enjoys them and there are times when they provide a great service for us.”

The avalanche dog team at Arapahoe Basin. Top left to right: Kioni, Mia, and Ruby. Bottom left to right: Digger and Rio. Photo Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort.