Heroes in the making, that is what the Two Oceans Aquarium called their latest visitors; a group of dogs from K9SARA got special training to equip them with vital search and rescue skills.
Cape Town, South Africa (25 June 2021) – The Two Oceans Aquarium offers a unique and tranquil environment that boasts educational and conservation opportunities for people of all ages. They welcome hundreds of visitors daily, but the latest visitors are just about the cutest!
The K9 Search and Rescue Association (K9SARA) of the Western Cape used the Two Oceans Aquarium for some after-hours dog training recently.
There is so much happening at the aquarium with constant movements, which can be very distracting for anyone but especially a dog. That is why K9SARA asked if they could train their newest recruits. The aim, to teach them to stay focused on a task despite the distractions that may arise during a search and rescue mission.
The dogs are being trained to be confident while searching for missing hikers or sniffing out the trail of someone specific.
The aquarium is filled with smells of all the humans that walked the halls that day; it is a maze of rooms, pathways and levels and provides a very distracting environment, filled with movements, sounds of machinery and different lighting. The dogs are taught valuable lessons at these special training sessions, and it’s all thanks to the aquarium for opening their doors to the opportunity.
“All the services that the K9SARA volunteers offer are completely free of charge, so we’re really glad to have had the opportunity to be part of their training. Plus, as animal lovers, we don’t think we could possibly say no to these four-legged heroes in the making!” – Two Oceans Aquarium
If you would like to find out more about what K9SARA do, you can find their website here. They are looking for volunteers to play hide and seek with their dogs – this aids in their ability to find missing people. That sounds like the best way to spend a Saturday if you ask us!
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