MILAN - St Bernards in the snow are old hat. A pioneering Italian dog enthusiast claims to be the first person in the world to have trained Newfoundland dogs to jump out of helicopters and rescue people drowning in the sea.
The large dogs - mostly Newfoundlands butwith a smattering of Labradors - patrolling Italy's beaches in tandem with volunteers from Protezione Civile are not there just for show. All are graduates of the Italian Dog Rescue School, set up by Ferrucio Pilenga. He says: "My dogs are the only ones in the world who are able to jump into the water from a helicopter over water. For the dog it's not just a question of jumping from different heights but also of learning not to be distracted by noise, by wind or by the waves whipped up by the helicopter's rotors."
The dogs leap with their human colleagues - but Pilenga points out that they can also be invaluable in situations where human beings are useless. "For example, near dangerous rocks, where it is difficult for a boat to go close because of the danger of being smashed against the rocks. Enter the dog: attached to the rope, he swims to the person in trouble with a lifebuoy, and the drowning person can then be towed to safety."
Full training takes about three years, and scores of graduates patrol beaches from Venice to Sardinia. They are credited with having saved a number of lives.
