These four-legged lifeguards patrol a Spanish beach
A team of trained dogs has been lending their towing strength, swimming endurance and current-detection ability to rescue people from drowning at a popular beach in southern Spain. - REUTERS
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00:00At this popular beach in southern Spain, some lifeguards have four legs.
00:10Decked out with special life vests, the trained team of dogs lend their towing strength and
00:15swimming endurance to keep people safe on Levante Beach.
00:19They patrol alongside their handlers, whether on land, in the water, or on rescue boats.
00:27Local canine instructor Miguel Sanchez says the dogs are an added layer of security for
00:32beach-goers.
00:33They can detect currents in the sea, but humans do not.
00:39That is, they are not always going to come out where they go in.
00:42They feel the current under their paws and, for example, if the current is at 45 degrees
00:47to port, they let themselves be carried away.
00:50They go into neutral gear and let themselves be carried along the current so that they
00:53get less tired.
00:55It is extraordinary.
00:57That's why sometimes when dogs go in the water, they start to move in circles.
01:00It is not that they do not know what they are doing, but they are looking for the currents
01:05in order to be able to leave the water.
01:07It is extraordinary.
01:09The team is made up mostly of Labrador and Newfoundland breeds.
01:14The dogs' endurance and strength surpass those of many humans, while their acute sense of
01:19smell can help to locate missing people.
01:22For example, Newfoundland dogs can swim for three nautical miles.
01:27And can tow life rafts carrying six people.