Duke, the newest and youngest member of Deer Valley Resort’s ski patrol team, is already training seriously for his new job. The 13-week-old Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever will soon be saving lives as an avalanche search and rescue dog.
Ski patroller Luke Badger, who is in his fourth season at Deer Valley, applied to become a handler when the resort decided to bring on the recruit this season. The resort’s expansion coincides with two older patrol dogs retiring, so it was the perfect time for Duke to join the team.
Badger was always interested in becoming an avalanche dog handler after volunteering with the avalanche dog program and raising his pet schnauzer named Herbie. At Deer Valley, the dogs belong to members of ski patrol, so Badger would be bringing an avalanche dog into his personal life, along with having a companion at work.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Badger said. “How can you pass this up?”
Sierra Prothers, the resort’s avalanche dog coordinator, explained the important role that handlers like Badger play in the pup’s growth.
“Although the Deer Valley dog team and patrol help out with many aspects of training,” Prothers said, “all of Duke’s humans play a large role in making sure that everything Duke is introduced to is a positive and fun experience and that he enjoys being an avalanche search and rescue dog.”
Duke is a very social dog, as most puppies are. He seems very pleased with all the attention he gets around the resort and returns the affection with tail wags, kisses, smiles and running to meet new people. Even after a long day of play, he couldn’t resist greeting new friends on his way to a nap.
When he’s on duty, though, Prothers said it’s important that people give Duke and Badger plenty of space, especially if you see them out skiing. Skiing near the dogs is especially dangerous, even for ski patrollers, because sharp ski edges can harm dogs. Prothers said she’s seen these injuries end canines’ careers, so it’s especially important to give all patrollers and dogs space on the mountain.
“Always ask the human if you can interact with our dogs,” Prothers said. “This includes calling its name or whistling, anything that might distract the dog from its work.”
It’s best to assume the avalanche dogs are always working, even if they’re just walking to or from the lifts. The dogs will rest in their kennels on busy days, but if there’s ever a white flag with a dog near the ski patrol shack, that means they are ready to meet visitors.
Even if the dog isn’t working, Prothers said visitors should still ask the handler before approaching. In any situation, asking first allows handlers to inform visitors how they’d like to introduce the dogs to new people.
Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record
And for a puppy like Duke, it’s good practice for meeting people in different scenarios. Badger’s main priority is to set Duke up for success as a rescue dog, and this is one way visitors can help.
“An avalanche dog’s role in a search is to locate human odor under the snowpack and alert the human to that location, usually by barking and digging at the strongest point of odor,” Prothers said.
All avalanche dogs are certified through Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. There are three classes of certification for an avalanche dog. Right now, Duke is a C-level dog, meaning he’s only a candidate in the program and hasn’t passed any training exercises.
Duke’s training will primarily be done playing hide-and-seek games. Search and rescue must be exciting and fun for the dogs. If they think it’s a game, they’ll do their best work.
Soon, they’ll play hide-and-seek in the snow. Badger will hide in a snow cave, and Duke will have to find him. After Duke masters the challenge of finding his owner based on scent, he’ll play the same game with other humans hiding in snow caves.
Once Duke passes the first level of obedience and avalanche rescue tests, he’ll receive his B-level certification. Then he’ll be able to work within Deer Valley’s boundaries to start finding humans who have been buried in avalanches. With an A-level certification through Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, he’ll be able to work anywhere in Utah.
Prothers said most avalanche dogs finish training and become fully certified by age 2.
Along with lots of hide-and-seek, Duke is learning everything a normal 13-week-old dog would: how to sit, not to eat food off the ground, potty training and sleeping through the night, which Badger is particularly happy about. He’s also learning how to ride a ski-lift and just went on his first backpacking trip in the Uinta Mountains. Badger said he did extremely well and had a great time.
Badger had an idea of what he was getting into when he signed up to raise an avalanche dog, but this has been a very different experience than raising Herbie.
“It’s been a surprise still, having a puppy with this much drive,” Badger said.
The two may play like brothers, but Duke’s personality and size set him apart. When choosing puppies for avalanche work, Prothers said they look for confidence, curiosity, and hunt drive. Right now he’s only a little bigger than his brother, but Duke is expected to be anywhere from 35 to 50 pounds as an adult.
When Duke isn’t on duty, his favorite pastimes include playing tug with his brother Herbie and melting hearts.
“It’s hard not to fall in love with Duke,” Badger said.