Newfoundland Dogs, as well as Labrador Retrievers and certain other breeds, were specifically bred to rescue people in the water; when this natural instinct is enhanced via clear training, bonding techniques with a human handler then the dog/human team becomes beyond compare as a rescue entity for people in danger of drowning.
At present in Italy, the SICS (Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio, The Italian School Of Rescue Dogs), has over 400 operational Dogs certified to perform rescues. There are 17 divisions of the SICS throughout Italy; these dogs patrol the beaches of Italy and have been called upon for rescues in other countries. For the past two decades these dog/human units have leapt from helicopters to perform actual life saving rescues!
I am certified as an international instructor through the SICS, together with my Newfoundland dog. I attended a course in Milan, Italy with SICS in 2016. Instructors from the SICS came and worked with me and my dog in the USA in 2017 and granted us our first level SICS certification. I traveled with my dog to Milan, Italy in 2018 and we were evaluated to obtain our International Instructors certification. I work with the Newfoundland club of America and the Newfoundland club of New England and have achieved the water dog level of certification (WD) from the United States with my dog.
Our mission is to take the training techniques and methodologies and philosophy from the SICS in Italy and apply it to American dogs to ultimately work in service in conjunction with local lifeguards at all beaches, the United States Coast Guard, the Navy and the Marines and local law enforcement.
The ultimate goal is to provide a facility to educate and certify American Dogs to function in a service capacity towards the end goal of saving lives. This Academy will not be limited to only Newfoundland dogs, but will evaluate and train any dog of sufficient size and capability to perform an actual rescue.
I have been formally training dogs, and human/Dog teams for over 25 years and I am extremely enthusiastic about this opportunity.
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