Best Search and Rescue Dogs: 15 Breeds Used in Lifesaving Missions Worldwide

Search and rescue dogs play a vital role in saving lives during emergencies, disasters, and missing person cases. Known for their intelligence, strong sense of smell, and unwavering dedication, these highly trained dogs assist teams in locating people in even the most challenging conditions. In this article, discover the 15 best search and rescue dog breeds that excel in tracking, detection, and lifesaving missions around the world.

Frida became Mexico’s most famous rescue dog after rescuing 12 people and locating 40 bodies | Source

Search and Rescue Dogs

Although search and rescue dogs perform a variety of tasks, they are primarily trained to find and rescue people. These dogs have excellent scent detection abilities, which are trained to trace people in difficult and dangerous situations. Mainly, their help is taken to search and rescue people after disasters like, earthquake or tsunami, rescue drowning people, or to search missing person. Well, almost all dogs have a good smelling power, and they can be trained for search and rescue work. Know about fifteen such dogs breeds in this article,

Bloodhound, Search And Rescue Dogs | Source

1. Bloodhound

The bloodhound is a large-sized, scent hound dog, originated from Europe (Belgium, France & United Kingdom), also known as Chien de St. Hubert, St. Hubert Hound, Sleuth-hound. It was originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits.

The bloodhound is one of the best search and rescue dog. It has a long head, large nose and large ears, which help them to detect any scent in the air. It's a highly energetic dog that is capable to track a scent that 130 miles away or several days old. They are one of the best dogs to track missing persons.

Belgian Malinois: trained to be search and rescue dog | Source

2. Belgian Malinois

The Belgian Malinois is a medium-sized working dog, native to Belgium. Which is one of the four varieties of Belgian Shepherds, also known as the Belgian sheepdog or Chien de Berger Belge. These dogs are sturdy, energetic, and athletic, which are highly intelligent and quick learners. It has an excellent scent and search ability, and do well in tracking, obedience and search operations. These qualities make them one of the best search and rescue dog.

Redbone Coonhound | Source

3. Redbone Coonhound

Redbone Coonhounds are medium-to-large sized, hunting dogs, originated from America. It's a gentle, affectionate, confident and Independent dog, originally bred to track large game such as bear, boar, cougar, and deer that has a good sense of smell and make a good search and rescue dog. At present, there are very few Redbone Coonhounds are employed for search and rescue, but in the last few years they got good recognition, these dogs received high praise during the 2017 Mexico earthquake.

A team of 16 Coonhounds were sent from Mexico to Turkey for search and rescue operations during the devastating and tragic earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023. And these dogs were highly appreciated for their good performance.

Black and Tan Coonhound

4. Black and Tan Coonhound

Black and Tan Coonhound is a medium-sized, hunting dog, native to United States. It's a friendly, affectionate, and lively dog that was developed by mixing between the Bloodhound and the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound, in 11th century. It's one of the most favorite police dog breeds in America and many other countries. It has excellent scent detection ability that is mainly used for drug detection, and search and rescue work.

American English Coonhound: Tracking a Missing Child | Source

5. American English Coonhound

The American English Coonhounds are medium-sized, muscular, and athletic, scent hounds, native to the United States, also known as English Coonhound or the Redtick Coonhound. Its a deep-chested, athletic, innocent looking dog that have excellent speed, endurance, and a loud voice. It was bred for bird hunting that reflect high prey drive, and known for its scenting abilities, and make a good search and rescue dog.

German Shepherd, Search and Rescue dog | Source

6. German Shepherd

The German Shepherd is one of the world's most recognized and popular breeds. The breed is known as Alsatian in Great Britain and parts of Europe. They are intelligent working dogs and their devotion, courage, and intelligence are unmatched. German Shepherds are among the best police and military service dogs. They are also excellent herders, search and rescue dogs, and drug detectors. They are loyal and faithful companions.


	Labrador Retriever Search and Rescue Dog \| Source

7. Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retrievers are intelligent, gentle, playful, tempered, kind, and outgoing, and one among the most demanded dogs in the world. They are very loyal and obedient companions, and one among the most trusted dog breeds to get along well with children, strangers, and other pets.

Labrador is one of the most loved dogs in the world, which is used for many different purposes. It is an intelligent, quick learner and easy to train a dog, which is a favorite breed of police and military for search and rescue work.

A few years ago, Frida, a seven-year-old yellow Labrador who rescued 12 people and discovered nearly 40 dead bodies in the September, 2017 Mexico earthquake, has become a social media star.

St. Bernard, Search and Rescue Dog | Source

8. St. Bernard

The Saint Bernard or St. Bernard is a large sized working dog, native to Switzerland (Western Alps in Italy and Switzerland). It's a gentle, friendly and obedient dog that was basically developed for rescue work. St. Bernard get along with children and family members, strangers and other house pets.

The Saint Bernard dogs were bred primarily for the purpose of being companions and watchdogs. But their outstanding sniffer talent was noticed over the years (1800–1814) by a Saint Bernard dog known as Barry (Barry der Menschenreiter), which was a mountain rescue dog and excelled in search and rescue work at the Great St. Bernard Hospice in Switzerland and Italy.

Search and Rescue Dog Beagle on Duty | Source

9. Beagle

The beagle is a breed of scent hound, which is small, compact, muscular, and hardy dog that was bred for hunting rabbits and hares on foot (known as beguiling), and looks like a small foxhound. Beagles are healthy, low maintenance, and affectionate that is intelligent, lively, and outgoing dogs, which have excellent sense of smell.

They perform very well in search and rescue operations, their success rate in detecting contraband is 90%, that make them excellent tracking dogs.

Border Collie, The Search and Rescue Dog | Source

10. Border Collie

Border Collie is a medium-sized, working and herding dog breed, native to Australia, which was developed to herd livestock, specifically sheep. The Border Collie is a highly intelligent and extremely energetic, and athletic dog breed that is considered, one among the smartest dog breed.

The Border Collie was originally bred to be a cattle herding dog, but due to their excellent talent, they are often used for search and rescue work. The versatile border collie is a multi talented dog that also make a good search and detection dog.

Newfoundland Search and Rescue Dog | Source

11. Newfoundland Dog

Newfoundlands are large-sized, gentle, water dog from Newfoundland, Canada. This strong and big dog breed was created and groomed as a working dog, basically to use for pulling nets for fisherman and hauling wood from the forest. They are good swimmers, strong and sturdy dogs, which are obedient and responsive dogs and do well for search and rescue work.

Basset Hound Search and Rescue Dog | Source

12. Basset Hound

The Basset Hound is a breed of the hound family, originating from France and Belgium. These dogs are Known for their keen sense of smell, which were originally bred for the purpose of hunting hares. Basset Hound are small to large dogs, that come in some combination of white, tan, or black, and have wrinkled foreheads and long floppy ears.

These dogs have expertise in finding a particular person among the crowd. During the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, they were appointed to identify Covid patients.

The Belgian Shepherd dog Wilson, who became a national hero in Colombia when he led the military to four Indigenous children who had survived a plane crash in Amazon. | Source

13. Belgian Shepherd

Belgian Shepherds originate from Belgium and are also known as the Belgian sheepdog or Chien de Berger Belge. These medium to large-sized herding dogs are very intelligent and quick learners. They are strong and energetic dogs and do well in tracking, obedience and search and rescue operations.

On June 2023, a Belgian Shepherd dog named Wilson searched for missing children aged 11 months to 13 years, in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash, in June, 2023. The dog found them alive 40 days after the plane crash.. They were lost in the Amazon jungle for 40 days. For this heroic work, the Belgian Shepherd dog was highly appreciated.

The Belgian Tervuren | Source

14. Belgian Tervuren

Belgian Tervuren Shepherds are members of the Belgian Shepherd family of dog breeds from the village of Tervuren in Belgium. AKC has recognized them since 1960 under the name Belgian Tervuren. At first look, they appear very similar to German Shepherds, but Belgian Tervurens are square-proportioned dogs and smaller than German Shepherds. Tervurens are energetic, intelligent, and active dogs suitable for outdoor life. These are the great dogs for herding, tracking, search and rescue work.

The Belgian Tervuren dogs were developed to work in cold climates, where Belgian Malinois dogs are not suitable.

Springer Spaniel: Diesel a ten-year-old springer spaniel, was named Animal of the Year by the IFAW | Source

15. Springer Spaniel

Springer Spaniel is a small-to-medium sized, bird dog from working dog breed category of dogs, native to England. Its an active, energetic, athletic, intelligent and hard working dog that was bred for flushing and retrieving game. Springer Spaniel is good with kids, and strangers that love to be busy, and eager to please it's master.

In yr. 2009, the UK's Devon and Cornwall Police started training first dog squad of Springle Spaniels, for search and rescue work. The reason behind selecting these dogs was that they wanted a dog that would not be seen among the public, such as the German Shepherd or some other search and rescue dogs.

In yr. 2011, during the devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Nepal in yr. 2015, a springer spaniel dog named Diesel was awarded as animal of the year, by IFAW for its excellent performance in search and rescue work.