‘Nature and nurture’ at work: Nonprofit trains dogs for water rescues

Angel and Athena have a skillset a bit different than the average four-legged companion.

The two dogs are among a group of canines trained to perform water rescues and save people in danger of drowning.

This summer, Angel, a 6-year-old Newfoundland, and Athena, an 18-month-old German Shepherd, have been practicing rescues with the help of Wade Charters — a charter boat company that operates out of Safe Harbor Onset Bay marina.

The dogs and their handlers are part of the American Academy of Canine Water Rescue, a nonprofit organization that trains dogs to assist with or perform water rescues. 

“Sadly, ten people die every day from drowning in the United States,” said Wareham resident Dr. Maria Gray, Angel’s handler and the founder of the Academy. “And it’s completely preventable.”

Gray said she was inspired to start the nonprofit after learning of an Italian organization that has been training more dogs to perform water rescues for the past 30 years. The Italian dogs patrol beaches and assist with water rescues by working with the Italian Coast Guard and fire departments.

“They save lives every year,” she said. “I wanted to bring it here to the United States.”

Gray said her ultimate goal is to one day have American dogs trained and working around the country alongside local lifeguards and people within organizations such as the U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy, the Marines and other law enforcement groups. 

The Academy has an upcoming demonstration for the Coast Guard at their Point Allerton station in Hull, MA, Gray said. The demonstration will be a chance “to show them what we can do,” Gray explained. In the fall, Athena and Angel will also travel to Italy for additional training. 

As the Academy works to build partnerships, education is another major focus. 

“We give a lot of educational talks on water safety to kids and teens,” Gray said, noting that they’ve done work all over the country. “It goes over really well, because water safety’s important but it’s sort of boring. When you have the dog, it’s a lot easier to get through to children — and to adults as well.”

The dogs

Newfoundlands are particularly well-suited to water work because of their muscular build, water-resistant coat and webbed toes, but Gray said the Academy will work with any breed “of sufficient size to pull a person,” including German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers.

Athena, the German Shepherd, has been learning from Angel, Gray said. 

“We have this concept of ‘instructor dogs,’” she explained. “Angel knows how to do all these cool exercises — the first time [Athena] watches, she gets it.”

German Shepherds aren’t known for water work, but Athena has taken to it. 

“Shepherds are fearless, but for water work it’s not their niche that they do,” said Artemis Tsagarakis, who is on the nonprofit’s board of directors and has trained with Athena since she was a puppy. “But she’s brilliant — she has a shepherd brain and she has the drive.”

Tsagarakis, who has trained dogs for more than a decade and is applying to veterinary school, said Athena and Angel are great examples of the Academy’s dogs because Athena is a smaller, more agile dog and Angel was “made for” water work. 

“It’s kind of cool that we can see nature and nurture work their way,” Tsagarakis said.

Beyond just the breed, it’s important that the dogs have the desire to do the work, Gray said. 

“You never force them,” she said, noting that the Academy prioritizes the safety of people and the dogs. “If they didn’t want to do it, you wouldn’t see the kind of joy that you’re going to see.”

Training charters

Eric Wade of Wade Charters said Gray called him one day to ask if it would be possible to charter a boat and allow the dogs to practice their rescues. Fortunately, he said, Wade Charters does lighthouse tours, fishing charters, sunset cruises and “fun in the sun” excursions, which allows people to tailor the experience to their needs. 

Wade Charters was happy to bring the dogs on board, he said.  

On July 27, Gray and Tsagarakis had a few primary goals for the day’s training: getting the dogs to jump from the boat, return to the boat and remain calm on the boat at higher speeds. 

Wade anchored the boat out by Wickets Island in Onset Bay so the dogs could practice jumping in with Tsagarakis. Then he increased the speed, giving the dogs a chance to get used to the wind and boat noise at faster speeds. 

Chartering a boat was a great way to get more exposure for the dogs, Gray said. 

“We’re going to be training on all different types of boats when we’re in Italy and also when we do our demo with the Coast Guard, so the more exposure they have [the better],” Gray said. “This boat is great and these people are awesome just to get [the dogs] used to the different types of water.”

For more information about Wade Charters, visit https://www.facebook.com/ericwadecharters/ or https://wadecharters.wixsite.com/mysite. 

To learn more about the American Academy of Canine Water rescue or to donate, visit: www.academyofwaterrescue.org.