The mention of a rescue dog on a mountain might conjure up a St. Bernard, plowing through snow drifts carrying blankets and whiskey. In reality, you are much more likely to run into a German Shepherd, Border Collie, Labrador, or Golden Retriever. These types of dogs - active, hard-working nose detectives - are the partners of choice for avalanche search and rescue teams. Trained to locate human scent in snowbanks, a fully certified “avy dog” can cover 2.5 acres in thirty minutes, an area it would take people four hours to cover.