The Italian school for lifeguard dogs was founded over 30 years ago by Ferruccio Pilenga with the sole purpose of preparing dogs and their handlers for water

The school which is the only institution in Europe to provide heli-rescue classes for dogs also collaborate with the Italian national rescue teams such as the Airforce, Police, Civil Defence etc to provide education and training.

Believed to have trained over 350 dogs thus far, the school provides a grueling training course teaching these dogs to perform at a high degree, developing their power and stamina — so much so that one dog alone can pull a boat full of 30 people for between 300 and 2000 metres!

On Italy’s beaches, over 300 of these canines are on duty to protect the millions of people that visit during the summer.

Each year, the Italian Coast Guard is able to save about 3,000 people with the help of their Newfoundland companions.

With what started off in the 80s’ with just Ferruccio and his Newfoundland called Mas has now expanded to a 10 base organisation with over 30 instructors nationally, it’s clear that the face of water rescue is changing completely and we owe it all to our four-legged friend.

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