How Bobcat Diggers Are Used To Train Rescue Dogs

In many respects, Bobcat equipment is so versatile, robust and useful in so many situations that it only takes a demonstration and a competitive price to win a lot of customers over.

One of the uses that a Bobcat has that might not even be considered is in disaster response, where it can be at the frontline of efforts to move debris and save the lives of people trapped in rubble.

A Bobcat is particularly capable in this regard because of its manoeuvrability; given that it can access disaster sites that other equipment can struggle to reach, they can be essential in avoiding further injury and loss of life after a major event.

However, Bobcats also help in another, somewhat more unusual way to help save lives and that is in the training of animals that are used for search and rescue.

Bobcat has a partnership with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF), but this cooperative endeavour is more than pledging money and resources, as Bobcat equipment directly assists in the training of the animals and has done so for years.

It started with the purchase of a T750 compact loader, which was initially used for clearing the SDF worksite and maintaining the roads around their headquarters, but quickly also became part of the training regimen for the dogs.

Because the best way to train rescue animals is to create mock rescue scenarios, the T750 and other Bobcat equipment started being used to move rubble around and create unique challenges for the rescue dogs as they looked for volunteers amongst the rubble.

This creates a dynamic training environment that stops the dogs from simply memorising where the volunteers are hiding and helps them to develop the skills they need for a live rescue environment.

This means that at every stage of the process, a Bobcat machine assists in the rescue of people in life-or-death situations.