They leap from helicopters or speeding boats, bringing aid to swimmers who get into trouble off Italy's popular beaches.
它们从直升飞机或快艇上一跃而下,拯救落水的游客——这就是意大利最近在其著名的海滩度假地增设的救生犬。
Canine1 Lifeguards perform a makeshift rescue operation at an international lifeguard meeting in Winterbach, Germany." src="http://www.enread.com/upimg/allimg/100828/4_100828060520_1.jpg" width="400" height="249" />
Lifeguard dogs from the Italian School of Canine Lifeguards perform a makeshift rescue operation at an international lifeguard meeting in Winterbach, Germany.
For these canine(犬科的) lifeguards, the doggie paddle does just fine.
Hundreds of specially2 trained dogs form Italy's corps3 of canine lifeguards. They are deployed4 each summer to help swimmers in need of rescue.
These "lifedogs" wear a harness or tow(拖,牵引) a buoy5(浮标,救生圈) that victims can grab, or a raft they can sit on to be towed back to shore, and unlike their human counterparts, they can easily jump from helicopters and speeding boats to reach swimmers in trouble.
With millions flocking to Italy's crowded beaches each summer, the Italian Coast Guard says it rescues about 3,000 people every year - and their canine helpers are credited with saving several lives.
It takes three years for the canines6 to reach expert rescue status, and currently 300 dogs are fully7 trained for duty, said Roberto Gasbarri, who coordinates8 the Italian School of Canine Lifeguards program at a center outside of Rome in the seaside town of Civitavecchia.
"Dogs are useful in containing the physical fatigue9(疲劳,疲乏) of the lifeguard, to increase the speed at which casualties are retrieved10(恢复,补偿) , to increase the security of both the casualty and of the lifeguard," Gasbarri said.
The Civitavecchia center is one of a dozen around the country for the school founded more than 20 years ago in the northern province of Bergamo by Ferruccio Pilenga, whose first trainee11 was his own Newfoundland.
The school will train any breed, as long as they weigh at least 30 kg (66 pounds), but Labradors, Newfoundlands and golden retrievers(金毛猎犬) are most commonly used because of their natural instinct for swimming. Each dog works in tandem12 with(合作) a human lifeguard, who also acts as the animal's trainer.