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South Lake Tahoe ski patrol uses dogs to sniff out people needing rescue

Most people know the important role ski patrol plays, but they may not often have the chance to see just how they operate when a crisis happens. At Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, the 60-person ski patrol team is joined by six avalanche rescue dogs. Known as the Heavenly Avalanche Rescue Dog, or HARD, team, the canines are used to sniff out human scents underneath the snow. Ryan McParland, a ski patrol team member and dog handler, said the dog program started decades ago, around the late 80s to early 90s.