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Meet the paw patrol at Deer Valley Resort

The resort's four avalanche dogs aren't just cute, they're essential to the snow safety mission

News News |

Toria Barnhart
  

Tingo, a 2-year-old border collie-blue heeler mix, is one of four avalanche dogs at Deer Valley Resort. Tingo practices finding a person buried in snow as part of an avalanche drill in late March.
David Jackson/Park Record

Sue Anderson is up before the sun. Donning a pair of black Helly Hansen ski pants and a mustard-yellow puffer jacket, she grabs a thermos and slings a tote bag over her shoulder. She glances at her black-haired companion, a white beard peppered along his jowls, and asks him the same question she has every ski season for the past decade.

“Ninja, do you want to go to work?” the Deer Valley Resort ski patroller queries her 13-year-old Lab-pointer mix. Not once has he willingly missed a shift. 

Anderson and Ninja make up one-quarter of Deer Valley’s avalanche dog program, an affiliate of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue that’s existed for more than 25 years. The team is not just a beloved part of ski patrol; they are a vital, educational resource in the resort’s snow safety efforts.

Yet after several winters on the mountain, the experienced duo will take a step back from their duties at the end of the season, passing the biscuit onto their four-legged colleagues.

“These dogs, they want to be here,” Anderson said. “It’s a game for them. They don’t really realize it’s serious work.”

Anderson felt inspired to join ski patrol after working as a lifty in the 1990s. She quickly became involved in avalanche mitigation work, drawn to the science of powder and explosions, and worked as the snow safety supervisor at Deer Valley for 18 years.

The Samak resident knew she wanted to work with avalanche dogs the second she saw one working on the hill, she recalled. Her first was named Lila, and then came Ninja.

Deer Valley’s ski patrol is made up of about 70 full-time and part-time patrollers who monitor the six mountains that make up the resort. The crew is responsible for responding to inbound injuries and requests for assistance as well as evaluating conditions for hazards and maintaining all safety precautions. They may also assist with backcountry accidents, avalanche rescue and extrication support when able.

The resort’s avalanche dog program currently has four canines: 9-year-old red heeler mix Rooster, 2-year-old border collie-blue heeler mix Tingo, 10-month-old black Lab Maggie, and Ninja.

Handlers own the dogs and decide how to acquire them. Ski patrollers also receive financial support from the resort for food, medical expenses, a training stipend and other miscellaneous necessities.

“The avy dog is with you almost every day of their lives. They come to work with you, and they are with you during stressful times, happy times, sad times. They are kind of your soulmate,” Anderson said. “I have had many dogs, and there is nothing like the bond you have with an avalanche dog.”

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Anderson purchased Ninja for $50 from a farm in Roy when Ninja was 49-days old; Mark Chytka, the avalanche dog program coordinator, rescued Rooster from Nuzzles & Co.; supervisor Max Gans found Tingo on a KSL classified after searching various shelters; and Sierra Prothers, also a supervisor, purchased Maggie from a distinguished breeder.

Like all prospective search and rescue dogs, the canines underwent testing as puppies to ensure they had the right personalities for the job. 

“All breeds work differently, and every dog has its own personality,” Chytka said.

First, the puppies are separated from their mother. Those who show independence and approach humans pass the first test. Then, they evaluate dogs’ reactions to loud sounds. Puppies who aren’t deterred by banging sounds move forward. 

Chytka said the best quality for an avalanche dog is confidence. It needs to be able to think on its own and trust its instincts.

Their pain tolerance is also tested by squeezing paws, pulling ears and yanking tails. The puppies are forced onto their backs to see if they fight back or submit. Another aspect includes playing games like hide-and-seek. Handlers want to see a dog that’s engaged and doesn’t give up — they don’t want a case of out of sight, out of mind. 

Then, the real training begins.

It takes an average of two years for a dog and its handler to complete the necessary certifications to become an avalanche dog, from basic obedience to harder skills such as scent location. They also have to learn how to navigate skis and ride on snowmobiles and chairlifts.

“S-E-A-R-C-H is the best trick you can teach,” Gans said. He was careful to spell the word so Tingo’s ears wouldn’t perk up.

The command is the one that teaches search and rescue dogs to find someone buried in the snow. For the dog, it’s a game. A handler holds the dog back while another person presents a toy. Eventually, the dog is released and allowed to play with it.

Over time, the person holding the toy moves farther away so they’re harder to see. The dog learns to track the person and starts to associate them with the toy. Soon, the two become connected, and the dog learns to follow a person’s scent knowing a reward isn’t far behind.

Ski patrol then practices the skill using a wall of snow. Crews dig a hole and hide someone inside before blocking the entrance with frozen layers. The drill models what the dogs must do to earn B- and A-level certifications. 

B-level certifications require avalanche dogs to participate in a simulated rescue at the resort they are working at. The canines must find two buried victims in a 100-meter area within 20 minutes. The higher, A-level certification puts dogs in unfamiliar territory and asks them to find an unknown number of victims within the same amount of time. 

The Deer Valley team estimates most of their dogs achieve their A-level certification after a year. The level means they can work on search-and-rescue missions anywhere in the state. 

Tingo is certified A level. Ninja and Rooster are both B-level dogs, partly because of their age and health conditions.

New recruit Maggie also just earned her A-level certification a few weeks ago, making her one of the youngest to do so. The pup has two littermates, Ida at Sundance Resort and Raven at Park City Mountain, who also passed their test. 

“This means we will go into next season already certified and mission-ready,” Prothers said.

The resort’s dogs also participate in a variety of other training on and off the mountain such as the International Dog School hosted by Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. Anderson recalls walking up a Swiss mountain at dusk with Ninja by her side and watching the sunset surrounded by the Alps during one such event.

Avalanche dogs are just one tool in the toolkit, according to Chytka. He said other resources such as probes and beacons are often the first line of defense, but the four-legged heroes really help promote education and prevention efforts.

Resort visitors may not always have the chance to interact with the dogs when they’re working as it can be dangerous to the animals. The dogs usually hang out in a ski patrol shack during the day where they mingle with visitors. They also stop by the ski school and make other public appearances at Deer Valley.

One to two dogs are always at the resort, with all four dogs working on Saturdays. Chytka said ski patrol could see a new pup join the ranks with Ninja’s semi-retirement. Deer Valley’s avalanche dog program is also expected to grow with the new East Village expansion.

It’s rare for the Deer Valley avalanche dogs to be dispatched for a real situation. Tingo was called out to help with the deadly Weber Canyon avalanche last March, but he wasn’t needed by the time he arrived.

“99% of the time he’s just having fun doing his job. The other 1%, he may actually save a life,” Gans said.

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