Paws to the rescue: trained dogs help save lives at Spanish beach

A team of trained dogs has been lending their towing strength, swimming endurance and current-detection ability to rescue people from drowning at a popular beach in southern Spain.

Decked out with special life vests, the dogs – mostly the Labrador and Newfoundland breeds – patrol the Levante beach near Malaga alongside their handlers, whom they also accompany on jet skis and rescue boats.

“They can detect currents in the sea which humans can’t,” said dog instructor Miguel Sanchez.

The dogs’ endurance and strength surpass those of most humans.

Newfoundland dogs are able to swim for three nautical miles (5.6 km) and tow life rafts weighing up to three metric tons or carrying six people, while Labradors can drag 2.4 tons and use their acute sense of smell to locate missing people.