Golden retriever Capo sits next to a drone. Together they provide 'an eye in the air and a nose on the ground' for Swiss search and rescue operations. Source: RedogGolden retriever Capo sits next to a drone. Together they provide 'an eye in the air and a nose on the ground' for Swiss search and rescue operations. Source: RedogThe Swiss Federation of Civil Drones and the Swiss Association for Search and Rescue Dogs (Redog) have been working on deploying drones in dog search and rescue operations in Switzerland. The project is part of an ongoing collaboration between the two organizations.

Assisting in 12 out of 22 recent Redog operations, officials realize the value of the joint effort.

“This allows us to have an eye in the air and a nose on the ground,” said Redog president Romaine Kuonen.

The dogs, trained to locate missing persons, may not be able to access the rough terrain of the Swiss Alps. Likewise, drones may not be able to access wooded areas where persons might go missing. Members of the joint effort believe this collaboration could be a life-saving one.

"The main benefit is to gain more time, to be more efficient and to be faster to find the missing person," said Dominique Peter, a pilot with the Swiss Federation of Civil Drones.

The ultimate goal of the collaboration is to eventually have drones assist in all of Redog’s missions.