More than 350 lifeguard dogs are
patrolling Italian beaches this summer, the national civil
protection service said Monday.
Trained by volunteers from the Italian School for Rescue
Dogs (SICS), the heroic pooches have been working Italian
beaches for twenty years and saved hundred of lives, many of
them children.
This year the dog units are watching over 18 different
seaside and lakeside resorts from north to south.
The certification provided by SICS after the dogs complete
their training is officially recognized by the coast guard, and
allows the dogs to work the beaches under the authority of the
national civil protection service.
Two of the most famous lifeguard dogs, labradors Ariel and
Flipper, were bequeathed by A.S. Roma football star Francesco
Totti, who received them as a gift from a team sponsor upon the
birth of his first son and decided to have them trained as water
rescue dogs.
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