Hello Foks,

With the nice warm (make that HOT!) weather, Calli has been persistent in veering towards the local park instead of our normal walking circuit around our sprawling neighborhood. She loves to trek through the grassy spots, rather than the park’s walking trail, sniffing and tracking the routes of rabbits, squirrels, and other doggy visitors. Despite her small fuzziness in her pink harness and name tag, I imagine she views herself as quite a brave and adventurous canine, which, of course, she is! 

All this musing reminded me of the rescue dogs used in the aftermath of the horrific Venezuelan earthquakes. News coverage featured at least two successful rescues thanks to the efforts of Belgian Malinois. (I featured one of these marvelous dogs in my “Gram’s Story” sequel on my blog: (6-24-25 through 10-29-25). Curious about whether they were the predominant breed used on the tireless, superbly trained international rescue teams, I asked ChatGPT. I thought you might be interested in what I found.

There were four dog breeds used by the rescue teams, each having specific natural skills found to be useful in particular situations. 

Belgian Malinois are good at searching in urban collapse and rubble. They are intelligent, have a high drive response, and are lightly built and agile, allowing them to scale shifting debris safely. Because of their extreme focus, they don’t easily startle at loud noises or other environmental stimuli.

Border Collies are agile and have great problem-solving abilities. They excel at navigating tight spaces and “highly technical terrain,” carefully shifting their weight to avoid triggering an additional collapse. 

Golden and Labrador Retrievers have great air-scenting ability and friendly natures. They excel in public disaster situations in which it is vital to interact gently with medical personnel, stressed victims, and anxious crowds. They will hunt for hours for a simple reward.

German Shepherds are strong and have superb tracking instincts. While they can track a specific scent on the ground, they can also switch to use air-scenting to find trapped survivors.

With so much strife and violence in the world, including man-made and natural disasters, it is uplifting to me to consider the incredible talent, devotion, and skill these canine heroes and their handlers provide.

An Update

I’m still working on my skills for updating my WordPress website, and I’ll provide more information as my prowess progresses (hopefully).

My Pinterest account is live and functioning, with highlights about my books, book awards, and Baxter Tales Life Lessons. You can reach that account by checking out https://www.pinterest.suannelewisauthor.suannelewis0767. 

My next cozy mystery in my "Journey Series," featuring Meredith and a new character, Ansar, is developing slowly.

Take good care, my friends,

Suanne