Across the Cascades, avalanche dogs come to the rescue

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN RESORT — “Are you ready to work?” ski patroller Alisha Bator whispers into the ear of Kio, a mountain rescue dog, at the edge of a meadow near the Forest Queen chairlift at Crystal Mountain Resort. Fresh snow blankets the ground, and somewhere underneath, Bator has buried an article of clothing. But the surface is crisscrossed with ski tracks and shovel prints, so it’s not obvious to the naked eye where the hidden garment is tucked.

She rubs Kio’s hindquarters, then commands, “Search!”

The English shepherd takes off, sniffing furiously at the snow. Some 90 seconds later, the 4-year-old dog cocks her ear, then snaps her head. Kio has picked up a scent. Pawing at the snow, she wrests a ratty sweatshirt out of the hole with her teeth and dutifully returns it to Bator.

Bato