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Dog Lifeguards to the Rescue!

Beacon and Buoy are trained to help human lifeguards do water rescues.

Closeup of a wet, black Newfoundland dog standing on a beach and wearing a life jacket.

Greg Wilfert

Beacon and Buoy love the beach because they’re great swimmers.

Like many beaches, the one in Scarborough Beach State Park in Scarborough, Maine, has a team of lifeguards trained to rescue any swimmers that are in trouble. Most of the lifeguards are human, but two of them are dogs!

Beacon and Buoy are the first canine (dog) lifeguards in the United States. They’re trained to go into the water with human lifeguards when someone needs to be rescued and help get that person back to land as quickly as possible. The dogs wear life jackets that give them extra help when they’re swimming. Each jacket has a handle along the spine so the human lifeguard, along with rescue equipment, can get a ride out to the rescue site.

Greg Wilfert

Beacon and Buoy are good at their jobs for a couple of reasons. For one thing, they train with the American Academy of Canine Water Rescue, which teaches dogs and their owners how to perform water rescues. Also, Beacon and Buoy are Newfoundlands, a breed of dog that’s naturally good at swimming. Their big paws help them move through the water, and their giant bodies give them the strength to pull people and even boats.

A side view of a wet, black Newfoundland dog walking on a beach and wearing a life jacket.

Greg Wilfert

Beacon and Buoy wear life jackets that protect them and also help humans do their rescues.

It’s not all work and no play for these pups. According to Greg Wilfert, who manages the park, Beacon and Buoy are very popular with the people who visit the beach.

“[People] come up and ask if they can pat them and we let them, and they’re very affectionate dogs,” Wilfert told WGME CBS 13 News.

Wilfert hopes more beaches will employ canine lifeguards in the future.

“It’s [natural for] them to help when they see someone in trouble,” he told the Portland Press Herald.

NEWS EXTRA

A Change of Candidates

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden walk side by side in a room at the White House.

© Tennesseewitney/Dreamstime.com

President Joe Biden (right) has dropped out of the presidential election and given his support to Vice President Kamala Harris (left).

On July 21, U.S. president Joe Biden announced that he would end his reelection campaign, opening the door for a new Democratic Party nominee (candidate). Biden immediately offered his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be that candidate.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he wrote on social media.

Biden, 81, decided to drop out of the race after people expressed concern about his age. It’s not the first time a sitting U.S. president has decided not to run for reelection, but it has never happened so close to the election. Voters will go to the polls on November 5.

The Democratic nominee will be chosen officially by people called delegates at the party’s national convention, which begins on August 19. Soon after Biden made his announcement, Harris started making phone calls to people in her political party, hoping to get enough delegate support to become the nominee. According to news reports, she now has that support.

If Harris is the Democratic nominee, she will run against the Republican Party nominee, former president Donald Trump, in the November election.

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Did You Know?

A child practices CPR on a CPR dummy as an adult and two children observe.

© Photographee.eu/stock.adobe.com

People can learn to do CPR by practicing on a dummy.

Lifeguards are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an action that can help save the life of a person who has stopped breathing. Anyone can learn CPR from an expert, including kids!

Dogs and Water Don’t Always Mix

A yellow lab wearing a life jacket and goggles is in a pool and asking three dogs on the side of the pool if they’re coming in. The three dogs say not a chance.

© Nikolai Tsvetkov, Isselee, Volodymyr Melnyk, Francesc Galobardes Jornet, Christine Bird/Dreamstime.com; © New Africa, soupstock/stock.adobe.com

True or false: All dogs can swim.

False! While some dogs start paddling the first time they’re in water, others aren’t born with swimming skills. Some dog breeds have body types that make it hard for them to float. Others have very fine fur, so they get cold easily. And some dogs don’t enjoy being in the water. Like people, dogs have different personalities and enjoy different things.

Dog breeds that are most likely to be good swimmers include Labrador retrievers, Portuguese water dogs, and Newfoundlands. Dog breeds that may not swim well include bulldogs, dachshunds, and basset hounds.

No matter what kind of dog you have, it’s important to be careful near pools or bodies of water. Some dogs will jump right in! But don’t assume that your dog will be able to swim or will want to swim. Always make sure your pet is safe and happy! 

Way Down in the Ocean

An orange anglerfish has a glowing lure coming out of its head.

Minden Pictures/Superstock

This deep-sea anglerfish has a light coming out of its head. It uses the light to attract prey in the darkness of the ocean.

Did you know that parts of the oceans are many miles deep? It’s hard to imagine that any living thing can survive at these depths, where it’s completely dark and the ocean water is so heavy overhead.

But scientists are discovering amazing life forms in the deep ocean. You can learn more about them at Britannica.

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Word of the Day

intrepid

Part of speech:

adjective

Definition:

: feeling no fear : very bold or brave

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