Oklahoma Search, Rescue Dogs Ready To Help With Harvey

Search and rescue dogs in Oklahoma are ready to help first responders in areas of Texas hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey.

Right now Oklahoma Task Force One's search and rescue K9s are on standby in case they are needed down there, but in the meantime, they are keeping up on their training.

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Laya, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, makes quick work of her search and rescue.

Magnum, a 9-year-old black Labrador Retriever, finds his target.

"They can get across a pile like this in seconds where as it takes us minutes or if this was a real building it could take us hours," said Vincent Stoops. "These dogs are pretty accurate, like within a 10-foot radius."

The four-legged first responders are all part of the Oklahoma Task Force One K9 search and rescue unit.

"These dogs are made to go through anything that we can't go through," Stoops said.

The team is made up of Tulsa and Oklahoma City firefighters.

This week they're training new handlers.

They'll be adding two news dogs to the team this week.

"That's just going to be a big asset with all the tornadoes and everything we have and the flooding," Stoops said.

Right now the task force already has a swift water rescue crew in south Texas.

So these handlers are training, watching and waiting, just in case they are next up to help.

The dogs are trained and provided by Ground Zero K9, a nonproft organization in Oklahoma.