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So That Others May Live: Caroline Hebard & Her Search-And-Rescue Dogs
This true story of the woman who helped found the U.S. Disaster team Canine Unit has been called "remarkable," "compelling," and "inspiring" by reviewers coast-to-coast. From the rubble of earthquakes in El Salvador to the tragic site of the Oklahoma City bombing, Caroline and her dogs convey an unforgettable lesson in teamwork and sheer bravery that is not to be missed. HC: Bantam.
325 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 8, 2022
Great book and one of my top favorites of dog books. Made me cry more than any other dog book (on the people that aren't found soon enough). Great information on how they train them, on when her and her dog are flown around the world. She starts close to when dog search and rescue organizations first started being organized, so nice to see the growth in the process.
February 5, 2013
This book is phenomenal in viewpoint, experience, and what a person can learn from what is presented. Caroline Hebard has a lot to teach people about dogs, dog training, human nature, behavior, and search and rescue.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in search and rescue work, dogs, dog training, or just looking for a good biography to read.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in search and rescue work, dogs, dog training, or just looking for a good biography to read.
September 3, 2012
The stories are great, but the writing is awful.
December 15, 2024
This book is about the SAR career of Caroline Hebard, one of the earliest SAR dog handlers in the U.S., and her German shepherds. She was lucky enough to not have to work and to have a husband who could afford a nanny for their four kids so that she could travel around the world to disaster sites and help save lives and find bodies so that the families of the victims could have closure. The book tells the story not only of Caroline but also of the early years of SAR in the U.S. and how it changed over the years. SAR dogs are just so cool. Almost as cool as guide dogs.
June 8, 2025
Through my interest in how police do their jobs, I took a Citizen's Police Academy class which I found fascinating. Due to being a part of that group, I met a woman named Patti who participated in canine SAR (Search & Rescue) in our Illinois / Wisconsin area. We emailed back and forth. Sometimes she would share some of her experiences as she volunteered the services of herself and her two SAR dogs. I was amazed at how often they trained, and how they trained--trying to expose the dogs to as many different situations as possible. This is a small example of one of Patti's searches. I remember being impressed when she shared that the dogs had found an older man who had Alzheimer disease and wandered out of his nursing home. If the dogs had not found him the man was not expected to have lived throughout the freezing night! This is just a summary of one situation. If you are interested in more details of where SAR dogs are deployed and how they do their jobs, and how they are trained to do those jobs, then you want to read the story "So That Others Might Live" about and written by SAR pioneer in the 1980s Caroline Hebard and her co-author Hank Whittemore. It was through Caroline's efforts that we now see Search and Rescue dogs at almost any disaster and therefore take them for granted. The fact is that we, the public, are blessed to have volunteers -- let me repeat, volunteers! -- spend endless hours of their time and often times their own money to train the dogs and then to travel all over the globe to find survivors and bodies in minutes where humans have no clue where to look otherwise. "So that other may live:" it's part of the SAR pledge. Thank goodness for the work these dogs and volunteers do!
Here are a few excerpts.
"...some of them knew that a specially trained search dog could cover the same amount of terrain as a twelve-man grid team in less time and with a higher probability of success."
"Because he was wearing his orange rescue vest, Aly [Caroline's german shepherd SAR dog] understood from past experience that he would be air-scenting tonight. Without the vest on, he would have been either tracking or trailing."
Caroline believed in positive reinforcement.
"She recalled how quickly and easily her behavior had changed at the Swiss school. At the British school, where harsh criticism and constant punishment had been the only means of affecting her behavior, she had been unhappy and unmotivated and rebellious; but at the Swiss school, which had rewarded good behavior with more freedom and fun, she had flourished. Such was also the case, Caroline realized, for any dog that valued its pride and independence."
"...air-scenting is possible because of the microscopic dead skin cells, shaped like cereal flakes and known as rafts, which a human being sheds at the astounding rate of about forty thousand per minute. Each tiny raft carries its own bacteria, and gives off its own vapor, and these rafts represent the unique combination of odors from any individual."
How people respond to sudden devastation. This passage reminded me of how people reacted almost zombie-like when a tornado hit my town.
"...thousands of darkly-clothed, homeless survivors wandering aimlessly over and through the devastation. Some were by themselves, while others held hands. Others, obviously exhausted, huddled around small fires in the freezing drizzle. Many carried whatever belongings they could hold. No one seemed in a hurry. It dawned on Caroline that there was nowhere to go.... All were hollow-eyed, expressionless, dazed, in shock. The ghostly wanderers were everywhere."
Here are a few excerpts.
"...some of them knew that a specially trained search dog could cover the same amount of terrain as a twelve-man grid team in less time and with a higher probability of success."
"Because he was wearing his orange rescue vest, Aly [Caroline's german shepherd SAR dog] understood from past experience that he would be air-scenting tonight. Without the vest on, he would have been either tracking or trailing."
Caroline believed in positive reinforcement.
"She recalled how quickly and easily her behavior had changed at the Swiss school. At the British school, where harsh criticism and constant punishment had been the only means of affecting her behavior, she had been unhappy and unmotivated and rebellious; but at the Swiss school, which had rewarded good behavior with more freedom and fun, she had flourished. Such was also the case, Caroline realized, for any dog that valued its pride and independence."
"...air-scenting is possible because of the microscopic dead skin cells, shaped like cereal flakes and known as rafts, which a human being sheds at the astounding rate of about forty thousand per minute. Each tiny raft carries its own bacteria, and gives off its own vapor, and these rafts represent the unique combination of odors from any individual."
How people respond to sudden devastation. This passage reminded me of how people reacted almost zombie-like when a tornado hit my town.
"...thousands of darkly-clothed, homeless survivors wandering aimlessly over and through the devastation. Some were by themselves, while others held hands. Others, obviously exhausted, huddled around small fires in the freezing drizzle. Many carried whatever belongings they could hold. No one seemed in a hurry. It dawned on Caroline that there was nowhere to go.... All were hollow-eyed, expressionless, dazed, in shock. The ghostly wanderers were everywhere."
May 1, 2011
A fascinating subject to read about, the relationship between an SAR dog and its handler is interesting to me. This book is a great look how that relationship is born, develops and is used during search and rescue campaigns via the biography of Caroline Hebard, one of the leaders of the SAR dogs phenomenon.
To be honest, Hebard would be labeled a "mary-sue" if she were fictional: the beautiful daughter of a British diplomat, she was raised internationally and knows six languages, is brilliant with a slight hand at politics, has a wonderful, long term marriage and intelligent, successful children, and (finally) was one of the breakthrough role models not just for SAR dogs but women in SAR. Her drive and ambition are almost surreal, and would be off-putting if it weren't for the fact that her entire life has been devoted to saving other peoples' lives.
What makes this story work, though, is Hebard's relationships with her various SAR dogs. The training they receive and the traumas they go through during search and rescue campaigns is awe inspiring. This is the perfect book to read if you want to get a better idea of what goes on between an SAR dog and its trainer at both the technical and emotional level.
The writing is solid, but not great. It feels stilted, but there is also so much information packed into this short book that it is almost understandable. It's also worth remembering that this book came out in the 90s, before 9/11 changed people's awareness of SAR dogs. Hebard is, for most of the 70s and 80s, literally the underdog of standard SAR services, and her fight to have her dogs recognized was difficult and took decades.
Despite the clunky writing style, this is still a fascinating book to read. Highly recommended.
To be honest, Hebard would be labeled a "mary-sue" if she were fictional: the beautiful daughter of a British diplomat, she was raised internationally and knows six languages, is brilliant with a slight hand at politics, has a wonderful, long term marriage and intelligent, successful children, and (finally) was one of the breakthrough role models not just for SAR dogs but women in SAR. Her drive and ambition are almost surreal, and would be off-putting if it weren't for the fact that her entire life has been devoted to saving other peoples' lives.
What makes this story work, though, is Hebard's relationships with her various SAR dogs. The training they receive and the traumas they go through during search and rescue campaigns is awe inspiring. This is the perfect book to read if you want to get a better idea of what goes on between an SAR dog and its trainer at both the technical and emotional level.
The writing is solid, but not great. It feels stilted, but there is also so much information packed into this short book that it is almost understandable. It's also worth remembering that this book came out in the 90s, before 9/11 changed people's awareness of SAR dogs. Hebard is, for most of the 70s and 80s, literally the underdog of standard SAR services, and her fight to have her dogs recognized was difficult and took decades.
Despite the clunky writing style, this is still a fascinating book to read. Highly recommended.
February 19, 2014
Caroline Hebard was really a remarkable woman, no qualifications. She trained several dogs in very humane ways, working with them to save dozens and dozens of lives over her long career. More remarkable is the way that she was a pioneer. The very earliest days of search and rescue saw a lot of skepticism about dogs and about female rescuers and Hebard broke down so many barriers through her constant dedication and record of success. More remarkably, she did all of this as a volunteer, never receiving payment and often angling for sponsorship for her teams and paying a lot of money out-of-pocket to save lives in the wildernesses of her backyard or the earthquake zones of Armenia and Mexico. Makes me want to keep a list of the good volunteers and amateurs do.
September 8, 2012
This is a non fiction account of a woman's volunteer rescue efforts to save people who are trapped in natural disasters and bring them to safety, with the effort of her incredible dogs. The way she finds the right dog (these are Schutzhunds, like German Shepherds on steriods), trains the animal to partner with her in the most remote, scary, countries that most need help, is incredible. She flies with the dogs on a moment's notice to wherever they are needed. She recounts several natural disasters including the earthquake in Mexico City and other similar events, and how she goes into collapsed buildings that have not been cleared for safe entry with her fearless dogs is amazing.
April 12, 2008
Incredible story how dogs are trained to find bodies (dead or alive) in disaster areas. I was amazed to learn that they can even smell scents of bodies under water. May these dogs and trainers be blessed for the lives saved and bodies recovered.
August 23, 2011
i didn't have any strong feelings about dogs, until i read this book. it is excellent; full of inspiration and information. i've read it more than once and will read it again. the story of this woman and the dogs in this line of work is fascinating.
May 12, 2008
Interesting, entertaining, and inspiring -- the true adventures of a dedicated woman and her even more dedicated search and rescue dogs. This is a read that really pulls at the heartstrings!
September 15, 2008
A great book about search and rescue with dogs.
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May 19, 2011This is one of the BEST dog-books I've ever read! It really gave me more motivation to practise with my own dog.
June 22, 2013
Great read for anyone,but especially if you love working dogs.
March 16, 2015
I enjoyed many aspects of this book, but did not find Ms. Hebard likable (which is not to diminish all of the good work she did). There is some impolite language.
October 7, 2015
Read abridged version, seemed choppy. Amazing story of search and rescue dogs. Grueling work, time away from family. Dog and human burnout. What animals can sniff out is incredible.
September 27, 2021
My rating would have been higher if the writing had been better.
This is a worthwhile story of how search and rescue dogs and their handlers started assisting at major disaster sites both domestically and internationally, after demonstrating their value in smaller local tragedies. Caroline Hebard co-founded the volunteer U.S. Disaster Response Team, and from there got the federal government to recognize the importance of adding trained dogs to disaster response teams. This book centers on Hebard and her dogs, their training, and several notable missions. It’s quite interesting and instructive, and I wish the author’s so-so writing had been stronger.
This is a worthwhile story of how search and rescue dogs and their handlers started assisting at major disaster sites both domestically and internationally, after demonstrating their value in smaller local tragedies. Caroline Hebard co-founded the volunteer U.S. Disaster Response Team, and from there got the federal government to recognize the importance of adding trained dogs to disaster response teams. This book centers on Hebard and her dogs, their training, and several notable missions. It’s quite interesting and instructive, and I wish the author’s so-so writing had been stronger.
October 27, 2023
Nice, exciting story, which describes SAR-work in all its glory and horror. I really love Caroline Hebard as a character, and how she did incredible work not only for SAR-dogs, but for women in SAR-work too.
August 23, 2023
Loved this compelling story about a woman with a vision and a commitment to save others through her relationship with her well-trained German Shepherd dogs.
April 2, 2024
Incredibly inspiring true story. Wish I could find more books like this!
October 12, 2025
What An amazing story about an amazing woman and her dogs. This is proof that just a few individuals really can change the world for the better.
August 9, 2025
Although I am a speed reader and I read a great deal, I always think about what I’ve read, weighing what I take from each book, carrying pieces of it forward. Some books fade quickly; others become a part of me.
I read this book a while back, and it is one of those rare works that still lingers, rising in my thoughts unexpectedly, as vivid as the day I read it. This morning, walking with my faithful German Shepherd guide (pictured in my profile), I reflected on this book.
I think there is a rare beauty in a heart driven by purpose, and few stories capture that beauty more movingly than So That Others May Live. In these pages, Caroline Hebard tells the story of a life devoted to search and rescue—a life lived with courage, humility, and the steadfast partnership of her German Shepherds. She takes us into the aftermath of earthquakes, into forests gone silent, into the tense hours when every second holds the possibility of life or loss.
Her dogs are never portrayed as companions alone; they are partners—beings alive with intelligence, instinct, and the quiet nobility of service. The work was grueling, the stakes unimaginably high, and yet there is a deep current of love that flows through every account. I was especially moved by the quiet force behind her work: her husband, who shouldered the stability of home so that she could go where she was needed most. Heroism, Ms. Hebard shows us, is often a shared endeavor.
As someone who respects and appreciates working dogs for what they can do alongside us—beyond companionship—I found this book a riveting read. German Shepherds, especially those of the European working lines, hold a special place in my heart. I have had four wonderful working Shepherds in my life, and I plan to obtain and train a future working GSD in protection, obedience, and tracking. In Ms. Hebard’s stories, I saw the same sharp minds, loyal hearts, and unshakable drive that I have witnessed and treasured in my own dogs.
To me, this memoir is more than a record of rescues—it is a testament to devotion. It is about lives saved, and about the unseen sacrifices that make such saving possible. It is about the bond between human and dog, forged in trust and purpose. Finally, it is about the kind of love (quiet, constant, and unyielding) that makes even the most dangerous work possible.
I am profoundly grateful to Ms. Hebard for blazing the trail in the search and rescue dog movement, opening doors for those who would follow—especially women—and setting a standard of courage and commitment that endures. I honor the thousands of working dogs who, without hesitation, risk their lives so others may live, and the breeders and trainers whose skill and devotion make such partnerships possible. This is not just a history, but a living testament to what can be achieved when human and canine stand together for the sake of life itself.
I read this book a while back, and it is one of those rare works that still lingers, rising in my thoughts unexpectedly, as vivid as the day I read it. This morning, walking with my faithful German Shepherd guide (pictured in my profile), I reflected on this book.
I think there is a rare beauty in a heart driven by purpose, and few stories capture that beauty more movingly than So That Others May Live. In these pages, Caroline Hebard tells the story of a life devoted to search and rescue—a life lived with courage, humility, and the steadfast partnership of her German Shepherds. She takes us into the aftermath of earthquakes, into forests gone silent, into the tense hours when every second holds the possibility of life or loss.
Her dogs are never portrayed as companions alone; they are partners—beings alive with intelligence, instinct, and the quiet nobility of service. The work was grueling, the stakes unimaginably high, and yet there is a deep current of love that flows through every account. I was especially moved by the quiet force behind her work: her husband, who shouldered the stability of home so that she could go where she was needed most. Heroism, Ms. Hebard shows us, is often a shared endeavor.
As someone who respects and appreciates working dogs for what they can do alongside us—beyond companionship—I found this book a riveting read. German Shepherds, especially those of the European working lines, hold a special place in my heart. I have had four wonderful working Shepherds in my life, and I plan to obtain and train a future working GSD in protection, obedience, and tracking. In Ms. Hebard’s stories, I saw the same sharp minds, loyal hearts, and unshakable drive that I have witnessed and treasured in my own dogs.
To me, this memoir is more than a record of rescues—it is a testament to devotion. It is about lives saved, and about the unseen sacrifices that make such saving possible. It is about the bond between human and dog, forged in trust and purpose. Finally, it is about the kind of love (quiet, constant, and unyielding) that makes even the most dangerous work possible.
I am profoundly grateful to Ms. Hebard for blazing the trail in the search and rescue dog movement, opening doors for those who would follow—especially women—and setting a standard of courage and commitment that endures. I honor the thousands of working dogs who, without hesitation, risk their lives so others may live, and the breeders and trainers whose skill and devotion make such partnerships possible. This is not just a history, but a living testament to what can be achieved when human and canine stand together for the sake of life itself.
January 18, 2016
Wonderful book. Well written. Quick read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews