Colorado's avalanche rescue dog team won the ASPCA's Henry Bergh Award

The Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, a Summit County group that trains canine avalanche teams across the western United States and deploys them to avalanches in Colorado, has received the ASPCA's 2026 Henry Bergh Award. Summit Daily reported on October 9, 2026, that the prize recognizes exceptional leadership, compassion, and commitment to animal welfare.

Dogs and handlers traveled to New York City on October 8 to collect the award. Executive director Eric Darling said the honor belongs to the wider canine avalanche community and to the people who support the teams. A C-RAD statement quoted by the paper said the dogs' well-being comes first in training, and that the animals are joyful when they are sent to search and when they find someone in a practice drill.