Air scenting dogs - They are invaluable to the wilderness, water, and disaster search effort. Like Bloodhounds, they are efficient. It is said an air scenting dog team can cover the same amount of ground in the same period of time and with the same degree of accuracy as twenty trained ground searchers. However, they aren't that useful in urban and congested areas. Air scenting dogs are trained to find humans, not individuals.

Because of the grant Pedigree Dog Food gave NASAR, starting in 1983, to publish and mail "SAR DOG Alert" to NASAR members as well as Sheriff, Police and Fish and Game Departments, the attributes of air scenting dogs are well known to search managers and SAR Dog units can be located by using the "National SAR Dog Directory" available from the NASAR Book Store or online.