Really, we haven't have any many problems as you might think we would with all these dogs. If they have their arguments, it's kind of like brothers fighting, not like two guys going at it in a bar. Even before becoming mushing paramedics, the Wheelers used their Airedale and some of their other dogs as assistants at events such as state fairs and horse shows. Carrying bright red packs filled with medical supplies, the dogs help Joy and Jim provide prompt emergency aid. The dogs increase our visibility ten-fold because people recognize us.
People come up and pet the dogs, so in a way the dog can be ambassadors.
A dog sometimes has a calming or distracting effect on a person needing aid. As a good storyteller, Jim has one last account showing the bond of utility and friendship between humans and the working Airedale. It was early spring, and when we got above the timberline it was like walking into a cloud. Visibility dropped to about 20 feet. We missed some rock-pile trail markers which were unfortunately about 70 feet apart, and we were pretty much lost.