FURRY SAVIOR Miguel Sanchez-Merenciano, 45, Global K9 instructor, looks at the bathers from the shore with Nilo, 2, a male Standard Poodle dog, during a rescue training on the first day of work of the summer season at Las Lindes beach, in Torrox, southern Spain, June 14, 2025. —PHOTOS BY REUTERS
TORROX—Poodle Nilo has joined four labradors on a dog rescue squad at Las Lindes beach near Malaga in Spain, helping lifeguards tow people back to shore.
With his fluffy white coat, a life vest strapped across his chest and sunblock slathered on his long nose, the two-year-old Standard Poodle cuts an unusual figure, as Spanish dog beach rescue squads generally use Labradors and Newfoundlands.
Miguel Sanchez-Merenciano, 45, Global K9 instructor, talks to members of the beach lifeguards team, as he stands near Brown, 3, a male Labrador Retriever dog and Nilo, 2, a male Standard Poodle dog, which is the latest member added to the dog rescue team, during the official presentation of the beach lifeguard rescue team, on the first day of work of the summer season, in Torrox, southern Spain June 14, 2025.
Nilo’s handler, dog instructor Miguel Sanchez-Merenciano, 45, told Reuters that he enters the water first to reach a swimmer in distress before calling Nilo or other dogs to help them back to safety.
Poodles, an originally German breed, were historically used for water rescue, he said, though mainly in hunting and retrieval work in northern European lakes, their lustrous fur protecting them from the cold. Indeed, the name “poodle” comes from the German verb “puddeln,” which means to splash, Sanchez-Merenciano said.
Nilo, 2, a male Standard Poodle dog, which is the latest member added to the dog rescue team by his Global K9 instructor, Miguel Sanchez-Merenciano, sits on the shore after a dip during a rescue training on the first day of work of the summer season at Las Lindes beach, in Torrox, southern Spain June 14, 2025.
Superior intelligence
Poodles are also known for their superior intelligence and exceptional learning ability, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Nilo was once scared of loud noises and crowds, so his training had to be done step by step, Sanchez-Merenciano explained.
Miguel Sanchez-Merenciano, 45, Global K9 instructor, stands on the shore as he gives instructions to his dogs Nutella, 6-months-old, a female Labrador Retriever, Brown, 3, a male Labrador Retriever, alongside the latest member added to his dog rescue team, Nilo, 2, a male Standard Poodle dog, during a rescue training on the first day of work of the summer season at Las Lindes beach, in Torrox, southern Spain June 14, 2025.
“He has gone from swimming vertically and incorrectly to swimming completely horizontally, with perfect strokes, using his tail perfectly like a rudder to turn and to move.”
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