Search-and-rescue (SAR) operations rely on seamless coordination between human handlers and dogs working under high-pressure conditions. In a 2024 Biosemiotics study, Krystof Kasprzak and Jonna Bornemark examined this relationship through the lens of Umwelt theory—a concept developed by biologist Jakob von Uexküll to describe how each species experiences and interprets its world. The authors combined this with semiotic and philosophical analysis to reveal how communication and perception intertwine in SAR teamwork.
The study distinguishes between two semiotic layers: endosemiosis, which concerns how species construct their own internal worldviews or Umwelten, and exosemiosis, which involves interaction between species within shared environments. By mapping these onto the cooperation between handler and dog, the researchers conceptualized SAR teamwork as a melodic interplay—where human and canine “tones” merge into a dynamic, adaptive rhythm of understanding and response.
Drawing inspiration from Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and Kant’s transcendental schematism, the authors proposed that both dog and handler contribute unique perceptual “melodies.” The human’s rescue-oriented intentions blend with the dog’s instinct-driven scent search and reward focus, producing a shared behavioral composition shaped by trust, sensory attunement, and nonverbal cues. This “inter-species melody,” they argue, reflects not dominance or command but mutual interpretation and responsiveness—a living dialogue between two perceptual worlds.
Ultimately, the essay highlights the handler’s interpretive role as both leader and listener. Effective cooperation emerges when the human balances structured guidance with sensitivity to the dog’s semiotic cues, creating a fluid exchange of signals and movements. Through this lens, SAR teamwork becomes more than a practical task—it is an ongoing semiotic and ethical partnership that reveals the profound depth of inter-species communication.
Source: Kasprzak, K., & Bornemark, J. (2024). Umwelt and Melody: The Inter-Species Dynamics of Search and Rescue Dog Teams. Biosemiotics, published August 1, 2024.
