Robyn Moug plays with her dog, Max, outside her office in north Spokane on Tuesday. Max and Moug, members of Intermountain Search Dogs, participated in search and recovery efforts after a massive mudslide that claimed 43 lives near Oso, Washington, last year. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)

Max doesn’t look much like a hero. The 8-year-old border collie/blue heeler mix curled up under Robyn Maug’s desk at U.S. Healthworks in north Spokane, closed his brown eyes and prepared to nap. But Max is a search and rescue dog, certified in both cadaver and live search, and he and Maug were a valuable, if not heroic, part of rescue efforts during last year’s mudslide near Oso, Washington. Sunday marked the first anniversary of the cataclysmic event that killed 43 people and devastated the tiny town 60 miles north of Seattle. The dead ranged in age from 4 months to 91. The slide sent 18 million tons of earth barreling down a hillside at about 60 miles per hour. It engulfed three dozen homes, clogged up the Stillaguamish River and blocked State Route 530. Max and Maug are members of Intermountain Search Dogs, and when they got the call to help, they were ready/Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

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