Watch avalanche rescue dog unwind with 200-foot slide down snowy slope

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Avalanche rescue dogs have a tough job, but it doesn’t mean they don’t take time to unwind after a grueling day of work.

Truckee, a black lab who works as a rescue dog at Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Mountain Resort, has learned how to ski without the costly equipment. In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday by his handler, Chris Child, Truckee is seen lowering himself onto his belly and giving himself a push with his hind legs.

Tail wagging, he reaches cruising speed and rolls over onto his back, legs up in the air, to slide about 200 feet down the mountain.

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The video, which has gone viral in multiple countries, has been viewed nearly 2 million times on Child’s Facebook page alone since he posted it on Thursday.

Child's Facebook and Instagram photos show that Truckee, who will turn 6 later this month, isn't afraid to cut loose when not busy at work.

KTLA in Los Angeles reported that Truckee is one of a team of dogs at Heavenly trained to help locate and rescue skiers trapped in emergencies. The area has experienced 37 feet of snow so far this year.

The 4,800-acre Heavenly, located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe, is the biggest ski resort in California. U.S Congressman and former entertainer Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident on the Nevada side of the resort in 1998.

Cox Media Group