Dan and Patti Burnett solve real-life mysteries in the backcountry of Summit County with the help of some furry friends.

The Burnetts are part of the Summit County Rescue Group, which uses dogs to find people lost in avalanches and in the wilderness. Dan is a mission coordinator, and Patti is a team leader and a dog handler.

"She literally wrote the book on training search and rescue dogs," said Dan.

Patti authored "Avalanche! Hasty Search," because she couldn't find a book on avalanche dog training.

The couple's dog, Sandy, will be recognized at the American Red Cross' Breakfast of Champions in February, which honors human and canine heroes, for rescuing two lost people around Lily Pad Lake in Wildernest.

"There's nothing unusual about me as an avalanche dog handler," Patti said. "I was just one of the first."

Dan is a mission coordinator "24 hours a day, 365 days a year," but he's also a real estate broker for ResortQuest.

"Because of real estate, I know lots of people," Dan said. "I love it, because I get to help people out."

Both Patti and Dan moved to Summit County in 1980. She came to the High Country from upstate New York, he from Denver. They later met through Mountain Ministries, and became friends when she blew out her knee.

"We lived on the same street, and I got my car stuck in my driveway," Patti said. "I hobbled down to his house, and he and his roommate helped me out."

The couple has two daughters Rachel, 13, and Beth, 14.

"Being a parent is hard," Dan said. "It's much easier to go to a snowmobile crash."

Although the two are known in the county for their search and rescue efforts, they would most like to be known for being devout Christians and good parents.

"You don't hear about people doing those things in the paper every day," Dan said.