Questions and answers

We set worldwide standards in the training of search and rescue dogs with the goal of saving human lives.

Currently, our network includes 133 national search and rescue dog or­ga­ni­sa­tions from 41 nations world­wide. The variety of different or­ga­ni­sa­tions ranges from small as­so­cia­tions to pro­fes­sion­al, state-run and in­te­grat­ed specialist or­ga­ni­sa­tions.

As a non-profit organisation, we rely on the support of donors and corpo­rate partners.

Our trainers work voluntarily and do not earn any money when training search and rescue dogs for the International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation.

We place great value on the welfare and training of search and rescue dogs, according to the Animal Wel­fare Act. Appreciative and caring treatment of our four-legged com­pan­ions is very important to us. However, we are not an animal wel­fare organisation and therefore do not rescue dogs in misery.

Right here – this way you'll always stay informed about our activities and get regular insights into the world of search and rescue dogs, with reports on missions, exciting portraits as well as useful tips.

Search and rescue dogs are indis­pen­sable helpers when people go missing or people get buried under rubble. They find injured hikers, peo­ple buried under avalanches or search for chil­dren that get lost in forests. Moreover, search and res­cue dogs are required when natural disasters such as earth­quakes or tsunamis occur. 

Dogs possess about 220 million ol­fac­tory receptors in their nose. Com­pared to us humans, this num­ber is 40 times higher. Therefore, search and rescue dogs are real super snoop­­ers and far superior to any search technology. Where hu­man search units need several hours to cover a large area, the four-legged lifesavers often need only a few min­utes to locate the victim thanks to their fine nose. Another remarkable skill of search and rescue dogs is their ability to block out other sounds and scents – even the tempting smell of food or traces of animals. Search and rescue dogs are extremely fo­cused and their willingness to work is exceptional.

The International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation trains dogs in the disciplines Tracking, Area Search, Rubble Search, Avalanche Search, Water Rescue and Mantrailing. 

More than 2,000 times a year, dogs from our worldwide member organi­sa­tions go out to save lives.

After major natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, search and rescue teams from abroad are called in to support local search units. Such events are very complex due to the particular extent of the damage and require cross-border cooperation.

In principle, any fit, active dog is suitable, provided it is agile, has strong nerves, a great play instinct, a willingness to learn and good social behaviour towards people and other dogs.

Search and rescue dog work is a time-consuming, but fulfilling vol­un­teer work. In some months up to 50 hours are spent for training in order to maintain the high training standard. The dog handler has to be physically and mentally resilient, must have empathy with the dog, show com­mit­ment, see himself as a team player and has to be able to correctly inter­pret the dogs’ body language. More­over, expertise in the areas of first aid for people as well as dogs and know­ledge of op­era­tion­al logistics are re­quired.

Almost every breed of dog has characteristics that qualify it for certain forms of search and rescue work. This also applies to mixed-breed dogs. More important than the breed and the pedigree are the individual development of certain physical and character traits.

Mission teams that are trained by the International Search and Res­cue Dog Organisation have mas­tered at least two years of intensive training. The have to pass several tests, before they can go into mis­sion. Even teams that are mission ready have to train regularly and deepen their knowledge and skills.

Regular training takes place once or twice a week. Throughout the year, there are more multi-day training sessions, courses, exams and dem­on­stra­tions.

If you are interested in professional search and rescue dog work, we recommend to contact a nearby organisation that trains search and rescue dogs. You can arrange an appointment to get to know one another and test your skills by doing a trial training.

The cost of training a single search and rescue dog for at least two years is about 20,000 euros. This includes expenses for food, vet­eri­nary visits, equipment and ongoing training, among other things. The International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation subsidises the expenses of its mem­ber or­ga­ni­sa­tions by distributing spon­sor mon­ey.

To ensure the con­tinued support of search and rescue dog or­ga­ni­sa­tions worldwide, we rely on do­na­tions from private individuals and companies.

The dogs belong to the respective search and rescue dog handler and are integrated into the family life. And that is also important to build a close and trusting relationship with each other.

With age, as with humans, the effi­cien­cy decreases, and age-related limitations become apparent. Here, it is the dog handler’s responsibility to use the dog according to its age-related and physical condition or to withdraw the dog from mis­sions and let him work only in train­ing, dosed and age appropriate. It is important not to take the dogs out of work at once. The task as a search and res­cue dog is and was always their life and just like a top athlete they must train down or be employed according to their age.

There are many ways to support our organisation. From donations via payment slip, online donations or individual, creative fundraising pro­jects and voluntary work. Every con­tribution counts.

For more information on how to sup­port our organisation, simply click here.

With your contribution you not only support the training of the four-legged lifesavers, you also help to supply our member organisations with equipment and thus make worldwide search missions possible.

Of course not. Every donation counts, no matter how big or small. You can donate as often and as much as you want.

You can set up a standing order on­line in just a few steps using our donation form. If you have any questions or require further infor­ma­tion, please do not hesitate to con­tact us at foerderer@iro-dogs.org or by phone at +43 662 82 65 26.

With a regular donation, you are making a valuable contribution to the training of four-legged life­sav­ers and creating a sound base for the support of our member or­ga­ni­sa­tions.

To make a donation, the following options are available:

• PayPal
• Instant bank transfer
• Credit card
• EPS (bank transfer)
• ELV (direct debit)
• Payment slip

Donations to our organisation are tax-deductible in Austria.

Since the 1^st of January 2017 an automatic tax consideration of private donations is in place, there­fore a donation receipt is not re­quired anymore. The donation data is trans­mitted directly from us to the tax office in encrypted form at the end of February each year. We only need the first name and last name (written exactly as in the civil register) and the date of birth. We think this is a great solution, as it is less work for our donors and at the same time it reduces our ad­min­is­tra­tive costs. However, if a paper donation receipt is required, we will of course continue to issue this as before. 

If personal data or bank details change, please let us know. You can reach us at foerderer@iro-dogs.org or by phone at +43 662 82 65 26.

Regular donations are vital for us, especially for our members and their canine lifesavers. If it is not possible to continue donating in the usual way, please contact us. Per­haps a reduction of the con­tri­bu­tion or a temporary suspension is a workable solution for you.

To cancel an existing direct debit mandate, please contact us by sending an email to foerderer@iro-dogs.org or calling +43 662 82 65 26. We will then cancel the existing direct debit mandate at the earliest pos­sible date and, if required, send a written confirmation of can­cel­la­tion. If a standing order has been set up, this must be cancelled at the bank by yourself, as we are not authorised to do so.

We offer businesses numerous op­por­tu­nities for long-term, effective engagement. We work closely with our partners to develop mutually beneficial fundraising campaigns, co-branded products and content that deliver lasting benefits.

Contacting us today is the best way to get started:

Claudia Kammerer
M: claudia.kammerer@iro-dogs.org
T: +43 662 82 65 26 13

We are looking forward to it!

Small associations up to pro­fes­sion­al, state-run specialist or­ga­ni­sa­tions can apply for IRO Mem­ber­ship. IRO Members are cynological organisa­tions with a humanitarian goal and organisations that pro­mote search and rescue dog work. An official reg­is­tration in the re­spec­tive country is a prerequisite.

In principle, only organisations can apply for membership. As a dog han­dler, you can join an or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on that is already an IRO Member. If you are a member of a non IRO or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on, this or­­ga­ni­sa­­ti­­on can submit an ap­pli­ca­tion to the IRO Office.

IRO Members are granted numerous advantages. Every IRO Member Or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on has the possibility to ap­ply once a year for the or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on of IRO Events, such as courses, testing events, the IRO World Cham­pi­on­ship or mission readiness tests. If certain conditions are met, IRO Member Or­ga­nisations receive funding for rele­vant expenses re­gard­ing their search and rescue dog activities. Full mem­bers are entitled to vote at the IRO Delegates Meet­ing. The newsletter for members, the NRO Info, is sent month­ly to all IRO Members and offers up to date information. The global network of the IRO enables the exchange between search and rescue dog handlers and experts worldwide.

For all IRO Members, the payment of the annual membership fee is man­da­tory. To categorise all IRO Mem­bers, documents for clas­si­fi­ca­tion have to be submitted to the IRO Of­fice every two years. IRO Mem­bers receiving subsidies are also obliged to fill in a statistics form and submit the proof of use of funds once a year.

We are happy that you would like to subscribe to the NRO Info and there­by stay informed about the activities of the International Search and Res­cue Dog Or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on. This is where you can find out everything you need to know about training, deployment and many other in­ter­esting topics.

If you don't want to miss any issue of the NRO Info from now on, then sign up for our list right here.

On International Search and Rescue Dog Day, every year on the last Sun­day in April, events are held all over the world to showcase all as­pects of search and rescue dog work.

The IRO Office in Salzburg also regu­lar­ly organises events and offers visi­tors the opportunity to experience the super noses up close.

At the IRO World Championship you can watch the impressive searches of the best search and rescue dogs. If you would like to attend a national championship or a testing event as a visitor, please contact the organisers and they will be happy to assist you.

Yes, even if you do not belong to an IRO Member Organisation, you can register as a dog handler with your dog for IRO Events such as courses, trainings or testing events and you will receive a place, as long as the event is not fully booked.