Alois has more than 40 years of ex­peri­ence as a dog handler and shares his knowledge as an IRO Clas­si­fier and Lead Trainer. Since the early days of the IRO, it has always been his in­ten­tion to pro­mote the worldwide awareness and recognition of the or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on.

By taking over the position as Presi­dent in September 2020, he can now contribute his extensive know-how in the management of large organisa­tions and actively participate in the further de­vel­op­ment of the Internati­o­nal Search and Rescue Dog Organi­sation.

alois.balog@iro-dogs.org

Claudio is a mission certified dog handler and started working with search dogs in 2006. Before that, he had already gained more than 25 years of operational experience in the fire service. As an entrepreneur, he knows the significance of an inter­national environment.

Hence, it is particularly important for him to further strengthen the global IRO network to continue setting worldwide standards in the training of search and rescue dogs, together with the member organisations.

claudio.boetschi@iro-dogs.org

Ida is a mission certified dog han­dler and president of the Danish search and rescue dog organisation Redningshunden Danmark (RDA). She passes on her knowledge in the trai­ning of search and rescue dogs as an IRO Trainer. Both her ex­per­tise and her com­mit­ment to im­part­ing know­ledge also come into play in the or­ga­ni­sa­ti­on of IRO Events such as testing events and mission readiness tests.

Currently, the focus of her work lies on the support of our member or­ga­ni­sa­ti­ons.

ida.barris@iro-dogs.org

Jerneja has been an active dog han­dler for over 25 years. She passed the IRO Mission Readiness Test with one of her Labradors and successfully par­tici­pated in the World Champion­ship for Search and Rescue Dogs. She is an IRO Judge and Classifier and sets stan­dards in the training of judges and trainers, for instance through her involvement in the devel­opment of the International Trial Rules IPO-R 2019.

She is committed to keeping the standard in search and rescue dog training high with innovative train­ing formats and a wide range of testing events.

jerneja.ternovec@iro-dogs.org

Alexander has been involved in search and rescue dog work for 15 years, as a dog handler with the Austrian Red Cross, a vet and as a lieutenant colonel in the militia of the Austrian Armed Forces.

Continuous exchange with mem­bers and experts in the search and rescue dog field is important to him to en­sure a progressive de­vel­op­ment of the International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation. The guiding princi­ple "Setting stan­dards. Saving lives." is his driving force.

alexander.hoenel@iro-dogs.org

Nicola is completing her training as a search and rescue dog team with her dog Luca. She enjoys her work and the thought of saving lives together with her team colleagues is hugely motivating.

She is keen to raise public awareness of the work done by the International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation. With her many years of sales & marketing experience and the support of the member organisations, Nicola wants to lend a voice to search and rescue dog work.

nicola.puchelt@iro-dogs.org

Kathrin is a true organisational tal­ent and always stays on top of things. The fascinating part about her is her versatility. No matter what question arises, Kathrin cer­tainly knows the answer.

She is the one who pulls all the strings in the office. She takes care of the administration of donations and ensures the accuracy of the book­keeping. Furthermore, she manages the processes around classification and allocation of funding. Her active support can also be counted on at IRO Events.

+43 662 82 65 26 14
kathrin.schiestl@iro-dogs.org

Belinda takes care of our sup­port­ers in a charming and com­pe­tent way. She has great interpersonal skills and shows empathy in con­tact with our supporters. She han­dles all requests with heart, de­di­ca­tion, and a good portion of humour.

Furthermore, she is responsible for the travel bookings of the extended IRO Team to official events world­wide. As an ar­chae­olo­gist, she also knows many exciting facts about the history of the dog.

+43 662 82 65 26 10
belinda.simon@iro-dogs.org

Olena organises tests, courses and the IRO World Championship for search and rescue dogs in close cooperation with the hosting organisations. She coordinates the assignments of IRO Judges and Trainers and is the contact for training matters.

Anyone who meets her quickly realises that she combines organisational talent with a true spirit of adventure. Whether cycling across Austria or exploring with her dog, she loves new challenges – and brings the same adventurous drive to her work.

+43 662 82 65 26 11
olena.dymnych@iro-dogs.org

Claudia organises events such as the IRO Mission Readiness Test, manages membership applications and con­tributes to the on­go­ing development of the Deployment Department. She is also in­volved in fundraising and the creation of new ideas and strate­gies.

With her outgoing nature and infec­tious laugh, Claudia always puts everyone in a good mood. She enjoys the exchange with people from the global IRO network, which provides her with inspiration, im­pulses and exciting insights.

+43 662 82 65 26 13
claudia.kammerer@iro-dogs.org

Daniela is responsible for all our marketing, fundraising and communication activities. More than ten years of experience in international mar­ke­ting and stra­tegic project man­age­ment make her an absolute mar­ke­ting all-rounder.

She is curious and always in­ter­est­ed in new things - be it exciting sto­ries from the search and rescue dog world or current mar­ket­ing trends. Her passion for texting is reflected in all our pub­li­ca­tions, press releases and mailings.

+43 662 82 65 26 12
daniela.rupp@iro-dogs.org