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About us
The Swiss Disaster Dog Association (REDOG) is the only organization in Switzerland who trains rescue dogs to search for buried persons in rubble. There are currently about 40 mission ready dog teams in REDOG. The association has existed since 1971 as a section of the Swiss Cynological Society (SKG). Today REDOG has approximately 650 members in Switzerland. It is subdivided into 12 regional groups.
The regional groups are responsible for the training of the dog handlers and their dogs. The various groups organize their trainings independently. The K-teams, as the dog handlers with their dogs are referred to, are beeing prepared for their future tasks at the army or civil defense training centers.
Partners in California and Australia
Because of the various rescue missions that REDOG has performed with the Swiss Rescue Chain, two foreign groups began working with REDOG. They are located in the USA and Australia. Since 1987, REDOG has been working with the California-Swiss Search Dog Association (CASSDA). CASSDA requires the same high standard for their K-Teams as REDOG does in Switzerland. CASSDA sent several K-Teams to Switzerland to passe the mission readiness test.
Another group that has joined REDOG in 1995 is ASSDA, the Australian Swiss Search Dog Association. This group works mainly in the field of wilderness search.
Wilderness Search Dogs
REDOG not only trains dogs for searching after missing persons in rubble. Because of the greater need of wilderness search dogs, REDOG began in 1982 to systematically work out the basis for wilderness search. Wilderness search dogs are sent on missions to search for persons lost in the fields, forests, open countryside and the lower Alps of Switzerland. Because of the fact that in Switzerland, especially in summertime, walkers or mountain hikers lose their way, hunters or people searching mushroom do not return and old people and children get lost, wilderness dogs are sent on missions far more often than disaster rescue dogs. For this purpose, in many cantons REDOG works closely together with the local police.
12 regional groups
REDOG is the umbrella organization of 12 regional groups, which cover the entire territory of Switzerland.
