search and rescue
Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs assist in saving human lives during disasters, find missing persons and are also used for evidence and cadaver searches. The Doberman's strength, agility, intelligence, alertness and determination make the breed superior Search and Rescue (SAR) partners. The Doberman's high energy level and determination enable it to work tirelessly in the field - covering rough terrain under punishing conditions - until the job is finished.
Maria Ciski's cadaver dog "Rose" leads independent search for Deanie Peters:
Cadaver search:
UNIFIL peacekeepers may owe huge debt to sniffer dog after bomb scare
South Koreans brush off 'false' report of having suspended mission BEIRUT: The Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Forces in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) may have a dog to thank for preventing an attack on its personnel. On Sunday troops from the peacekeeping force detained two men suspected of trying to smuggle explosives into their base at Tibnin. The men, identified as Lebanese nationals Ahmed Saleh Zeineddine and Ahmed Ibrahim Hamzeh, had tried to enter the compound in a garbage truck with 20 grams of explosives, but were discovered by a sniffer dog. According to remarks made by the Italian unit's spokesman, Lieutenant Roberto Vitale, a four-year-old doberman named "California" uncovered a "moderate quantity of substance, presumably plastic explosives" inside a toolbox in the vehicle. California, attached to the 3rd Engineer Regiment based in Udine, Italy, has previously served in Kosovo, Vitale added. Zeineddine and Hamzeh were promptly handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) along with the explosives for "further investigation," he said. The men are reportedly cleaning workers who have been employed by the Italians for the last two years, sources told Naharnet. The arrests came shortly after UNIFIL announced a state of alert for its troops following the firing of rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon last Thursday. Up to four rockets were fired into the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, prompting the Israeli Army to fire mortars into the area and fueling speculation about a renewed conflict. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket launching, but fingers have been pointed at the hard-line Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. One day after the exchange of fire, UNIFIL and LAF sappers discovered an old weapons cache near the villages of Kfar Shuba and Kfar Hammam, close to the border with Israel. "There is no sign of any recent use of the bunkers and the weapons appear to date from the period of the 2006 conflict," a UNIFIL statement said, referring to the 34-day war with Israel that year. UNIFIL has previously been the target of several attacks. In December, the LAF stepped up patrols on Sidon's coastal road, which is frequented by UNIFIL personnel, after an explosive device was discovered. The United States had earlier warned the peacekeeping force that it might be targeted by Al-Qaeda. In June 2007, six members of UNIFIL's Spanish Battalion were killed by a roadside bomb. In related news, spokesman for UNIFIL's South Korean Battalion on Monday denied media reports saying the contingent had suspended its mission. Speaking to The Daily Star, Major Young-hoon Han dismissed what he described as "false reports" that the battalion had "temporarily" suspended its mission at the request of the United Nations. "We have not suspended our operations," said Major Han. "We will continue with our mission and we will not leave."
By Dalila Mahdawi
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, January 13, 2009