Celebrating World Red Cross Day, we at ARISTOPET also wanted to remember the great social and humanitarian work carried out alongside the Els Tres Pins rescue and search-and-rescue dog team. (Catalonia)
As they explain on their website, their breed, mix, or size is irrelevant. Any dog can be useful and become one of the rescue dogs; any dog can save a life.
More than 280 rescue and search-and-rescue dogs have been trained over more than 25 years at their school, including all of the Red Cross dogs. This team is the only Red Cross team officially certified at the national level.
The Els Tres Pins rescue and search-and-rescue group was created in 1984, although it was not until 1986 that the group became operational and already had 6 rescue and search-and-rescue dogs specifically trained for this task. At that time, the group was not yet affiliated with the Red Cross.
For around twenty years now, the Els Tres Pins school has had its own group of rescue and search-and-rescue dogs. After training the first two dogs dedicated to search and rescue that the Gironella Red Cross had -Red and Cross- a collaborative relationship was established with the humanitarian organization. In 1994, this relationship was formalized with the signing of a first cooperation project between both entities. In 2000, this project was expanded, and the Els Tres Pins group became an active and direct part of the charitable organization as a group of volunteers fully integrated into the Red Cross of Catalonia.
The Els Tres Pins training school has a history of more than 25 years dedicated to dog training. It is one of the schools in Catalonia recognized as a training center for dogs from other institutions and/or organizations. It is also affiliated with the Royal Canine Society of Catalonia. In addition to this activity, we also provide various tracking and search-and-rescue courses for trainers who have already obtained their qualifications.
In this video, you can see how SITO, a German Shepherd, works with his handler during a canine tracking rescue:
The purpose of this Search and Tracking Dog Group is to locate missing people in different situations. To achieve this, it is essential that the team consisting of the dog and handler be well trained. Likewise, it is necessary for the intervention to be as quick as possible, since the scents followed by the rescue and search-and-rescue dogs remain present in the terrain for a limited period of time. This last point is vital for conducting a successful search.
At ARISTOPET, we congratulate the entire Red Cross Spain team and the hundreds of rescue and search-and-rescue dogs that work with them and make the world a better place. Congratulations!
