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Rescue dogs from Switzerland brought people who had been buried out of the rubble in Turkey. In doing so, they pushed their limits.
Collapsed houses, mountains of rubble, people digging with their bare hands for people who were buried – the southern Turkish port city of Iskenderun was hit particularly hard by the earthquake two weeks ago.
14 rescue dogs from Switzerland were also involved in the search for missing persons.
Legend:
The rescue dogs rest briefly after their missions before they take up the scent again in the rubble.
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The people are in cavities, between the rubble. “A fine dog nose is the most efficient tool when looking for them,” says Anna Geissbühler. The veterinarian is a member of the Redog association and traveled to the earthquake area to look after the dogs.
The association trains rescue dogs and their companions for several years before they travel to a disaster area.
Dogs injured in action
The rescue dogs smell the scent of people under the collapsed buildings and indicate where the scent is coming from by barking and scratching. The rescue workers can thus narrow down the area for the excavations.
A fine dog nose is the most efficient tool when searching for buried subjects.
The dogs do the hard work during the operation: They run over piles of rubble and are exposed to noise and dust.
Legend:
A rescue dog was injured during the mission and is being treated by Anna Geissbühler.
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In the confusion of dozens of helpers, they have to sniff out the faintest smells of people in a foreign area. “The collapsed houses smell of many things – from food to bedding. The dogs have to read the smell of people out of this,” says veterinarian Anna Geissbühler.
The dogs are not without danger, they can injure their paws, for example. Anna Geissbühler then takes care of them.
Insecure person triggers stress in the dog
The respective search operations only last a quarter of an hour for the dogs, after which they rest. Nevertheless, the animals are completely exhausted after a day, says Geissbühler: “They were dead tired when we came back to the camp, the dogs immediately lay down and slept.” After four hours they were operational again.
Breaks and rest are important for success in the search: the more tired and stressed the dog, the less clear it will read. The more time passes, the more the dogs perceive the smell of decay. This confuses her.
Legend:
The rescue dogs are on duty for a quarter of an hour, after which they rest briefly.
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The person walking the dog then has to be more alert than usual. Dogs in particular that are being used for the first time no longer clearly indicate when they have smelled a living person when they smell the odor of decay. “The dog may not bark, but keeps sniffing in the same corner, wagging its tail or stiffening,” says Geissbühler.
The dogs immediately lay down and slept.
The missions are also tiring for the dogs because they notice how their handler is feeling. If the person is stressed or insecure, this is transferred to the animal, says Geissbühler.
After seven days of action in the earthquake area, the 14 dogs and their carers flew back to Switzerland. The Swiss rescue dogs helped save the lives of nearly 50 people who lay under the rubble of houses in Iskenderun.