Dog units

The CNSAS South Tyrol has avalanche rescue dogs and search-and-rescue dogs.

The first avalanche search dogs were deployed during the pioneering days of the 1960s.

At that time, volunteers from the South Tyrolean Mountain and Cave Rescue Service of the CNSAS joined forces to specialise, together with their dogs, in searching for avalanche victims.

The first national avalanche dog school of the CNSAS was founded in Sulden in 1966. For over 20 years, dog teams from across the Alpine region were trained there.

Since those pioneering days, the organisation and technology of avalanche rescue operations have been further developed and improved. Thanks to the use of helicopters, teams could reach the scene of an incident very quickly.

Throughout the entire winter season, an avalanche search dog team is on standby at the helicopter base of the Aiut Alpin Dolomites in Val Gardena.

The operational volunteer dog teams of the CNSAS carry out this service in close cooperation with the dog teams of the BRD, the Finance Guard, the Carabinieri and the police.

To qualify as a deployable dog handler, one must be a mountain rescuer and also complete a two-year training course and pass the two exams (A + B) set by the national avalanche dog school.

In addition, one must take an annual retention test, which consists of various refresher courses and partial examinations.

A passion and love for the dogs is an essential prerequisite for dog handlers to achieve this qualification: their dogs must never be regarded merely as ‘tools of the trade’, but as partners with whom one shares experiences and a part of one’s life.

Only in this way can one ensure that these wonderful animals will, even in snow, cold, wind and fatigue, apply their full will and all their abilities to find a buried victim.

It has already happened, and one day it will surely happen again: a dog will suddenly, as if spellbound, point to a spot amidst the snowdrifts and, together with its handler, begin to dig until a ski boot or an item of clothing is found, and perhaps, thanks to their efforts, a person will be able to breathe and live again.

Search and rescue dogs are primarily deployed in searches for missing persons in rough terrain.

All dog handlers with the South Tyrolean Mountain and Cave Rescue Service are trained mountain rescuers and have also completed specific training as dog handlers. As with avalanche search dogs, this training lasts two years and comprises two partial examinations (A + B).