"No survivors found": "All-rounder" dogs search for people under building rubble in Dnipro
The search-and-rescue operation at the scene of a Russian missile strike in the city of Dnipro has been completed.
Not only were employees from the Police and State Emergency Service involved in the search for people who were under the concrete walls of the destroyed nine-storey building, but also service dogs from Antares, the Pavlohrad Canine Search-and-Rescue Unit.
In total, 7 out of 14 specially trained dogs from the unit helped emergency workers, Larysa Borysenko, Head of the canine centre, told Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia.
Borysenko states that these dogs are called "all-rounder dogs" because not only do they know how to find survivors, but also the dead from under the rubble. During the search, 11 dog handlers from the search-and-rescue unit worked with the dogs.
The breeds of dogs who have actively been helping to search for missing people since 2017, including dead military and civilian casualties, include the following:
- Four Belgian Shepherds: two Malinois and two Tervurens,
- A working breed of German Shepherd,
- A labrador.
A Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Elton, was also involved in the search for the dead under the rubble in Dnipro. The organisation emphasises that they take him to the sites of debris removal in the most difficult situations.
A Beagle-Doberman cross was also involved in helping the rescue workers.
"Now she is lying down, because her muscles hurt. Our dogs worked continuously for 22 hours. They rested a little only when the heavy equipment was working. We were constantly close to the rubble," the canine unit says.
Borysenko has also shared details of her participation in the rescue operation on Facebook. She said that on the eve of the tragedy in Dnipro, the dog handlers had just come back from a search expedition from the east of the country. This is how she remembers those difficult 22 hours:
"Rescue workers and equipment are at work, and periodically we are given a few minutes to work on finding locations. The dogs work under the hum of generators and numerous pieces of equipment, not paying attention to this or to the huge number of people, screams or burning stones. They are very motivated to search."
The woman took part in the rescue operation together with a dog named Sparky. Other dogs belonging to the dog handler, Partorg Shpunya and Baba Lyuba, also worked at the most difficult locations.
Larysa Borysenko says that at first, the dog handlers and dogs tried to go up the stairs that were still standing to inspect the apartments, but there was heavy smoke and very poor visibility.
"And our dogs keep indicating more and more new marks... We understand that these are the marks where dead people are located. We see how the rescue workers use these marks to remove the debris," recalls Larysa Borysenko.
As Ms Borysenko told us, the unit's dogs could not find a single survivor.
The Antares canine search-and-rescue unit, created in 2008, is based in Pavlohrad. A team of dog handlers has been training dogs to search for survivors and the dead using their own unique method since 2013. These dogs are also able to find remains, says the public organisation.
"We approached this with lots of passion; we selected dogs and people to work effectively in this regard. After all, a person should be able to work with dead bodies as calmly as possible," the press service said.
The Police, the State Emergency Service and the General Staff of the Armed Forces are actively involving the dogs from this canine unit in the search for missing and dead people during the full-scale war.
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