
News Updates




We are delighted that the missing walker was found safe. A great example of a multi-agency and community effort! ... See MoreSee Less
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Great job 👏
Well done such a great outcome ⭐️
Well done crew good outcome 👍
Maith sibh-well done to the Dogs and Humans-- Angels blessings on your work, <3
Well done to all involved 👏👏
Well done to you all
Well done to you all
Well done to you all
Well done. 👏
👏👏👏👏👏👏
SARDA Ireland were tasked yesterday by An Garda Síochána to two separate searches in Co. Mayo.
SARDA Ireland were stood down yesterday evening and remain available to assist if new search areas are identified.
Other agencies involved in the searches:
Mayo Civil Defence
Galway Civil Defence
Cleggan Coast Guard
Grainne Uaile Sub Aqua Club and Search & Recovery Unit
Castlebar Firefighters Mayo
Mayo Mountain Rescue
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SARDA Ireland responded to an ongoing search yesterday in Carrick on Shannon for a missing person.
The missing person was recovered this morning by Boyne Fishermans Rescue and Recovery.
Well done to all the agencies that took part in this search over the last few weeks - it was a collective effort and hopefully it brings the family of the missing person some relief.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
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Amen 🙏

Thank you so very much to Cork Cubs and DRT for organising an amazing tag event and raising €632 for our charity. This money will help us respond to more missing person searches across Ireland and train our search and rescue dogs. Thank you 🙌🏻 ... See MoreSee Less
That's awesome 👏
Order from here 👇👇👇 allnew24.shop/usa-27
This content isn't available at the moment ... See MoreSee Less
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🎁SARDA Ireland donnation gift certificates available until Thursday 22nd.🎁
Make a donation in someone else’s name (any amount) and we will send you a certificate that you can print out and give to them.
Steps:
1. Make a donation on gofund.me/6bae5caf or PayPal (see website), or below.
2. Take a screenshot of your donation and send the details to pro@sardaireland.com (your name, the amount donated, and the name of the person you want on the certificate)
3. We will email you a .pdf of the certificate which you can print out at home
(Certificates will be done as a batch each day, so please allow 24 hours between donation and arrival of certificate in your inbox!)
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Search dog Trakr and handler Jean responded to this callout in Co. Cork during the week. Sadly, the missing person was found deceased by Trakr.
We wish to offer our condolences to the person’s family and friends.Today, Civil Defence Cork South, Cork West Civil Defence, CORK NORTH CIVIL DEFENCE and Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) were mobilised by An Garda Síochána to a Missing Persons search in the Macroom area. After an extensive search of the area, the missing person was located and a recovery operation commenced. We extend our deepest condolences to the persons family and friends at this very sad time, RIP.
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Well done both of you. Sad outcome for the family. Condolences to all concerned.
Condolences to family ..God bless you for all you do
Strong work Jean and Trakr.
Sad out come… Well done to all involved
Well done Jean & Trakr
condolences to the family, well done all involved.
Condolences to family 🙏
Well done fm limerick city, condolences to the family ❤️❤️❤️
Well done Jean
Well done 👏
A very sad outcome for the deceased’s family but relief that they have been able to be reunited with their loved one through the dedicated work of Trakr and Jean
Sad outcome but closure and reunion for the family. Condolences to family and friends. Well done to Trakr
Best boy Trakr condolences to the family ♥️
God Bless you all. My Condolences to the family of the deceased
Heard this lady on the radio this morning. She was utterly amazing and so brave to speak so soon to the tragedy occurring. She raised so much awareness of what was done to help her which will make people donate. What a wonderful lady..
A Relief for the family to have the missing person located , even though a sad ending . Well done Trakr and Jean.
You helped the family recover their loved one. Thanks.
At least they were returned to their family. R.I.P
Thankyou is such a small word but you and trakr are amazing you brought my husband home,I prayed so hard he had fallen and imagined he was hurt but sadly that wasn't the case my life will never be the same again 💔 If you need anything at all message me the donations are growing steadily I owe everything to you both ❤️
Antoinette Organ Helen Howe Susan Pàirceir Bernie Kearns Terry W Brophy Mark Flynn Joy O'Leary Tommy Doyle Chris Fitzgerald Liz Browne Rose O Shea Rosemary O'Donnell-Curran Sarah Keane Carol M Mc Carthy Ruth Davis Katherine Murphy Deaglan MacLochlain Mary Bermingham Keith Patrick Carolan Order from here 👇👇👇 allnew24.shop/usa-27

We are getting spammed! 😕
If anyone is getting notifications about buying sarda branded hoodies, T-shirts etc., it’s not us! It’s spam!
Please don’t click on any of these comments/links!
We’re trying our best to catch them as they come in, but it is tricky!
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I got that
Just block them




We’re training this weekend in Tipperary/Waterford. Super locations for training our air-scenting dogs and our scent-specific trailing dogs! Check out trainee air-scenting dog Croía’s find sequence today - it’s all about the toy at the end of the search! 🎾🏉 ... See MoreSee Less
Haha, I know that frustrated dog face so well... like, sheesh, why are humans are so thick, gimme the toy already!! 💚
Colette Kenny Brinza
Niamh Coleman




Thank you to the people of Limerick!
We had a great collection day in Limerick City and everyone loved meeting the dogs! Everyone was so generous, even down to a little girl of about 8 or 9 who put some of her well earned birthday money in our bucket! 🥰
The money raised will help us respond to missing person searches across Ireland and train our brilliant search dogs! 🙌🏻
Happy Halloween! 🎃
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Delighted to meet and support such a wonderful charity at the Jetland centre today! Thank you so much for the fantastic voluntary service you provide 💜 🐕🦺
Loved meeting Flame and Marley this morning. Beautiful dogs. Thank you for all you do ❤️
What a wonderful charity to support.
Amazing 👏
Irene Carden Moran Cathy Forde Hayes Siobhan O'Neill Linton Dallas Porter Order from here 👇👇👇 allnew24.shop/usa-27
We are running a bucket collection day tomorrow (Saturday) in two locations in Limerick City:
Jetland shopping centre🛍 (11-4) and Thomond Park Stadium🏟 (2.45-5)
Come and meet our search dogs🐕, and help support our national charity🙌🏻! You can also donate using the button below ⤵️
Thank you! 😊
Limerick.ie Limerick Now Limerick News
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And Cody will be in Thomond too!
Sly will be in Thomond Park 🏟
Croía will be in Thomond also!
Jessie will be in Jetland too!
Flame will be in Jetland!
Bailey will be in Jetland!
Come and meet Trakr in Thomond Park!

*Missing Person Found - a community effort!*
We can thankfully report that the missing person in Co. Tipperary has been found safe and well.
This afternoon, some of the missing person’s belongings were found by a farmer in his fields. The farmer reported this to the Gardaí who tasked Killaloe Coast Guard Unit to investigate. SARDA Ireland air-scenting dog team Jarlath and Syd also made their way to the field and began searching with Rescue 117 also searching the area from the air.
Would you believe that SARDA dog Syd and Rescue 117 almost found the person at the same time? The heli picked up on the missing person on their camera at the same time as search dog Syd picked up on the missing person’s scent in the air using his super nose. The heli descended to confirm the find, and Syd arrived at the missing person.
We are absolutely delighted that the missing person was found safe and well after spending the night outside.
It really is a community effort when searches happen. Between the Gardaí, search teams, landowners, neighbours, family, friends, social media and more, everyone has a role to play.
We normally try to name all the agencies involved but there were so many, that we don’t want to leave anyone out.
So we will just say well done to everyone involved!
And well done to search dog Syd and his super nose!
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Well done guys.
Super job! Well done to all involved 🙌
Just a little perspective on the find, Rescue 117 spotted the missing person in our camera systems, but, what actually drew our attention to him, well it was the behaviour of the cows in the field, we noticed that a group of 6 cattle were all standing around the casualty in a semi circle looking at him, he was under vegetation, and when we looked closer with the zoomed in camera we spotted him. There you have it. Good learning for search planners is to observe animal behaviour. Cheers.
Great outcome
Well done Syd and your handler of course! Hard work and training for a great outcome !
Absolutely Brilliant. You are all such amazing people. Life savers. Well done Jarlath & Syd. 👏👏👏👏🐾🐾🐾
Well done everyone, great work 👏, and to all the animals that helped xx
It's Rescue 117 I was crewing it.
Well done Syd and to everyone involved 👏
Congratulations 💕💕one and all for all your good work and thank God whoever was missing has been found.
Well done Syd and jarlath, Great outcome for all.
Well done to all the services involved
Great work everybody! A great result.
Well done everyone involved 👏
Great news! Best possible outcome.
Superb work, so glad the person was safe 👏👏
Excellent result, well done all 😀
Well done to everyone 👏
Great outcome well done
Well done everyone
Great work Jarlath.
Well done to you all
Well done all
Well done guys b
Well done all!

Air scenting dog team Jarlath and Syd are responding to a missing person search outside Nenagh Town, Co. Tipperary. ... See MoreSee Less
Wishing all a happy outcome 🤞
Good luck and stay safe.
Good Luck 🤞
Best of luck. Come home safe. & 🤞for a find.
Stay safe and wishing you all luck with the search.
Stay safe and good luck with your search
Best of luck Ja, hope your search is successful
Angels blessing on you all to keep you safe🙏
Hope all goes well! Stay safe and take care ❤️
Well done Syd 👏
Found safe👍🙏🏻
Please God you find him soon




What a weekend! We are all back home after a brilliant National Training Weekend in and around Carrauntoohil in Co. Kerry!
Our air-scenting and trailing dogs were put through their paces in various areas, and our handlers and dogs have benefitted greatly from the experience.
A very big thank you to Cronin's Yard and other landowners around the area for letting us use their land. Thank you also to The Climbers Inn for hosting us for the weekend, it’s a fab location and the food was brilliant!
We also had a special visitor, Kathy, who brought with her lots of great advice and experience from her search and rescue team in Washington State, Kitsap County Search Dogs
Thank you to our amazing bodies who hid for all our air scenting dogs, and laid trails for our trailing dogs. They truly are the coolest bunch of people!
It was great to meet lots of new people out walking on the trails, everyone was very interested to find out more about our wonderful dogs!
NOTE: Dogs are not permitted on the lands and tracks around Carrauntoohil. We received permission from the landowner to train on these lands and all our dogs working this weekend have been externally stock tested to ensure that they do not interfere with sheep etc.
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Great photos!
Such an amazing weekend.......beautiful scenery, fantastic handlers, awesome dogs, great singing and storytelling. Thanks so much for welcoming me to hang out with you this weekend at the last minute. I'm almost thinking I should be writing to AerLingus and thanking them for that late arriving flight.
These are amazing animals, and ye in SARDA are amazing people, involved in many hours of, sometimes tough outdoor training. I've many happy memories of acting as a 'body' for various KMRT search dogs in the past. I hope your K9 partners stay happy, healthy and injury free.
What a wonderful group of volunteers and especially those beautiful dogs ye work so hard thank you
Love the pictures it must have been a wonderful weekend.
Amazing fotos, thanks for sharing 👍


Were you at the Voluntary Emergency Services, Ireland South Open Day in the MTU campus in Cork last weekend? You may have spotted some of our handlers and their four legged companions! They had a great day meeting everyone! ... See MoreSee Less




Photos from Search and Rescue Dog Association SARDA Wales's post ... See MoreSee Less
Thank you

Something to read over your morning coffee ☕️😊Tyndall is a place of many hidden talents. Today, we are showcasing Louise Burgyone, EU Programmes Manager from our EU Programmes Office.
Louise's hidden talent relates to voluntary roles working with dogs and celebrating her beautiful bond with her German Shepherd, Lyla.
Full story: bit.ly/3rKR452
Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland
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Great piece Louise! Lovely testament to Lyla too🥰
Well done Louise 🙌
Beautiful photo Louise, what a hero dear Lyla. X
Beautiful dog🥰
Well done Louise. You and all the SARDA team (especially the four legged team members) do amazing work.
Lovely photo of you both Louise
Well done Louise!
Go Louise
Awesome! Go Lou!
Fabulous article Louise, brilliant 🤗🤗
Excellent Louise, lovely photo too.
Well done Louise
Beautifully written
Lovely article Louise 👏
Aw Louise Burgoyne Love this ❤️
A great interview, Louise Burgoyne. Well done!
Charlie Mitchell
Well done Louise, Lyla and Mango, 💖
Stephanie Cunningham Katherine Murphy Ruth Davis Jean Ryan Ruth Ryan Michelle Finn Sinead Brock Martina OKearney Flynn Trabelle Nails Rachell Morris Winnie Flynn Tom Mac Namee Suzanne Harnett Mary Ryan Eilish Cloke Gormley Pauliina Kauppila Order from here 👇👇👇 allnew24.shop/usa-27
Well Done. God Bless you

SARDA Ireland is part of the National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) organisation. NSARDA is made up of 9 different SARDA teams across England, Scotland, Wales the Isle of Man and Ireland. The main role of NSARDA is to ensure a high standard of training and assessment for both dogs and handlers.
SARDA Ireland have 3 main types of roles:
𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗦
Search Dogs need highly dedicated, professional Dog Handlers. It takes a great deal of dedication and persistence with training to get a dog up to assessment standard.
Before becoming a trainee dog handler all handlers (regardless of previous experience) will have been volunteering as a ‘body’ for at least 4-6 months before beginning to train their dog. This is necessary to gain a better understanding of the training and to get to know the rest of the team. It usually takes a minimum of 2 years of regular and high-quality training with your dog in accordance with NSARDA standards to become a dog handler.
These requirements may seem restrictive, especially to those with previous dog training experience, but peoples lives depend on the provision of a demonstrably high quality search dog service, and it is our duty as a frontline service to ensure that all our dog teams can provide this level of service during missing person searches.
𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 / 𝗡𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥
Search Dog Teams need highly dedicated, professional Dog Supports/Navigators. It takes a great deal of dedication and time to fulfil this role.
The Dog Support / Navigator will learn the same skills as the Dog Handler, particularly in terms of Navigation, Radio, First Aid, etc., and dealing with members of the family / public but obviously not the training and handling of the dog.
Before becoming a trainee all Trainee Dog Supports / Navigators will have been volunteering as a ‘body’ for at least 4-6 months before commencing training. This is necessary to gain a better understanding of the training and to get to know the rest of the team.
𝗗𝗢𝗚𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗦
There are many opportunities to assist NSARDA Associations as a ‘Dogs Body‘.
It is impossible to train a search dog if they have no one to search for! Having a body is vital!! All NSARDA Associations are very lucky to have a great team of people we call Bodies or Dogs Bodies. They turn up at every training session to lie in fields, behind trees, in ditches, in the heather or between boulders until the dogs find them.
We always need more Dogs Bodies therefore we need you to volunteer your time.
For more info, please visit www.sardaireland.com
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Did you know that many of our SARDA Ireland team members are also part of other MRI teams including Galway Mountain Rescue Team, Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue and South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association?
These teams have cool fundraising events coming up across Ireland, so if you are interested in supporting them, please see the links below (in chronological order)!
𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 - 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 - 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐:
Galway Mountain Rescue Team - Howl at the Moon - A quiet 9km or an 17km night walk along the forest tracks and walking paths through the Galway Wind Park🌲
www.eventbrite.ie/e/howl-at-the-moon-2022-tickets-400692852107?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐰 - 𝟏𝟐 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 - 𝟏𝟑 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐
Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue - Moonlight Challenge - A 25.5km route up and over the Wicklow Mountains under moonlight🏔 www.wmr.ie/moonlight-challenge/
𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐥 - 𝟐𝟔 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐
South Eastern Mountain Rescue Team - Long Way Round - A 15km fundraising night walk/run over minor roads, forest track and open mountainside🏔
www.eventbrite.ie/e/long-way-round-2022-registration-423367763377?fbclid=IwAR1EmV-3xGlVMSWok5cJFf...
Why not share these events with your friends on Facebook to show your support!
🤩🐾Also, we are planning a new SARDA Ireland bucket collection day towards the end of this month, we will announce the details shortly, but it is a great opportunity to meet our search dogs!🐾🤩
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Did you know that SARDA Ireland is a mountain rescue team under Mountain Rescue Ireland? MRI is an organisation made up of 11 mountain rescue teams, and approx. 400 trained volunteers.
As you can see in the image below taken from www.mountainrescue.ie/teams/ each of the mountainous regions of the island have a dedicated emergency response team, and SARDA is the MRI search dog unit.
Our MRI affiliation underpins a lot of what we do, and how we do it: aspects like insurances, policies and training standards make sure that we are the operating and searching at the top of our game. We are also affiliated with National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA), but we can talk about that in the next post!
As it says on the MRI website: "Irrespective of whatever role a person may end up fulfilling, commitment is a vital aspect of the job. Mountain Rescue is a true frontline emergency service, so although teams are fully staffed by volunteers, all members would need to show a professional approach to any role or task they are assigned.... On a cold wet night you may regret the day you joined M.R. but there are many benefits. There is also the satisfaction of helping those in trouble on the hills and mountains of Ireland."
We couldn't agree more!
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Member of Sarda Wales
Just come back from Ireland, didn’t realise what a rugged and sparsely populated areas were there. A real eye opener. Good luck to you all




**September Callouts and Training**
🇮🇪As Ireland’s largest and longest-standing search dog team, SARDA Ireland are well used to travelling across Ireland to search for missing people.
🐕Since our last dog find at the start of the month, where Trakr found a missing person in Co. Cork, we have been tasked to searches in Dublin, Mayo, Donegal and Limerick.
🙌🏻It is not just the time, dedication and knowledge of our members that enable our dog teams to do this job, it is the donations we receive from the public. We honestly couldn’t do this without you, so thank you to everyone who has donated over the last number of years.
⛰📸 We also held our September National Training Weekend in Co. Mayo for the first time ever! A big thank you to Killary Adventure Centre for hosting us and the dogs for the weekend, and to the local farmers who graciously gave us land that we could use for training. It was also a pleasure to welcome some members of Mayo Mountain Rescue to our training session! Have a look at the photos of our dogs, handlers and dogs bodies in action!
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Lovely pics, well done all
I would to do this as i live in north cork
You're all heroes, fair play to you all, stay safe
Great pics!
For anyone that would like to take some time to learn more about Caitríona and her fearless approach to helping those in her community and beyond, have a listen to a special tribute documentary podcast by Clare FM where our long term member Pauliina spoke about Caitríona’s involvement in our charity.
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6 years ago we lost a true SARDA team member and dear friend.
Go Maridis BeoToday we remember Caitriona Lucas who six years ago today lost her life while on Coast Guard duty.
Our thoughts are with her family, Coast Guard colleagues and friends.
Never forgotten
Go Maridis Beo
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Amen RIP
Rip Caitriona
Rip

**SARDA CALLOUT AND DOG FIND**
SARDA Ireland we’re tasked by An Garda Síochána to a missing person search in West Cork this afternoon. The person had been missing since Tuesday, but there had been reported sightings yesterday. Two of our qualified air-scenting dog teams from the South responded to the callout.
During the search of an area, search dog Trakr indicated on an area of very overgrown bush were the missing person was found safe and well and assessed by handler Jean.
This is Jean and Trakr’s first find since qualifying before the summer. It goes to show how all those years of hard work and training can pay off very quickly when searching under real-life conditions.
Well done Jean and Trakr!
Other agencies involved:
Cork West Civil Defence
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Thanks a million Tom. See you soon
Thanks Catherine. Delighted
Well done Jean and Trakr - so proud to have played a part in this amazing partnership ❤️
Brilliant job. Well done team.
Fantastic Jean. You have worked so hard to make the SARDA grade and now to have all this work pay off. Must be great feeling to get a result like that. Well done. 💪🏻
Well fair play Mrs Ryan and your companion Trakr, the hard paid off big time.
Brilliant work. Well done Jean and Trakr, and the extended SARDA and Civil Defense Teams! Great outcome.
Super work for a great result 👍
Great stuff well done guy’s 👏👏
Well done Trakr and Jean, great assets to have
That's just brilliant Jean Ryan!! Well done to you and Trakr👏👏👏
Well done Jean. All the training with Trakr now showing what a great team you are. Congratulations to you both and best wishes to the casualty.
Well done Trakr & Jean!
Great team work Jean and trakr.🤩🐕👏
Well done great work keep it up 👏❤️ fm limerick city STAY SAFE ❤️
Best doggie. Well done everyone 👏👏
Well done Jean and Trakr 👏
A life saved, well done folks….👍🏼
Well done Jean and Tracrk
Great job Trakr and Jean, another great find and outcome, well done 👏👏👏
Fantastic outcome. Congrats Jean & Trakr!!! 🎉🥂
Well done!! Great job 👍
Outstanding work, well done to jean and trakr
That’s brilliant news well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Nicely done Jean & Trakr! Congrats!

**SARDA CALLOUT**
SARDA Ireland we’re tasked by An Garda Síochána to a missing person search in Co. Galway this week. Two of our qualified air-scenting dog teams from the West responded to the callout and searched various areas of interest. Yesterday, just after the dog teams had stood down for the night, the missing person was sadly recovered. We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased.
Other agencies involved:
Galway Civil Defence
Loughrea Civil Defence
Ballinasloe Civil Defence
Oranmore Civil Defence
Mayo Civil Defence
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
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How sad. Rest in Peace.🙏🕯🙏 Well done SARDA
Well done to all involved, sad outcome, RIP
Well done Sarda 🐾💕 Condolences to the family 🙏💕
Well done. Sympathies to the family


If you were at the #NationalServicesDay in Castlebar today, you might have spotted qualified search dog team Audrey and Bailey! They are based in Mayo and they are one of our dog teams that qualified this year.
Bailey had a great day and is no doubt dreaming of all the lovely people she met today!
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Was great to meet ye today 👍🏻👍🏻




It’s National Services Day!
Our dogs are enjoying some training in various locations across the country today!
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Great job 👍 #NationalServicesDay
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This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people or changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.



It’s a sad day for SARDA Ireland with the passing of recently retired search dog Lyla.
Lyla was an excellent search dog, and along with her handler Louise Burgoyne, they made one of the best search dog teams SARDA Ireland has ever seen.
Lyla first qualified with SARDA Ireland in 2017 and only retired from searching last month at the age of 12. Lyla and Louise spent hundreds of hours searching for missing persons across Ireland, working at the top of their game. Lyla made numerous finds over her career, helping return missing people to their families, for which we are sure they are forever grateful.
From SARDA Ireland’s Training Officer, Gerry Tobin: “I wish to pay tribute to Lyla and Louise, such a legendary search dog team. We honour Lyla for contributing so much to SARDA searches over the years. Few people get to be as lucky as Louise and experience a dog of such ability.”
Our thoughts are with you, Louise, your lives were so interwoven. Take care, we are all here for you.
𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺,
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴.
𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩
𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯.
“𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴” 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯
Rest easy, Lyla. 💕
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So very sorry to hear this news, I had the privilege of meeting Lyla and watching her work, and Lou is a special friend. Stand down Lyla, rest easy ❤️🐾🐾 Tim, Chairman SARDA Wales
Sorry to hear the sad news. We seen Lyla working on a search, she was fantastic. Run free over the rainbow bridge Lyla. ❤️🌈
We are so sorry to hear of the loss of Search Dog Lyla and we send our deepest condolences to her handler Louise, her family and to Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) 🌈🐕🦺💔
I was sad to hear the news today that SARDA is losing a great team member. I thought of the many memories I have of Lyla - bounding around Lough Mohra on a Sunday morning, making it look easy, or being released off the lead at The Vee like something out of Shelbourne Park, or training in Galway when Lou rightly trusted Lylas nose more that my Nav skills… All fond memories of a great dog/handler bomd. Until I met Lyla , I never knew that tennis balls were a consumable item… It is sad for the search dog community to lose the working (Hi Viz) Lyla, but mostly, my thoughts are with Lou today who has lost her dear friend.
So sorry for your loss.Rest easy Lyla 🐾🌈 Thanks for all the great work to you and Louise
So sad to hear this news. I spent many a happy hour bodying for Louise and Lyla, from when they first joined SARDA together, to qualifying and attending many callouts. 🐾🐾💔💔
Very sad news, Lyla was a life saving dog and will be missed, I had Louise and lyla involved in searches I was running and they were excellent and professional…..
Awww Lou, I’m so sorry to hear this news. Lyla was such a kind canine soul. She worked so hard because she loved you so much. Huge loss for you and the team. Thinking of you and Lyla bounding through the fields together.
So sorry for your loss. Lyla was an amazing dog. Thinking of you xx
So sad to hear this sad news. Such a beautiful dog & companion. Deepest condolences to Louise and the team she was part of. 💔
So very sad to hear this news, my thoughts are with you Louise I know your loss and my heart goes out to you. The memories and the adventures you had together will last forever, you were very lucky to have each other. Take care of yourself xx
Such sad news! Terrible loss! Thoughts are with you Louise and all the SARDA crew! X
So sad that Louise lost her friend. Thanks to them both for all the great work they did together
I'm sorry to read this Louise, what a noble and lovely friend to have lost. Well done for the great work you both did. 💞
What a great life she had with Louise, a great team who helped us on a number of searches in wicklow over the years.
Louise, I’m so sorry to hear that Lyla has gained her wings, so devastating for you. What a wonderful life you gave her & such incredible work you & she did together. Thinking of you xx Fly high lovely Delilah🐾
So sorry to hear of Lyla's passing, condolences to Louise and all at SARDA. Thank you for your service Lyla.
Sleep peacefully beautiful Lyla. Thank you for your amazing service. So sorry for your loss Louise.
So ,so sorry to hear. The bond you build is always special after spending so much time together in “ challenging” situations. What a life she lived though !!!.
So sorry beautiful search dog appreciate your awesome service. Thoughts are with you and with SARDA Ireland North
I’m so sorry to hear of Lyla’s passing - such a beautiful dog and who did so much good work, with you by her side Louise. I’m glad I got to meet her. Thinking of you Louise xo
Oh no. I'm so so sorry Louise . Lyla was the center of your universe, she was your partner in crime and a valuable asset in Sarda. My heart breaks to hear such sad news. 😔 💔💔
I'm very sorry to hear about Lyla passing. She was a lovely, playful and professional search dog. She will be deeply missed. My sincere condolences to you Louise Burgoyne.
Sorry to hear about Lyla. Condolences to Louise and Lyla’s ex SARDA colleagues & Family.
Sorry for your loss. I was lucky enough to have seen Layla training one day. Amazing pup.

SEMRA responded to a callout to two lost walkers in the Blackstairs Mountains. The walkers reached the summit and started descending in what they felt was the wrong direction after thick cloud and rain limited visibility. Ground conditions were reported to be marshy underfoot. The walker's car was located by SEMRA members at Scollagh Gap. An Garda Síochána also tasked Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) and Kilkenny Civil Defence to assist.The walkers were eventually located by SEMRA at 18:58 (circa 2 hrs after the initial callout) and were escorted back to the trailhead with SARDA member Mick Grant and search dog Ziggy. The walkers were returned safely to their car and all team members were off the hill by 20:03.
Photo credit: Jerzy Gil
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The team had an excellent training weekend in Co. Tipperary last week! We had all sorts of weather but our dogs and handlers worked hard to find our lovely Dogs Bodies that were hidden around The Vee!
Have a look at some of the cool photos taken throughout the weekend! 📸🐶🐾
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The Vee...stunning. Marvellous work with dogs. How does one get in contact
Saw ye last weekend at Bay lough and was well impressed☺️👏




We had a super bank holiday weekend training in Galway! Our trailing trainers from Search and Rescue Dog Association SARDA Wales were visiting, and thanks to access agreements with NUI Galway and Coillte we trained in the NUIG North Campus and Galway Wind Park!
We made great leaps in our training, including two of our trainee handlers moving on to more difficult trailing - one of our trailing dogs even had a successful find on a 3.5km trail that was over 2 hours old! 🐾
We couldn’t have done any of this training without our wonderful dogs bodies who came from Galway Mountain Rescue Team, Galway Walking Club and even the Irish Air Corps (thank you for the awesome photos David O'Dowd!) We thank all our bodies very much for laying trails and hiding for hours!
We’re all back training again next weekend in Co. Tipperary so stay tuned for more photos!
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Well done everyone
Beautiful Merle’s! I’m looking for one to train next year. Can anybody recommend someone who Breeds Blue or Red Merle’s in Ireland? Thanks in advance 🙏🏻

Come visit South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association and Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) members at the Garda Centenary Year Open Day at Waterford Garda Station on Bank Holiday Monday the 6th June from 1pm to 4pm. With An Garda Síochána, Little Blue Heroes, Irish Coast Guard, Waterford City Fire Service, Waterford City River Rescue CRBI, Waterford Marine Search and Rescue, National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Waterford City Civil Defence.
Garda Síochána Waterford/Kilkenny/Carlow
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Many of our team members are also part of other mountain rescue team across the country!
Our Team Leader, Gerry Tobin, who is also Chairman of South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association, was in attendance at a recent event at Rescue 117’s base in Waterford. 🚁
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happy 20th RESCUE 117 HERES TO MANY MORE BIRTHDAYS AND RESCUES

Another chance to meet SARDA dogs and lots more!Come visit South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association and Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) members at the Garda Centenary Year Open Day at Waterford Garda Station on Bank Holiday Monday the 6th June from 1pm to 4pm. With An Garda Síochána, Little Blue Heroes, Irish Coast Guard, Waterford City Fire Service, Waterford City River Rescue CRBI, Waterford Marine Search and Rescue, National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Waterford City Civil Defence.
Garda Síochána Waterford/Kilkenny/Carlow
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SARDA Ireland members in Galway had the pleasure of hosting Samantha from the Animal Friendly podcast. We talked about air scenting and trailing dogs, how they are trained, and how they work in real life searches.
Samantha got first hand experience of bodying or hiding for our dogs and got to see how much our dogs enjoy the game of searching!
Make sure to keep an eye out for the episode on www.animalfriendly.earth/
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Fantastic! Well done 👍
That episode is up now, hope ye enjoy it 😃
Loved my years of bodying before becoming a dog handler. Great to get the updates from the old country.
Really interesting morning, and great craic too! Ye are all lovely - I'd highly recommend being a dogsbody! 🐕🦺



If you’re out and about in Carrick on Shannon, come visit the Gardaí open day where SARDA Ireland search dog Bailey and handler Audrey are in attendance ... See MoreSee Less
Hi 👋 Bailey 🙂 🐾



📣 Check out our latest newly qualified search adog teams!
Over the last few days, SARDA Ireland held an assessment weekend in Wicklow!
🎉 Our newest air-scenting teams are Sean and his dog Ben and Jean and her dog Trakr! 🎉
All of the dog teams were put through their paces in difficult search areas and a variety of weather conditions. We had 5 external assessors visiting from various UK Mountain Rescue and National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) teams.
Our search dog teams are highly specialised. They are capable of understanding how terrain and environmental conditions can affect the movement of human scent in the air, and they are capable of reading the smallest changes in the behaviour of their dog when they are searching for missing people. These skills make search dog teams an invaluable asset in any missing person search. Their ability to use human scent to detect missing persons cannot be replicated by any other means, - they are effective both night and day, across open land and through dense gorse or forrestry, and in a variety of weather conditions!
For example, during their assessments, our search dog teams found 3 people who were well hidden in over 60 acres of mountainside, all within 2 hours!
SARDA Ireland currently have 10 qualified air-scenting search dog teams on the callout list; this is easily the largest number of qualified handlers we have ever had on the callout list at one time since our beginning in 1987!
These teams are scattered across Ireland and are ready to respond to missing person calls 24/7 365.
And that’s not all, we have another group preparing for assessments in the Autumn, so it won’t be long until we have more good news to share!
Thank you to everyone who took part in our assessment weekend, especially to the external and internal assessors, and our wonderful dogs bodies who spent the day playing hide and seek on the hill!
Onwards and upwards! 💪🏻
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Proud moment to see Jean and Sean qualify at the weekend. It’s a long hard road of relentless training to achieve this high standard. I look forward to the two others who’s qualifications are on the horizon. Good luck with your job of bringing missing people home to their families.
Well done Jean Ryan and the very best of luck
Well done everyone...great achievement
Congratulations Jean Ryan Jean, and Trakr too of course! I can only imagine how much time and effort was involved. Amazing what you can all do👏👏👏
All the hard work paid off, well done Jean and Séan 🙌
Congratulations!! 🐕🐾
Woo Hoo Jean!! Nicely done!
Well done to all the volunteers giving their time to train the dogs to help others in their time of need.
Just wonderful 👏. Congratulations to all humans and canines ☺. Such amazing partnerships. Thank you. 🙏
Brilliant!! Well done all 👏
Truly a remarkable gift from God. God Bless them and of course their wonderful and special handlers. Mega Congratulations 👏 👏
Congratulations to all.
Omg brilliant news congratulations to them both
Well done to everyone. 👍🐶💕
Well done lads an girls😂👏
Jean Ryan, I am delighted for you!! Well done to you & Trakr 👏👏
Congratulations to the new recruits and their handlers 🎉🎊
Such an important service, well done, having been rescued myself (UK) after a fall from a horse I know how invaluable you are
Congratulations everyone 👏🏻
Hi, how does one get in touch to see if their dog is suitable for training
Fantastic achievement to both handlers and dogs 🐕 well done to you all 🎉🎉🎉
Well done
Jenny Holland!!
Fair play done to the volunteers giving their time to train the dogs to help others in their time of need. Keep up the great work .
Well done and congratulations to all🐾🏆

Another day, another callout!
Thankfully the missing person was found safe and well shortly after the callout was initiated!
Happy Easter everyone! 🐥
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**SARDA CALLOUT**
SARDA Ireland we’re tasked by An Garda Síochána to a missing person search in Co. Tipperary in the last 30 minutes. Thankfully, as our dog teams were preparing to leave their homes and work, the missing person was located and SARDA Ireland were stood down.
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SARDA Ireland would like to extend their deepest sympathies to the family of Stephen Cunningham, who was sadly recovered after an extensive 5 month search in Co. Galway. Rest in Peace. ... See MoreSee Less
Condolences to his family and friends and well done to all involved in the search to bring him home to his family. May he rest in peace..
Well done everyone involved 👏👏🙏🙏 family can have him home Now may he rest in peace 🙏🙏 condolences to all the family 🙏🙏
Thinking of Stephen's family and his pals.
Condolences to family, Rest In peace.
So sad, RIP
So sad . Rip
5 months gone, Bless all around Stephen.
Rip
🙏🏻

Some good advice from Donegal Mountain Rescue Team for anyone heading on the hills today.
Take it easy, don’t push yourself too hard, and enjoy the day! 🌟Tomorrow, 2nd April, is the day the country takes to the hills in support of Climb with Charlie.
Mountaineering Ireland have detailed safety advice on their website so as to allow everyone to have a safe and positive experience tomorrow. Please visit their website and read their advice.
Here at DMRT, we ask that anyone heading for the hills tomorrow to please do so safely and as prepared as possible. Make sure you understand and are familiar with the route you are taking and that it is the appropriate hike/walk to match your level of fitness.
The weather has been very changeable this week, from sunny spells to snow showers, so make sure to check the weather forecast before setting out.
If you are crossing farmland, please be aware that Spring is an active time of year within the farm community. Please be mindful of animals and perhaps leave your dogs at home unless on a dog friendly path, in which case we would recommend keeping them secured on a lead.
Covid-19 is also still very much among us. Please keep this in mind and be mindful of others while out in our beautiful countryside.
Have a wonderful day tomorrow and stay safe.
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🌟🌟 GOOD NEWS!!! 🌟🌟
SARDA Ireland held the first 2022 assessment for air-scenting dogs this weekend in Wicklow and we are pleased to announce that all 4 dogs passed their assessments!!
Congratulations to novice search dog teams Audrey and Bailey for passing their first novice search dog assessment! 🥳 Audrey is based in Co. Mayo and is now one of two SARDA Ireland qualified dog teams in the west!
Congratulations to novice search dog team Winnie and Flame for passing their first novice search dog assessment! 🥳 Winnie is also part of South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association, where her and Flame will contribute to the already strong group of search dog handlers in the team.
Congratulations to Sean and Cody who passed their novice assessment also; Sean has been on the callout list since 2021 following internal assessments during Covid (they had a dog find last year too!). Sean is also a part of SEMRA and he has responded to many callouts with SEMRA.
Congratulations to Martina and Ella for passing their full grade dog assessment! Martina and Ella have been on the callout list since 2020. Martina is part of Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue where she has already responded to multiple callouts with Ella!
There are almost too many people to thank…
Thanks to the dog teams who qualified for their many years of hard work and dedication, it is not easy to train and qualify a search dog and it’s not for everyone, but these 4 teams have put the hard work in!
Thank you to the families of the sesrch dog teams, and all the families of all SARDA dog handlers. The support that you provide enables us to have qualified search dogs around the country, ready to help find missing people at a moments notice!
Thank you to our amazing external assessors that travelled over from National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA), Search and Rescue Dogs Association (SARDA Wales), Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England, Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team, and Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team. Our external assessors ensure that the dog teams are working to the required standards set out by NSARDA and that each dog team is capable of responding to missing person searches.
Thank you to our amazing internal assessors from SARDA Ireland. These people have dedicated years of hard work to the organisation and they are the reason we are here today!
Thank you to our amazing Dogs Bodies who hid out on the hill for hours each day while each search dog team worked the area. They are truly the heart of the organisation, without them there would be nobody to find!
Thank you to our brilliant Training Officer Gerry Tobin for all of his hard work and effort. As Training Officer, Gerry’s role is to make sure that all our qualified and trainee handlers are supported in their training and ensure that we continue to adhere to NSARDA standards.
Thank you to our wonderful secretary Martina for all her hard work in organising the assessment weekend and our national trainings. Thank you to the committee for their support throughout the assessment weekend. Thank you to the entire SARDA Ireland team for working together to create such a fantastic group of people! Since our first year in 1987 we have grown from strength to strength and we’re not stopping here!
And guess what, we have another assessment weekend coming up next month! 🌟
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Huge Congrats to all !! Well done on such a successful weekend everyone.
Congratulations to all the new members. 🐕🤩👍🏻
Congratulations to all and well done!! 👏❤️🐕
Great news, well done all!
Congratulations everyone
Well done to all the newly qualified dogs, their handlers and all of the fantastic team who supported you all the way. Now the hard work, the late nights, the loneliness, the excitement, the sadness, the magic and the real satisfaction truly begins. Hard earned by you all, women, men and dogs. Stay strong and stay safe and I wish you many successful finds along your future journey. We are proud to be associated to you.
Congratulations all well done
Massive congrats to Martina, Sean, Audrey and Winnie again. A mighty achievement. 💪🏻 Big thanks also to Edelle who does such a superb job in running this page and the general PR stuff for SARDA. So much work goes on behind the scenes, all on voluntary basis.
YAY!!! 👏 Strong work everyone!! Wish I could have come over to cheer you all on in person but your USA fan club is mighty proud!
Congrats
brilliant news, well done all👏
Well done all!
Well done 🙂

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Bracken agrees with the dog too.
Voyage is heart broken 😂
Jude Dallas your Molly 😂❤️😘
Why not??? 😂
Raph O'Connor Clair O'Connor Floss

We can finally reveal the good news! MAXI ZOO IRELAND raised over €28,000 for our charity as part of their Friendship Connects Bracelet campaign.
We are so thankful for every single person who bought a bracelet and supported the cause. We are go grateful to Maxi Zoo Ireland for selecting us. 😍 This is the biggest donation we ever received, and we are totally blown away.
The money raised will help our charity to respond to more searches for missing persons, and train even more search dog teams. 🐕
Thank you to everyone for all your support! 🌟Thank you 😍 We are delighted that our customers generosity has helped us to raise €28,381.56 through our Friendship Connects Campaign for The National Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland (SARDA).
The Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland (SARDA) is a voluntary emergency organization that trains and deploys Air Scenting Search and Rescue Dogs to search for missing persons. The charity’s dog teams, which consist of a handler and their dog, are tasked by An Garda Siochana, the Civil Defence, Irish Mountain Rescue, Red Cross, Coast Guard etc. to search mountains, woodlands, rural and urban areas, waterways as well as the seashore to locate accident or disaster victims.
Rescue dogs come from a wide range of breeds and are trained in a variety of behaviours. Just one dog can do the work of 50 human searchers. Search and Rescue Dogs play a vital role in search and rescue missions and are invaluable when it comes to finding lost and trapped victims.
Funding is hugely important to ensuring adequate training is acquired for the search and rescue dog and their handler. A proficient SAR dog needs lots of training, starting with basic obedience skills. Then search and rescue dogs learn how to track, signal their handlers, and behave appropriately in stressful situations.
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Congratulations, well deserved 👍👏




We’re out and about in Cork! If you see us, be sure to come pet our search dogs! ... See MoreSee Less
Thank you everyone for your kind donations! We will be keeping our Facebook donations link open for the rest of the weekend 😊
Apologies lads was hoping to get in to see ye but isolating unfortunately

Come meet Cassu, a trainee air-scenting search dog outside Paul Street Shopping Centre 🐶 ... See MoreSee Less
Today is our collection day! Please consider donating, Facebook Donate will accept as little as €4 and all other goes directly to our charity 🙌🏻
Please also share this post with your friends 🗣
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Thank you everyone for your kind donations! Every euro raised will go towards helping our charity continue to train and deploy search dogs!
Our 2022 Street Collection Day is on tomorrow in Cork City!🥳 Come along to Patrick Street to meet our dogs and handlers and donate to our charity!🐾
This year, we have had to downsize on our normal fundraising activities due to covid. However, we hope that the power of social media will be able to make up for it! If you would like to donate to our charity, please click donate below! Any amount makes a big difference! 😍
Please also like and share this post with your friends, it goes a long way towards spreading the word!🙌
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Mountain Rescue Ireland National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) Search & Rescue County Clare - Ireland Galway Bay FM Emergency Times