News Updates
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.
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
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
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 ❤️
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. 💪🏻
Great stuff well done guy’s 👏👏
Well fair play Mrs Ryan and your companion Trakr, the hard paid off big time.
Well done Trakr and Jean, great assets to have
That's just brilliant Jean Ryan!! Well done to you and Trakr👏👏👏
Super work for a great result 👍
A life saved, well done folks….👍🏼
Fantastic outcome. Congrats Jean & Trakr!!! 🎉🥂
Outstanding work, well done to jean 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.
Brilliant job. Well done team.
Brilliant work. Well done Jean and Trakr, and the extended SARDA and Civil Defense Teams! Great outcome.
Well done Trakr & Jean!
Nicely done Jean & Trakr! Congrats!
Well done!! Great job 👍
Fantastic Jean and Trakr, a great team together and well done again and great outcome❤️👏
Well done great work keep it up 👏❤️ fm limerick city STAY SAFE ❤️
Very well done to all involved but obviously especially well done team Trakr
A life saved, well done
Great team.. great find..🙂
Great team work Jean and trakr.🤩🐕👏
Well done folks.
**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.
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!
Was great to meet ye today 👍🏻👍🏻
It’s National Services Day!
Our dogs are enjoying some training in various locations across the country today!
Great job 👍 #NationalServicesDay
🎾🎾🎾
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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. 💕
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 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 sorry for your loss.Rest easy Lyla 🐾🌈 Thanks for all the great work to you and Louise
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
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! 📸🐶🐾
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!
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
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. 🚁
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
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/
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
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! 💪🏻
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 🙌
Woo Hoo Jean!! Nicely done!
Congratulations!! 🐕🐾
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! 🐥
**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.
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.
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 🙏🙏
So very sad. Condolences to his family and friends.
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.
🌟🌟 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! 🌟
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 🙂
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.
Congratulations, well deserved 👍👏
We’re out and about in Cork! If you see us, be sure to come pet our search dogs!
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 🐶
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 🗣
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!🙌
Mountain Rescue Ireland National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) Search & Rescue County Clare - Ireland Galway Bay FM Emergency Times
A very merry Christmas to all our followers! Thank you to everyone for your support in 2021, it’s been a busy year, but as ever, we are glad we can help.
We hope you all have a safe Christmas 🎅🏼
Here is Blue, doing her very best to stay still for her pawtrait, but her puppy ways got the better of her. I think we can all agree that she is cute though!
Merry Christmas guys stay safe and I hope ye all have a lovely Christmas
Happy Christmas to all of you ❤️
Merry Christmas 🎄 doggies 🐾
Today is International Volunteers Day 🥳 But there are more to thank than you might think!
SARDA Ireland have an amazing team of search dogs and handlers that respond to missing person searches across Ireland. 🙌🏻
We have multiple prospective and trainee dog teams that are working their way through training. 💪🏻
We have the best Dogs Bodies ever, who hide for our dogs during training. 🤟🏻
We have amazing support from Mountain Rescue Ireland and National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) who provide training standards, insurances and everything else that’s needed to keep the charity going. 👏🏼
These are all volunteers, nobody is paid in these roles, and they all spend countless hours ensuring that SARDA Ireland continue to provide the best service that we can. We have been around since 1987, we are the longest standing search dog group in Ireland, and we hope that we can continue to provide this service for years to come! 🤞🏻
We have the best supporters: the public are incredibly kind and their donations ensure that we can continue to provide a specialised and high-standard search dog service to the people of Ireland. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
We are also very kindly supported by local landowners, Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NUI Galway and many others who provide training areas for us. 👏🏼
When a call comes in that someone is missing and we deploy a search dog team, it’s thanks to everyone above, and plenty of other people that I’ve forgotten to mention, that we are able to respond.
It’s not only a team effort, but it’s a national effort 💪🏻
Thank you everyone! 🙌🏻
It's Loki! 🥰
Tune into Clare FMs Atlantic Tales this evening from 5pm to hear about SARDA and other search groups talking about what it’s like to be involved in search and rescueJoin Pat Flynn this Sunday evening at 6 o’clock on Clare FM for Atlantic Tales when he’ll be celebrating International Volunteers Day with members of some of Clare’s search, rescue and recovery organisations. Bunratty Search & Rescue Irish Cave Rescue Organisation - ICRO RNLI Lough Derg Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) #InternationalVolunteerDay
Join Pat Flynn this Sunday evening at 6 o’clock on Clare FM for Atlantic Tales when he’ll be celebrating International Volunteers Day with members of some of Clare’s search, rescue and recovery organisations. Bunratty Search & Rescue Irish Cave Rescue Organisation - ICRO RNLI Lough Derg Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) #InternationalVolunteerDay
Do you ever wonder about how our search and rescue dogs are able to find missing people?
Check out the article below on #rtebrainstorm
There is a great archive clip of search dogs being used in Ireland back in 1989 with Kerry Mountain Rescue Team and Irish Air Corps, and a video focusing on National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA), our parent organisation.
How search dogs find missing people
www.rte.ie
It takes years of experience, dedication and a lot of scientific knowledge to train and work a search dog
Last weekend, SARDA Ireland held the November National Training Weekend in Oughterard and Galway City.
It was a great weekend filled with lots of learning opportunities for our trainee air-scenting and trailing dog teams.
Our trainee trailing dog teams had the added benefit of having experienced dog handlers, Tim and Ester Sherlock, visiting us from Search and Rescue Dog Association SARDA Wales. SARDA Ireland is very glad to have this link with SARDA Wales as it has enabled us to develop trailing dogs in Ireland. It is all thanks to being part of National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA), an umbrella organisation for Search Dogs in the UK, Isle of Man and Ireland.
SARDA Ireland would especially like to thank University for the use of campus grounds and Coillte for the use of Galway Wind Park for our trailing dog training areas. These areas provided the opportunity for our trailing dog teams to work in a mixture of terrains and environments.
SARDA Ireland have had a busy weekend responding to 3 separate callouts in Co. Galway, Co. Wexford and Co. Cork. In addition to this, we also had out national training weekend, which we will cover in a later post. Details of this weekend's callouts are as follows:
**CALLOUT**
SARDA Ireland have continued to respond to the ongoing search in the Maam Cross area of Co. Galway. Air scenting dog team Jarlath and Syd responded in the initial days of the search, and this weekend air scenting dog team Louise and Lyla continued to search bogland, forestry and along abandoned railway tracks. Trainee dog handlers Edelle and Jean also provided support to the air scenting dog teams. The search is ongoing for the last 2 weeks.
**CALLOUT**
SARDA Ireland was tasked by AGS on Friday November 19th to a search for a missing male in Rosslare area of Co. Wexford.
Air scenting dog team Gerry and Fia resopnded and searched various areas including coastline and semi-urban areas.
**CALLOUT**
SARDA Ireland was tasked by AGS on Sunday November 21st to a search for a missing male in Co. Cork. Air scenting dog team Louise and Lyla were en-route after completing their search areas at the ongoing missing person search in Co. Galway when the missing person was located by Cork City Civil Defence. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
Ye do such great work!!
Thank you for all the work u do .
Ye and the dogs 🐕 do a marvellous job
A massive thank you to Niall and all his Facebook friends for helping raise vital funds for SARDA Ireland. If you would like to donate, please use the link below.
Niall is based in Tipperry and is a volunteer with us. He has a trainee air scenting dog called Croía and they are always looking for people from the area to help body (hide) for them, so if you’re looking to try something new, and you are in the vicinity of Tipperary, then give us a shout 😊🐾
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** CALLOUT **
SARDA Ireland are assisting Garda Síochána Western Regi in the search for a missing person in the Maam Cross area.
SARDA Air Scenting team Jarlath and Syd searched for 2 days on the 11th and 12th of November.
More SARDA dog teams will be searching this weekend.
Other agencies in attendance:
Galway Mountain Rescue Team
Galway Civil Defence
Cleggan Coast Guard
Costelloe Bay Coast Guard
Mayo Civil Defence
AGS Water Unit
Rescue 118
Inland Fisheries Ireland
Best of luck and stay safe…
Hope all turns out well. Keep safe
🙏🙏🙏
Best of Luck 🙏🏻. Stay Safe 🙏🏻
Keep safe
SARDA Ireland and Galway Mountain Rescue Team are just home from visiting the Beavers in the Renmore Scout Group.
The kids were full of great questions, and qualified air scenting dog Syd and trainee trailing dogs Shadow and Jessie got lots and lots of attention from the Beavers!
We also got the loveliest card and donation from the Beavers, thank you so much for supporting us!
Interested in saving lives on the mountains?
We are now accepting applications for our 2022 Aspirant Membership Programme. If you think you have what it takes to navigate and stay safe on remote upland mountainous terrain, then we want to hear from you!
Closing date for applications is Friday, 31st December 2021. Programme kick-off early to mid-January 2022.
Apply Now: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4d2gwRpRVt72T540gP5WFL1vuvmLUVppiVoQDTcYFnsQ2Uw/viewform
Please share this message with your family, friends and work colleagues.
Mountain Rescue Ireland | NUIG Mountaineering Club | Galway Bay Hill Walking Club | Galway Walking Club | Moycullen Walking Club | Galway Climbing Co-Op | Grey Lake Ramblers Loughrea | Maumturks WalkingClub | Oyster Walking Club | Slieve Aughty Walking Club | Clare Outdoor Club | West Clare Walking Club | Shannon Trekkers | TG4 | Raidió na Gaeltachta (Oifigiúil) | FM104 | Connemara Community Radio | RNLI, Galway Lifeboat Station | Connacht Tribune - Galway City Tribune | The Galway Advertiser | Galway Bay Fm News | Mountaineering Ireland
#mountainrescue
Wow, well done them! 😍Fabulous article in @Citylifelichfield
magazine
Thank you so much 😊
#greenark1216 #petshoprugeley #rugeleyshops #petshop #staffordshiresearchandrescue #staffordshiresearchandrescueteam #staffordshiresearch #dogtraining #dogtrainersofinstagram #citylifelichfield #citylifelichfiel
Check out some photos from last weekend’s National Training in Tipperary!
Tipperary Tourism MAXI ZOO IRELAND Mountaineering Ireland Mountain Rescue Ireland National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA)
MMRT 2021 Recruitment Campaign
We are currently accepting applications for new probationary members from people who are actively involved in hillwalking and mountain activities. We need adults (over the age of 21) of all capabilities, skills and talents.
The application form can be downloaded from our website at mayomountainrescue.ie/contact/who-can-join-how-3
Completed Application forms can be posted to:
Recruitment, Mayo Mountain Rescue HQ, Pinewoods, Westport, Co. Mayo, F28 HX27
Email applications can be sent to: pro@mayomrt.com
The closing date for applications is Friday 12th November 2021.
SARDA Ireland are proud to announce that MAXI ZOO IRELAND have selected us for their Friendship Connects 2021 campaign! 🐕
Money from each bracelet, bought from now until the end of the year, will be donated to our charity. The money raised will help us respond to missing person searches across Ireland and train our up and coming search dogs.
The bracelets are available from your nearest Maxi Zoo store.
maxizoo.ie/friendship-connects/
Please share this news far and wide so that we can spread the good news! 🤩🤩
That’s wonderful
Ireland's first (and only) female winchman works as with Rescue 117 based in Waterford Airport. Here's what Sarah had to say about joining CHC Helicopter Ireland & Rescue 117. "A few years ago, when I heard they were doing recruitments, I went for it. The process is very thorough and they leave no stone unturned in assessing if you’re able for the work. CHC are quite proactive making opportunities available to women and encouraging women to apply for this kind of work."
Thank you to Sarah and all of the women across SAR for their dedication to saving lives.
You can show Sarah your support during #helisarweek by liking, commenting or sharing this post to help us raise money for Search and Rescue charities including RNLI and @Mountain Rescue Ireland.
Sarah's Story in the Independent: bit.ly/FemaleWinchman
Hard to believe that it’s four years since we lost our dear friend and beloved teammate Kevin.
He is remembered by all of us at DWMRT today and everyday. His positivity and joy left a lasting impression on anyone lucky enough to have known him.
Kevin Hallahan, Wicklow 5.6, still on the hill.
Stay save and thank you for your service.
Bonzo, an ex-trainee search dog from the late 2000's, passed away this earlier this week at the age of 15. Bonzo was a super dog who loved the game of searching for our Dogs Bodies.
Rest easy, Bonzo. 🐾
Sorry for your loss
Thank you for your service Bonzo. Sorry for your loss 💔❤
Sleep well Bonzo xx
Thank you for your service. RIP Bonzo. Rest those paws 😥
RIP Bonzo enjoy the other side of the rainbow bridge with your brothers and sisters!!!
RIP Bonzo xxx
Run high and free Bonzo. Sorry for your loss. X
So sorry to hear about Bonzo
Rip bonzo
RIP Bonzo
RIP Bonzo
Fly high Bonzo🌈🐾❤
Aw I'm so sorry for your loss ❤😥
Sleep peacefully beautiful Bonzo. 💔
Sorry to hear that. 😪
Stand down Bonzo your shift is done😥
My sympathy
X
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SARDA Ireland would like to say thank you very much to The Dog Lady and all who were involved in organising an Open Day in Dungarvan which raised an amazing €730 for our charity on the day along with some additional donations online, bringing the total to €750!
The money raised will help us continue to respond to missing person searches across Ireland, and train the future search dogs of SARDA Ireland.
Míle buíochas agus madraí maithe!
Katie McCausland show Matt.
** Callout 21 - 17/09/2021 **
SARDA Ireland were tasked by An Garda Síochá to assist in the search for a missing person in the Listowel area.
It’s been another year, and we continue to miss Caitríona on our hills. As we finished off our September National Training Weekend this afternoon, we had Caitríona and her family in our thoughts. 🐾We at SARDA Ireland are remembering our friend and colleague Caitríona Lucas today.
Four years ago, Caitríona responded to a callout with her fellow Coast Guard volunteers to assist in a search off the Co. Clare coast. During this operation, Caitríona tragically lost her life.
Caitríona was also a member of SARDA Ireland, where alongside her dog Zac, she dedicated so much time to not just one rescue organisation, but two. Together, they were a qualified dog team for 7 years and responded to many SARDA callouts.
Go Maridís Beo ❤️
A wonderful lady ❤. Sending you all hugs at this very sad time.❤.Those we lose aren't far away. They walk beside us every day. I'm sure Catriona is always there minding and guiding you. 🙏❤
A lovely lady to talk to, and work with. Rest in piece Caitriona
So others may live- RIP Caitriona
RIP Caitriona
May she Rest in peace 🙏 X ❤️
🙏🙏🙏❤️
RIP. 🙏
Thank you Caitriona RIP
Ah wow, what a most fantastic thing to do. Human kindness and community at its best. Well done everybody who made this happen. So lovely.❤
nooooo team, this is the OPPOSITE of what you normally do! 😅
Absolutely wonderful❤
Love it ❤
Love this ❤️
Wow that’s just wonderful 🥰
Just Wonderful 🌻
Gulp