Welcome to SARDA Ireland
Dedicated to the training and deployment of Search and Rescue Dogs, SARDA Ireland’s objective is to assist in the search and rescue of missing persons on the hills or wherever they may be.
SARDA Ireland is a voluntary 999 / 112 emergency search and rescue organisation concerned with the training, assessment and deployment of Air Scenting Search and Rescue Dogs to search for missing persons. Our dog teams, which consist of the handler and their dog, search anywhere in Ireland and are effective in the mountains, woodlands, rural and urban areas, waterways and seashore, as well as in locating accident or disaster victims.
Search And Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) was set up in 1987 as a Registered Charity (No. 11172) and is a member of Mountain Rescue Ireland (www.mountainrescue.ie) and NSARDA (National Search And Rescue Dog Association) in the UK (www.nsarda.org.uk) which comprises SARDA organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. For details of our policies and procedures, please click here.
Latest News from our Social Media
🚨 CALL OUT 🚨 #24
Tuesday afternoon , 3rd December SARDA Ireland were tasked by An Garda Síochána to assist in an ongoing multi agency search for a missing person in the Macroom area of Cork. Mike Palmer with Rhea were tasked and attended the scene. They searched an area of interest as asked by Gardai. Today the 4th Jean with Traker and Mick with Ziggy assisted with the search. They cleared large areas for An Garda Siochana.
The search continues and SARDA remains available for retasking at this time.
SARDA dog teams remain available 24/7 365 to respond to missing person searches across Ireland.
SARDA Ireland is a voluntary organization and rely on donations from the public to keep us operational. Links to donate in Bio ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Fantastic working with Jean and Mick today… tracker and ziggy are amazing 😍
Jean and Tracker are amazing they brought my husband home 2yrs ago forever grateful to them ❤️
After a very successful weekend of training in Wicklow we are delighted to have assisted our sister team Search and Rescue Dog Association South Wales . Josh and Bran were assessed last weekend and we're delighted that he has qualified as a full Mountain Rescue search dog team. Thanks to Roly and Ken our external assessors for their help. Congratulations everyone on a very successful training weekend.
SARDA dog teams remain available 24/7 365 to respond to missing person searches across Ireland.
SARDA Ireland is a voluntary organization and rely on donations from the public to keep us operational. Links to donate in Bio ... See MoreSee Less
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
May I on behalf of SARDA South Wales thank you SARDA (Ireland) for assisting us by accommodating Josh and Bran with this Assessment and of course a special thank to the Bodies and External assessors without whom the assessment wouldn’t have happened 👏😎
Thank you again for having us over, it was an incredible experience, once I sincerely hope to repeat without the assessment element. Everyone I met was incredibly kind, helpful and happy despite the weather being the opposite.
Congratulations. I saw someone out on the St Kevin's Way just up from Glendalough on Saturday, but was in a time trial race so unfortunately couldn't pop over to say hello, and that the work you do is fantastic. 👍🏻💪🏻
View more comments
National training weekend in Wicklow today. But if a wet one but smiling happy faces up on the hill putting in the hard work.
Sean's new pup in danger of getting kidnapped 🙈 gotta love a new puppy. But remember a dogs for life not just for Christmas ❤️ ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
A massive thank you to SARDA Ireland for the invitation, hospitality and time & effort spent on us this weekend. Your terrain is something else and I really enjoyed working it (even with knee deep bogs, hidden holes, grass that was like Teflon)
Josh and Bran are from SARDA SOUTH WALES, good to see both enjoying the rain😎
A very dedicated team
Photos from Galway Civil Defence's post ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
Congratulations 👍
Well done Edelle and Jessie 👏👏
Congrats Jessie & Edelle 👍
View more comments
This weekend SARDA Ireland held Trailing assessments in Co Wicklow.
These assessments consisted of 4 searches, 2 each day, 1 urban, 1 lowland, 2 mixed. Trails included complex urban environments and lowland environments.
Scent-specific trailing dogs can follow the trail of a missing person through both urban rural environments, which greatly expands our capabilities.
It was external assessed by Jim McGregor Search and Rescue Dog Association (Isle of Man) and Jamie Ketteridge from Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SARDA)with Tim Sherlock trainee assessor/ mentor Search and Rescue Dog Association SARDA Wales .
We had 2 teams put forward for assessment, Edelle with Jessie and dog support Neil and Jarleth with Shadow and dog support Paul.
The dog team is made up of the dog, the handler and the dog support. The handler is responsible for the dog, decision making, including working junctions, scent pools etc. the dog support role is to act as an information provider for the handler, and act as a party leader, along with the handler, ensuring the safety and welfare of the search dog team.
On this occasion Jarleth was not successful but will continue training.
Dog team Edelle with Jessie and Neil made history this weekend by qualifying the first Mountain Rescue Trailing dog team in Ireland to NSARDA specifications.
This is no mean feat as it has taken just over 3 and a half years to get to this point.
Edelle is also a member of Galway Civil Defence and Neil who covered dog support is Galway Mountain Rescue Team .
We wish to congratulate Edelle, Jessie and Neil for all their hard work.
This team has now being placed on the call out list and will be available for future searches throughout Ireland. We wish them every success.
Thanks to all the organisers, dogs bodies and handlers for all your help with the weekend
SARDA dog teams remain available 24/7 365 to respond to missing person searches across Ireland.
SARDA Ireland is a voluntary organization and rely on donations from the public to keep us operational. Links to donate in Bio
www.idonate.ie/cause/SARDAIreland?fbclid=PAY2xjawGwZQVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpo-o0wPvRjvuvVjYtgvgVIfhRC...
Mountain Rescue Ireland ... See MoreSee Less
46 CommentsComment on Facebook
@followers
Congratulations Edelle, Jessie and Neil! Fantastic news!
Well done folks. We know the investment in time and energy that you have put into getting this far.
View more comments
Busy weekend of Trailing assessments in Wicklow for our 2 teams ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Blimey, what a weekend of weather for trailing. Blown scent, anyone?
It's that time of year again..... We'll be in Jetland Shopping center tomorrow all day for our annual fundraiser. Why not come along and meet some of our awesome search dogs 😁
Don't worry if you can't come on the day, you can donate though the link in our bio.
SARDA Ireland is a voluntary organization and without donations from the public we wouldn't be operating.
So please call in and give what you can. Much appreciated 🐕🦺☺️ ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
Limerick Leader Limerick.ie Limerick Post Newspaper
Live 95 Limerick Now @followers
Everyone to the ready we are helping out at Semra's Long way round next Sat night looking to it and meeting some of the dogs we were there helping back in 2019
View more comments
Fantastic weekend local training sessions across the country this weekend. Lots of work going into these training days to get everyone ready for assessment. Great work everyone and thankfully the weather was great for it. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Great weekend local training all over the country again. The weather thankfully staying kinda dry but there's definitely a nip setting in. So time to layer up when we're out and about. Well done everyone for all your hard work. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook