Rescue dogs to display their skills at training weekend

SOME of Ireland’s most skilled and hardest-working dogs will be in Carlow this weekend to hone their craft and excel at what they do best.

Ireland’s Specialist Search and Rescue Dogs (ISSARD) will hold a training weekend this Saturday and Sunday in Carlow, welcoming 13 dogs and their handlers for two days of specialised training. Among them is local woman Tricia Millar and her Springer Spaniel, the wonderful Brenna, who is at the beginning of her training but is already showing huge promise.

ISSARD is a volunteer organisation dedicated to the search and recovery of missing persons across Ireland. The team’s specialised nature lies in its commitment to training and deploying multidisciplinary search dogs – including air scent, mantrailing and human remains detection (HRD) – with a strong focus on urban search and rescue (SAR).

This weekend, the team will be in Carlow for one of its regular national training sessions, welcoming local volunteers and fellow SAR professionals to come and observe what the dogs can do.

On Saturday, the team will carry out air scent and mantrailing in Rossmore, thanks to the permission of Coillte, and has also kindly been given permission to train on the lands of Eoin O’Reilly, Springhill.

On Sunday, the team turns to Carlow town, thanks to the permission of Carlow County Council, and will be working the dogs in a more urban setting.

“We’d just like to let people know that we’ll be out and about, if you see us in our yellow hi-vis jackets,” explained Tricia.

ISSARD dogs are trained to operate in complex environments such as urban structures, derelict buildings and densely-populated areas, providing crucial support in missing person searches.

ISSARD handlers are also certified in navigation, first aid and search strategy, ensuring a professional and co-ordinated response.