The devastating storms also hit the training grounds of the rescue dog brigade throughout Lower Austria. Two areas were completely destroyed.
The local dog rescue brigade is heavily dependent on its training grounds. Two of the thirteen locations in Lower Austria have now fallen victim to the enormous flood disaster: the areas of Hofstetten-Grünau and Klosterneuburg have been devastated by the floods.
“It is especially important for young dogs to practice as often as possible for real use. But older four-legged friends also need constant training so that they can perform optimally in an emergency,” emphasizes country manager Rupert Lorenz.
Clubhouse and cellar under water
The four-legged rescuers are called out for more than 40 missions a year. And that is very often the case when human comrades reach their limits. Often, for example, they are homeless people, people with dementia or children who have gone missing. And that is exactly where the disciplined dog teams come into play to master the search for people, usually under the most difficult conditions. “The water is in the clubhouse and in the basement in Hofstetten-Grünau. The water pipes around the building were washed away and the training room is unusable,” Lorenz describes the serious damage.
He hopes that training can be resumed there soon, because during the warm summer days the animals were less often spared and trained. For the average consumer this sounds like little activity, but for the dog handlers this means that they train with the cold dogs less than two to three times a week.
Moving planned
The “cold-nosed rescuers” in Klosterneuburg were also unlucky, but at least they were able to contain the setback there. Because they were just about to move from the old location to the new location when the floods came. “A lot of stuff was already packed and could be brought to safety more easily,” says Lorenz, who explains that the water on the new square was so high that it was not yet possible to enter the area: “Judging from the drone footage, the water there is about a meter high. That will take a while.” The relay team there can train with others for the time being.
Nevertheless, the scale of the disaster is great: many building materials and training equipment have fallen victim to the floods throughout the country. You now have to invest a lot of money and work to be able to start everyday life again. “We have to keep our level of education up to par. “It’s about people’s lives,” Lorenz calls for donations to the regional group of the Austrian Dog Rescue Brigade.
Source: Krone
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