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Greeting

alois-balog

Dear search and rescue dog handlers, visitors, partners, and sponsors,

saving lives with the help of dogs is the guiding principle that has carried our actions for 30 years. What began in 1993 as an ambitious idea to enhance the professionalism of the search and rescue dog field has gained international recognition today. Together with our more than 120 member organisations and over 100 volunteer officials, we ensure the highest quality standards in the training of search and rescue dogs, from the first training steps to mission certification.

It is thanks to this high level of training that IRO tested and mission-certified search and rescue dogs are among the best in the world. After the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border region in early February, almost 100 search and rescue dogs from our global network were deployed. Agile, systematic and reliable, they searched the building rubble for survivors. They were a beacon of hope for worried relatives and in many cases lifesavers.

Whether on mission or at sporting competitions – our search and rescue dog teams always give their best. Professionalism is indispensable in the pursuit of our voluntary work. When search and rescue dog teams from all over the world meet at the 27th IRO World Championship, the passion for our work becomes tangible.

We are very happy that in the anniversary year of the IRO, the World Championship will take place in its home country Austria. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our member organisation, the Rettungshunde Verband Österreich (RHVÖ), for making this possible. This year, the competitions will be held at two venues, namely in Stubenberg/Tiefenbach in Styria and in Eggendorf in Lower Austria.

We congratulate all participants who successfully qualified and look forward to an international competition at the highest level, but also a reunion with friends. Already in advance, I would like to express my personal thanks to everyone who contributes to the success of the World Championship: organisers, participants, helpers, judges, partners, sponsors, and spectators.

I wish us all a memorable, exciting, and fair event. 

Yours
sincerely,

Alois Balog

President
IRO International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation