On Thursday January 3rd and Friday January 4th 2019, Oger SARdogs searched for Jorik Vahl who went missing around December 24th 2018. We searched in the vicinity of Emmen around the spot where his car was found, at the request of Rescue Team Friesland and the police.

On Sunday January 6th 2019 we searched again for Jorik Vahl. Unfortunately, this search did not yield anything. On Monday January 7th 2019 we received the message that Jorik Vahl was found in his home.

Oger SARdogs has participated in the search with a total of 8 dogs and 10 team members.

On November 14th 2018 we were asked by the Dutch Rescue Dogs (via OPCO police) to assist on November 15th in a search for a 77-year-old woman suffering from dementia who was last contacted by telephone on November 13th at 9:30.
Following the phone call she left by bike and just dropped off the grid.

Based on a very reliable sighting reported, a long stretch along a canal was searched as well as a woodland with a water feature.
The police’s assignment for the dog teams was to initally search along (bicycle) paths since there were no specific indications.

At 3.41 pm, news came in that the lady had been found. She turned out to be in hospital in Meppen, Germany after being found almost hypothermic in a forest in Germany. Fortunately, she is doing well again.

Oger SARdogs participated with 2 dogs and 2 team members in this search.

On Friday 19 October 2018 we searched at the request of Rescue Team Friesland in cooperation with PSD Nederland for the missing Astrid Rousse since 18 August 2018 in the surroundings of Wormerveer. This was a specific place that had not yet been searched. In the search there were 2 diving teams from PSD NL and 2 sonar boats from Nauta’s Boat Shop. Until now, the search has unfortunately not delivered anything.

Oger Search Dogs participated with 2 dogs and 4 people in the search.

Super proud is Oger Search Dogs on Martine Dietz and Ravel with obtaining their Level 3. Congratulations !!!

Level 3 Certification! Congratulations to Martine Dietz and K9 Ravel for this great Level 3 Cert! This is only the 11th level 3 in the history of our program. That says a lot. Special thanks to GAK9 Military Trainer Glenn-David Poole for preparing the team as well as GAK9 Police Trainer Re Becca for an expert trail.

Name of Handler: Martine Dietz
Name of K-9: Ravel
Date of Test: 18 October 2018
Location: Sandhausen, Germany
Time to Complete: 37:00
Distance: 790
Age of Trail: 2:06
Name of Trail Layer: Glenn-David Poole
Trainer: Martine Dietz
GAK9 Examiner: Rebecca Dudas
Trail Runner Map Color: Red
K9 Map Color: Blue

October 14, 2018 at 12:05 pm we were asked by the Reddingshonden Groep Drenthe to assist in a search for a demented woman of 81 who had left Friday evening by bike from her house in Assen.

Since the woman was observed for the last time in Norg on Saturday afternoon, the search was started in consultation with the police. Given the size of the search area, the search was immediately scaled up to the northern SRO groups. A helicopter was also used.

Together with Rescue dogs Group Drenthe, RWO and RH Nu we have been able to search a large forest area. At the end of the afternoon the news came that Ms. in good health, but very tired, had been found by a passerby a few miles northeast of the search area.

In total, 10 dogs and 21 people were involved in the search from the SRO.

Oger Search Dogs participated with 2 dogs and 8 people in the search.

On the 6th of October 2018 we searched at the request of Rescue Team Friesland and the family for the missing Loes de Groot since 2 September 2018 in the surroundings of Enschede. This involved a few fragmented areas that had not yet been searched. Until now, the search has unfortunately not delivered anything.

Oger Search Dogs participated with 2 dogs and 4 people in the search.

Thanks to your donations, we have now been able to purchase the life jackets.

On Thursday, 13 September, we received the request from Black Diamond Search and Rescue team (BD SAR) to assist in a search on 15 September for the missing Loes de Groot. Rescue Team Friesland was also involved. So far, the joint search has unfortunately had no result.
Oger Search Dogs participated with 2 dogs and 5 people in the search. We have searched both on water and on land.
With a new concrete designation, this search will certainly be followed up.


https://www.hartvannederland.nl/nieuws/2018/grote-zoekactie-naar-vermiste-loes-72-uit-enschede/

Thursday evening, August 30, around 9:00 PM, we were called by the Black Diamond Search & Rescue team (BD SAR) to assist in a search on August 31 to the missing Astrid Rousse. The woman has been missing since August 17. Dive teams and 2 sonar boats were present during the search. So far, the searches have unfortunately not delivered anything. The cooperation between colleagues from Rescue Team Friesland, Black Diamond SAR, DRD and Oger Search Dogs went well. Oger Search Dogs participated in the search with 1 dog and 8 people.

N.a.v. increased activity of a dog at a certain place in the water, there may be further sought after at a later time.

https://www.hartvannederland.nl/nieuws/2018/grote-zoektocht-naar-twee-weken-vermiste-astrid-rousse/

Wednesday, August 8, around 13:00 o’clock, Oger Search Dogs was called by the Black Diamond Search and Rescue Team (BD SAR) to assist that evening in a search for the missing Nsimire Massembo (14) in the Zuiderpark in The Hague. The girl had already been missing for 12 days. Together with the divers from BD SAR and Oger Search Dogs, a large part of the park was searched both in and around the water. No concrete arrangements regarding Nsimire were found during the search.

Oger Search Dogs participated with 2 dogs and 5 people in the search. Unfortunately the girl is not back to her family until today.

After two and a half years of training, hard work and puzzling, with all the guidance, tips and creative ideas of the coaches Martine and Roeland, thanks to all fellow Ogers who think along with each other and the indispensable victims, it is so far …. Homme is now officially available at Oger Search Dogs. He meets the high demands that OZH places on the dogs to be able to reliably compete in a domestic and foreign operation. He searches for missing persons, both living and deceased. He is the first dog at Oger Sardogs who has learned to contribute to a deceased person.
Big thanks to Martine for all her patience and solutions with detection with this as great result.
Super proud of Homme !!!! But at least as proud of OZH that we have achieved this together. Again a deployable dog.

Ellen Westenberg

Stichting OgerZoekhonden congratulates Ellen with this fantastic result with her Beauçeron male Homme.

The alarm phone rang on Tuesday, July 24th, around 1:00 PM. Because of the possible upscaling of the search for an Italian girl, the question was how many search teams Oger SARdogs could supply. The initiative for possible upscaling came from the RHWW that was already on site. They have approached the Cooperating Rescue Dog Organizations in the Netherlands. Oger SARdogs could provide 6 people and 4 dogs within just over an hour. In anticipation of further messages they have been stand-by for about 2 hours. All arranged for leave with their employers, etc.

In the end, the Italian authorities decided not to deploy additional search dog teams anymore. This notification of the RHWW reached us via the RHGD. This meant that the scale-up was no longer an issue. Oger SARdogs has shown to be able to realize a complete search team for a foreign deployment in a short time. Thanks to the RHWW and RHGD for communication. We wish the RHWW a safe and successful further search and wish them a safe home journey.

Check this page for all call-outs

On 1 June at 3 am Ogerzoekhonden was consulted by GGZ Assen after consultation with the RHGD and the police for a search for a confused woman who left the institution around 3 pm. Together with the RHGD and Rescue DogsNU a large part of the site has been searched. In the afternoon came the message that Mrs is right again. In total, 6 dogs and 8 people were involved in the search from the Cooperating Rescue Dog Organizations (SRO).

We regularly organise training weeks in the snow.  These training sessions take place in Austria at an altitude of about 2000 meters.  Avalanche training is especially valuable for young dogs because scents remain pure for longer in the snow and almost all dogs find the experience of digging in snow very motivating.  This lays a solid foundation for working on rubble.

 

Here they learn to recognize a specific smell and to look for it in nature and to refer the conductor to it. In the case of Oger Search Dogs we are dealing with the smell of a deceased person. Our dogs learn to recognize the specific smell of a deceased person so that they can be used during a search. To teach this to dogs, we do this in very small steps. We start with specific scent on a small field to eventually an object in the forest with the same specific smell. By starting very small, the dogs learn to distinguish odors and to recognize them better. With our training method it is a fun game for the dog.

Mantrailing is searching for a person by letting the dog smell an object of the person in question. The dog works on a rig and a line of 10 meters together with the handler. This limited workspace ensures that the cooperation between the handler and his dog is very close. Small signals from the dog must be interpreted correctly by the handler without any influence or steering. The dog can be used both in the forest and in the inhabited environment. That makes the use of these dogs very interesting when used quickly enough.

Mantrailing is both mentally and physically a tough part of the different search disciplines for both parties. Before OZH uses a Mantrailing dog, the team must have achieved level III at GAK9. The search with a mantrail dog also has its limitations. Although it is often said that smells can last for months, we believe that this is not possible. Based on scientific research, nothing really has been established that this is possible. It is therefore of great importance to use a mantrail dog as quickly as possible in case of a missing person.

September 23, 2017 was the day. The Oger SARdog boat was ready. We waited for almost a year, but there it was. November 17, 2016 we had our first appointment with Aluminumjon from De Kwakel about the construction. It would be a 5 meter long boat (jon518) with a height adjustment. The front deck for the dog had to be spacious and you had to be able to sit with at least 3 people and a dog.

The boat was completely bald and we went to work to make anti-slip mats on it and to make the logo in the Oger SAR Dogs stick to it. We also made extra search lighting on it.

There is now a number of times trained with the boat especially for the dogs to gain experience on the boat. At the start of 2018 we want to start with 4 dogs to prepare for the search on the water. He is now on private land and in 2018 the boat will have a permanent storage facility, where we can pick it up day and night.

By rubble we mean all locations that resemble areas hit by earthquake, tsunami or explosions.  Here too the dog will work independently, although much closer to the handler than in rural areas.  Both the dog and the handler must be able to manoeuvre over difficult terrain. During training, great care is taken of the dog, and it is expected that the handlers have acquired a certain knowledge of building construction and the possible dangers involved.  On rubble there are many more potential dangers and obstacles than in rural areas. Drains, holes and pits of varying depths, wet surfaces, slanting panels, glass, nails, wires, etc.

Experience has taught us that accidents seldom happen.  A cut in the paw or a small injury does occasionally happen.  However, we remain extremely vigilant and always have the necessary first-aid equipment on hand.

The bringsel is never used on rubble.  It is vital that the dog moves around “naked” to avoid getting caught up by a collar.  The indication will therefore be in the form of barking, digging or natural.  A combination of methods is also possible.  During training we strive for a uniform method, but as we have already said, the natural aptitude of the dog is the most important factor.

It is always a welcome gift for us when demolition companies make their sites available to us so that we can train our dogs on them.  We are always looking for councils, companies, organisations etc. who will allow us to use their sites.  We train a few times a week and one whole day in the weekend.  During the weekend we can act as sort of security guards on these sites.  We do of course take special care of these locations and the trust that has been put in us, and it goes without saying that we keep them clean and tidy up after ourselves.