Reporting for duty... Karen Kelly and Rossi, the Civil Defence K9 Unit.

New Civil Defence canine team ready to Rossi and roll

A MEATH woman has qualified as the first female Civil Defence dog handler.

Karen Kelly and her dog, Rossi, are one of two new canine teams to be added to the Civil Defence K9 Unit's Victim Recovery Unit.

Karen and Rossi, a victim recovery dog, qualified after a year-long training programme which included 150 hours of guided training from a National Association of Specialist Dog Users (NASDU) recognised body. It culminated in her being awarded a Level 3 Certificate NASDU, UK.

Tánaiste and Minister of Defence, Mícheál Martin, spoke at the announcement of the new dog and their handlers.

“I’d like to recognise the contribution that Civil Defence volunteers play in missing person searches. Civil Defence K9 unit assisted An Garda Síochána in 33 of 250 missing person searches in 2021 and 2022. The K9’s assistance was a very valuable contribution in bringing these searches to a conclusion.”

Meath Civil Defence Officer Shane Quinn added; “Today is a significant day for the ability of Civil Defence to respond to missing person searches due to this additional specialism. It will increase capability of Civil Defence to respond and locate missing persons. The role of and relevance of CD K9 Unit is proving to be more important than ever due to increase in call-outs/demand in recognition of our skillset.”

The Civil Defence Branch of the Department of Defence provides support and equipment to Civil Defence K9 Units, which includes, specialised K9 vehicles, PPE, training and exercises, to allow them respond to missing person searches in a safe and efficient manner.

Civil Defence is a volunteer-based organisation that supports frontline emergency services. Civil Defence also assist local communities and has approximately 2,500 volunteer members throughout Ireland.

Civil Defence acquired its first search dog in 2006. As of March 2023, Civil Defence has four search dog teams based in Dublin, Meath, and Tipperary. These comprise One Air-Scenting dog used in searching for live persons, and four Victim Recovery Dogs used in searches for deceased persons. These dogs regularly assist An Garda Síochána in missing person’s searches throughout the State. The volunteer search dog handlers have shown great commitment to this work over the years.

New volunteers are always welcome to join Civil Defence, with information available through your local Civil Defence officer or www.civildefence.ie/join/.