RESCUING BOLT, THE DOG

Abstract

The official rescue statistics of the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia (GRZS) does not include data on animal rescue operations. However, the recent expansion of diverse media provides access to popular publications on rescue operations, from domestic animals to pets. Some examples from the mountain world (rescue of livestock and their young during the grazing season) can be found in the archives of the oldest Slovenian magazine, Planinski vestnik. During the floods in the Upper Savinja River Valley in August 2023, a German Shepherd was locked in the family house after the evacuation of the inhabitants of Struge. As a rescue dog handler, mountain rescuer and rescue airman with A1 module, I was involved in the dog‘s rescue. With the guidance and assistance of Okonina Crisis Response Headqu­arters, Ljubno Municipality, and a helicopter of the Slovenian Armed Forces, we successfully completed the rescue in an hour and a half. We benefited from all the previous experience of rescuing injured and missing dogs, three decades of active involvement with rescue dogs, and acquired skills such as making an improvised muzzle.