Austrian Rescue Dog Brigade

The Österreichische Rettungshundebrigade (ÖRHB) is an Austrian organization founded in 1966 in Vienna as the first organization specifically for the training of rescue dogs. Its mission is to search for buried, injured, or lost persons and to provide first aid, and it participates in disaster relief in Austria and abroad. Its services are free of charge for private individuals and authorities, and it is available 365 days a year. It has regional groups (Landesgruppen) in the Austrian federal states and is recognized as an emergency organization in some of them. It also has teams trained for foreign deployment as part of the AFDRU unit of the Austrian Armed Forces.

The Österreichische Rettungshundebrigade (ÖRHB) was founded in 1966 by engaged idealists in Vienna as the first organization specifically for the training of rescue dogs. The then service dog handler Anton Gabmayer had the idea to train dogs specifically for the search for missing persons. The organization spread from Korneuburg in Lower Austria across Austria. After incorporation into the civil protection association, regional groups were gradually established. In 1969 the Upper Austria regional group followed, which today has around 130 members across 10 squads; it has been part of the disaster relief service of the province of Upper Austria since 2005 and is thus a recognized emergency organization. The Styria regional group was founded shortly afterwards. In Burgenland the idea of founding a search dog squad emerged in 1980; the first handlers Böhm, Schwarzinger, Zöhrer and Kossits began training in Styria, and in March 1982 the Burgenland regional group was founded with its first squad in Güssing. In 2015 the regional group was integrated into the rescue service law. Today there are four squads in Burgenland: Güssing, Mörbisch, Riedlingsdorf, Rohrbach. The Vorarlberg regional group was founded in 1986. The Tyrol regional group was separated from the Vorarlberg regional group in 2023 and has since been an independent regional group.

Free, volunteer-based search-and-rescue organization available 365 days a year.

1. 1ÖRHB – Österreichische Rettungshundebrigadeoerhb.at
2. 2über uns – ÖRHBoerhb.at
3. 3Geschichte – ÖRHBoerhb.at
4. 4Österreichische Rettungshundebrigadewikidata.org