Bosnia and Herzegovina will soon receive its first officially trained search and rescue dogs, as the training of five dog-and-handler teams in three local communities enters its final phase. The first certification exams are expected to take place in November.
The importance of search dogs was most evident during the recent disaster in Donja Jablanica, when their ability to detect human scent in rubble proved invaluable.
Since February, Nenad Jovanović, a member of the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) in Bijeljina, has been training with his dog Kia according to international search dog standards. Kia has already mastered key skills such as searching in ruins and open terrain, and will take her first certification exam next month.
“The training consists of obedience and search work. The plan is to take the first exams according to the standard in November. The dogs must be socialized, non-aggressive, and comfortable with people,” said Jovanović.
The Bijeljina team is one of five across the country participating in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first organized search dog training program. Once training is completed, three search dogs will be assigned to Sarajevo, one to Široki Brijeg, and one will remain in Bijeljina.
Search dogs are capable of detecting even the faintest traces of human scent in debris, with studies showing that a single trained dog can cover an area that would otherwise require the efforts of dozens of rescuers.
“Despite all the technology we have, a single dog cannot be replaced – it can sniff out a living person ten meters under the ruins,” added Jovanović.
The training program is part of the “Rescue Paws” project led by the humanitarian organization Pomozi.ba, which has established the first training ground for search dogs in ruins near Sarajevo — the only one of its kind in the region.
“A dog can search the area like ten people,” said Davorin Sekulić, coordinator of the “Rescue Paws” project.
Exams and future training sessions for search and rescue dogs in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held at this new specialized facility, marking a major step forward in strengthening the country’s rescue capabilities.
