Missions - abroad
Turkey 8/1999
The first historical disaster to which Czech rescuers were sent was the earthquake in Turkey in August 1999. Their involvement in this earthquake remains the most challenging operation they have completed to date. The dog handlers worked under the harshest tropical conditions, primarily in the ruins of the cities of Gölcük, Yalova, and Adapazarı. The first five-member intervention team, sent under the direction of the humanitarian organization ADRA, included South Bohemian dogs: Duxy Sametový čumáček of Jaroslav Sedlák, Kiss Krumbox of Daniel Sedlák, and Drink Dračinec of Zdeněk Žilka. Thanks to their contributions, not only several dozen bodies of deceased residents were found, but two human lives were also saved.
Taiwan 9/1999
In the same year, just a month later, the same trio of South Bohemian dog handlers, accompanied by their dogs, flew as part of a five-member team to assist in the earthquake-stricken island of Taiwan. Once again, all three boxers carried out a significant amount of rescue work under the most difficult climatic conditions. After the shameful delay in August during the first Turkish operation, this time the canine team was sent out by the Ministry of the Interior with lightning speed and without the slightest delay, so the dog handlers were already working on the first ruins of Taipei 24 hours after the earthquake was reported. Despite their immediate and selfless intervention in the harsh tropical conditions, no live individuals were found during this operation.
Turkey 11/1999
For the second Turkish earthquake in the same year, this time with the epicenter located one hundred kilometers further inland from the coastline, a five-member team of dog handlers was once again sent by the Ministry of the Interior, but this time in collaboration with professional firefighters from Prague. The trio of South Bohemian dog handlers worked once again in the same composition, now joined by North Bohemian handlers. The rescue team faced completely different challenges due to the contrasting climatic conditions, with intense daytime heat and unexpected freezing temperatures at night. Additionally, the structure of the buildings being searched—such as a children's hospital, a food department store, and a shoe factory—was significantly different from the previous residential areas of the city.
India 1/2001
Czech dog handlers were once again part of an international IRO team, and they made up half of the unit with four members. For quicker access to Vienna's airport, South Bohemians were specifically requested by IRO leadership, so under the guidance of Jaroslav Sedlák with Duxy, three other South Bohemian boxers joined the team. They worked in the rubble of the destroyed historic cities of Adhoi, Bhuj, Bhachau, and Ahmadabad in the most affected area of the Indian state of Gujarat. In addition to dozens of deceased, only one live person was found in the harsh conditions of heat and dust.
USA 9/2001
September 11, 2001 became a symbol of Muslim terrorist hatred for everything American. Suicide Boeings crushed the Twin Towers, the pride of American big business, with thousands of innocent dead. Interior Minister Stanislav Gross immediately called in the first intervention team of Czech cynologists, consisting of six dog handlers, in which South Bohemia was represented by three boxers: Duxym by Jaroslav Sedlák, Kiss by Daniel Sedlák and Ann by Markéta Nedvědová. The other half of the team consisted of Leoš Vokál from Brno with an Amstaff Coudy, Šárka Melicharová from Beroun with a German shepherd and Iveta Mesteková from Chomutov with a golden retriever. However, communication problems between the Czech ministry and the affected New York extended the wait for departure all night in the plane ready for departure. However, after a sleepless night, the dog handlers and firefighters received a completely incomprehensible order from Foreign Minister Kavan to cancel the flight and return home.
Algeria 5/2003
The African earthquake in May required international assistance despite the very complex political situation in the country. The international IRO team, which included four Czech dog handlers, accepted the help. A further three-member team was sent by the Czech Ministry of the Interior, which included Zuzana Ludvíková with her Doberman Alf. However, the political situation in the country left the dog handlers with almost no opportunity to apply their skills, as they had in previous international missions. As a result, the Algerian deployment became the shortest and least successful intervention, with almost no outcome.
Iran 12/2003
One of the most historically significant places in former Persia, the city of Bam on the historic Silk Road, was completely reduced to rubble due to an earthquake. Czech rescuers set out to help again in two separate groups. In a four-member team sent by the Ministry of the Interior, South Bohemian dog handlers Martin Lobík with the Boxer Fixie Dračinec and Vlasta Maxa with the Shepherd Erik Leryk flew out. In the second three-member team from IRO, departing from Vienna, Ivan Straka with Artur from the Airport district participated. Despite several finds of deceased individuals, no successful rescue was recorded.
Missions - Czech Republic
From the annual batch of requests from the Czech Police or the Fire Rescue Service (HZS) for cooperation in interventions, only those that were different from the usual standard of rescue work are briefly mentioned here.
1994 Vyšší Brod
The first historically successful result of South Bohemian dog handlers during practical deployments with the police was the discovery of an Austrian citizen in harsh winter conditions near Vyšší Brod. It was a suicide victim, hidden under a layer of snow and sought by the Austrian police for six weeks. The three-hour work of the search party, consisting of 17 rescuers and 5 dog handlers, was concluded by the alert bark of the boxer Brix, handled by Jarda Flíček. The body of the man with a gunshot wound to the head was wedged in a rocky crevice at the top of a steep stone wall, just 30 meters from the state border. The man was in unexpectedly well-preserved condition, probably due to the hypothermia caused by being covered by snow.
1995 Dvořiště
The intervention of two South Bohemian dog handlers at one of the largest ponds, Dvořiště, near Jindřichův Hradec, became the Czech premiere in searching for drowned victims with the help of dogs. In extremely unfavorable weather conditions, both deployed boxers, Assko handled by Jarda Sedlák and Ája handled by Jitka Sedláková, performed an incredible feat of work, as they precisely located the drowned young man at a depth of five meters. The search took place on the fourth day after the tragedy, in rain and strong winds, and lasted a total of four hours.
1996 Český Krumlov
The search for an older mushroom picker, who was presumed to have health issues, began after he failed to return from a morning outing. The search route led a four-member team of Czech Krumlov dog handlers, led by Daniel Sedlák, to investigate densely overgrown sections in the direction the man was last seen heading. Contrary to all theoretical assumptions, the man was found in the middle of a wheat field, where he had tried to shortcut his way. While pushing through the wheat, he suffered a heart attack and was found dead.
1997 Teplice
The morning briefing of South Bohemian dog handlers during their training session in the Ore Mountains was interrupted by a request from the police for help in searching for a six-year-old girl who had been missing for two days. All participants of the training session were sent to Teplice and deployed to search areas designated by the police. Due to a reasonable suspicion of murder, the focus was mainly on searching abandoned urban locations. After two hours, the operation was concluded with an announcement from the police that the girl had been found alive in a nearby village.
1998 Kounice
Repeated searches for a schoolboy who inexplicably vanished just a few meters from his home in Prague were initiated several times by sensitives from Soběslav, who claimed with complete certainty that they knew exactly where the missing boy was located. The searches were repeatedly conducted in extensive cellars and other areas of an abandoned castle, underground tunnels, and farm buildings, but always without result. The very active sensitives, who volunteered to assist, were certainly not helpful; they only brought delays and nervousness to the search.
1999 Český Krumlov
A very interesting case for the dog handlers was the search for a long-missing elderly man suffering from advanced sclerosis. The search involved 12 handlers, divided into two teams, working in the hilly terrain above Český Krumlov, in the Přídolí – Silniční Domky area. After four hours of intense work by both teams, the search ended with the discovery of the man's body, face-down in a forest stream. The dogs caught the scent of the deceased, carried by the water nearly one hundred meters downstream while crossing the stream. The first to find the missing person was once again the boxer Brix, handled by Jaroslav Flíček.
2000 Lipno
The search for a drowned swimmer, who was attempting to swim across the lake with a friend, took place after both had been drinking alcohol. The competition between them proved to be fatal, as both were under the influence. The swimmer's body was located at a depth of about eight meters, approximately 150 meters from the shore of Frymburk on Lake Lipno. The area was quite dangerous for divers due to poor visibility and submerged, collapsed structures. Therefore, a containment barrier was used at the site marked by the boxer Assko, handled by Jaroslav Sedlák. After ten days, as expected, the body was found trapped in the barrier.
2001 Lomnice-Orlík
The search for a drowned man, who had tried to save a capsized kayaker on the Lomnice River a week earlier, covered approximately 8 km of the river, including the inflow into the Orlická Reservoir. The search focused on eroded riverbanks and worn-out rocky pools. A total of eight handlers participated, with four on each side of the river. After four hours, the body was located near the inflow of the Lomnice River into the Orlík Reservoir by two boats with boxers Assko, handled by Jaroslav Sedlák, and Ája, handled by Jitka Sedláková. The man had been trapped in a whirlpool, held between rocks at a depth of about 6 meters, nearly 8 km downstream from the spot where he had fallen from the boat.
2002 Římovská přehrada
The search for a suicide victim who had set out in a small boat on the surface of the Římov Reservoir. It was presumed that he had used the boat’s motor as a weight, tying it to his body before jumping into the depths. Three deployed dogs indicated one of the deepest spots of the reservoir, but despite repeated dives by divers, the body was never found. Given the weight used, it never surfaced.
2002 Kaplice
The search for a missing resident of a retirement home, who lost his way and became disoriented during a Sunday afternoon walk in the forest. After an unsuccessful search with a helicopter using thermal imaging, the police called in dog handlers, who formed an extensive search team. After three hours of combing the area, the elderly man was found in the forest, completely exhausted and unable to move. He owes his life not only to the Labrador Candy, handled by Miloš Mach, but also to the other ten handlers in the search team.
2003 Božetice
The search for a missing elderly woman, who, according to information about her health condition, couldn't have gone far. Witnesses reported that her slow progress through the village square with the help of walking sticks took the entire morning. Contrary to all expectations, however, she was found three kilometers from her home, lying face down in a stream about ten meters off the path she had likely taken on her way to visit her daughter in a neighboring village.
2003 Brloh
The search for a young man living on the outskirts of a village, with a strong suspicion of suicide, began due to the uncertainty of the direction he had taken when leaving his family home in the morning. Six handlers searched several of his favorite spots in the nearby forested area. At the same time, a dog was used to trace the missing person’s scent at the entrance to the house. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Cruis, handled by Hedvika Češková, picked up the trail and, after approximately four kilometers, led the rescuers to a spot at the top of a cliff where the young man had planned to end his life by jumping. This plan was successfully thwarted, and the young man was saved.
2003 Milevsko
The search for the body of a businessman, missing for over half a year, took place in an area defined by the criminal police based on clues provided by the investigator. All four deployed dogs marked a willow tree standing by the stream, which turned out to be a classic secondary source of the scent. Based on the dogs' behavior and the subsequent analysis of the location by the lead of the intervention team, Jaroslav Sedlák, the missing man was retrieved about four meters from the base of the tree, exactly at the marked spot. He was found under a layer of snow, at a depth of half a meter, in frozen clay. The operation was highly praised by the police present, including the highest-ranking officials in the region, both for the performance of the deployed dogs and for the precise assessment of the discovery site.
2004 Rudolfov
The search for the elderly man, who after visiting a village restaurant near his home, mistakenly took the wrong direction on his way back and headed in the opposite direction along the state road, was initiated. According to the testimony of a night bus driver, a time snapshot was made, and a three-kilometer circle was outlined from the last contact point. The estimate turned out to be inaccurate; contrary to all expectations, the elderly man had covered more than nine kilometers in two hours during the night. He was found dead from a heart attack, just a few meters off the road in a forest where he had tried to rest on a tree stump.
2006 Římov
The multiple searches for the body of a murdered teacher, who was killed by her husband, involved a wide array of locations. In addition to the extensive mill building, various areas in the woods, vltavín hunters' pits, garbage dumps with several filled containers, and the water of the Římov Reservoir were searched. During the search, the body of another victim, a man who had been lying at the bottom for several weeks, was found near a bridge over the reservoir. The murderer had used all available means to complicate the dogs' work, from disinfecting the terrain, scattering pepper in the rooms, to wrapping the body multiple times in plastic. After the dogs had initially located the body, the murderer moved the woman to another spot and buried her about a meter deep in the corner of a barn, covering her with old stoves and a heap of other materials.
2007 České Budějovice
The search of the area defined by the criminal police based on the provided clues was remarkable not so much for its size, but more for the over-meter-thick layer of incredibly foul-smelling garbage piled throughout the entire house. This included a variety of different food items in various stages of decomposition. Cross, the Australian dog of handler Jarda Sedlák, reliably ruled out the possibility of the body being hidden in this location.
2008 Havlíčkův Brod
The public was shocked by one of the most intense searches for the murderer of a nine-year-old boy, sexually abused and subsequently strangled by a Slovak repeat offender. Under the leadership of the criminal police, a number of different locations, including several bodies of water, were searched without result. After being caught, the murderer confessed and himself led the police to a hidden body, several kilometers from the crime scene.
2009 Bohdalovice
The search for the missing elderly man became extraordinary not only due to the number of days it took but also because it took place during the Christmas holidays and was concurrent with a second case, the search for a woman missing between Kamenný Újezd and Včelná. While the woman was not found despite searching vast forest areas and several days of searching, the elderly man was found, along with his dog, with whom he had gone for a walk. Both were dead at the bottom of a cesspool they had fallen into. The mentally disturbed woman was found three weeks later by a cemetery wall. The cause of her death was determined by the police doctor to be from natural causes, likely occurring just hours before her discovery.
2010 Bartochov
The search for the missing truck driver was notable for the rapid assembly of the intervention team within one hour after the police issued a request for assistance. The driver was transporting a load of electronics from Slovakia to Italy. When he failed to reach the destination, the supplier used GPS data to locate the truck parked at a rest area on the E55. The sealed, undamaged cargo and the locked cabin with all the driver’s belongings, including his mobile phone, prompted a search of the surrounding area. One police dog and six rescue dogs searched the area within several hundred meters in all directions. The search team worked in the usual manner, including checking several nearby ponds. After the search, it was concluded that the missing driver was not in the area. He was found two days later in Brno, where he had arrived by hitchhiking. Due to psychological depression, he had no memory of the events.