Sunday morning, 16 June 2019, 8:00 am. 12 dogs, 12 dog handlers, 12 search and rescue helpers, 1 drone pilot, 1 technical detection expert.

Sandra Büchel
The dog handler took part in the missing person search

They travelled from all over Switzerland. After receiving an alert from the cantonal police in Solothurn, they are ready to start the search for a missing young man. The public announcement, even on TV, had brought no results. The relatives, hostel management and police now place all of their hope on the noses of our search dogs and the drone.

They walk into the 12 search areas in pairs of two. Will we find the missing person? The terrain is difficult. There was a heavy thunderstorm and rainfall in the area the previous night. Is the man still alive? He was wearing only light clothing when he disappeared.

45 minutes later. A radio command recalls all teams to the operations centre. The happy eyes of those who have already returned can be seen from a way off. The missing man was found 20 metres below the road in densely overgrown, steep terrain. Impossible to see from the road. And he is alive!

“There are no words to describe the feeling when you think, “He’s alive!”. Sandra Garbely was walking through this very sector when Joubacca caught human scent upwind and shot into the undergrowth.

The search and rescue dig quickly returned with the signal in his mouth – the sign that he has found something. The missing 34-year-old was unable to call for help. Suffering only slight injuries, he is taken to hospital and shortly after returns to the hostel. He would have not survived another night in the woods.

The cantonal police in Solothurn and his relatives did well to call +41 (0)844 441 144 and alert REDOG. “We decided to call REDOG just at the right time,” comments Urs Schmid, Chief of Regional Police Department of the Canton of Solothurn. It is a good feeling to have helped a person who is amongst the weakest in our society and to have saved them from death.