(Not only) INTERSCHUTZ mascot "Timmy", the Border Collie, is likely to be amazed: On Saturday, June 25, a dozen dogs will be visiting the grounds. They belong to the Delmenhorst rescue dog squadron of the Arbeiter Samariter Bund, Landesverband Niedersachsen.

On the west side of Hall 26, they will give visitors an impression of their skills. At the same time, their human companions would like to show exercises from their everyday training and give an impression of their work.

There will be Golden Retrievers, Australian Shepards, Labradors, Spaniels and many other dog breeds, including mixes. All of them, together with their handler, have undergone extensive training in order to be ready to work as a team afterwards.

In addition to the dog training, there is also a lot to learn for the accompanying humans: first aid for humans and dogs is just as much a part of the training as specialized knowledge about tactics, orientation in the field and radiotelephony. At the end of the training there is an examination that is repeated every 18 months.

"Our dogs are area search dogs," explains Joachim Schankin, head of the Delmenhorst rescue dog team. "They can be used to search for missing persons in the forest, for example." Other "specialists" are rubble dogs that can search for buried people after an explosion, for example." In addition, there are so-called mantrailers.

These are people-sniffing dogs that track the scent of a specific person. "To do this, a bag containing the missing person's odor object - such as a T-shirt - is held under the dog's nose so that it can pick up the scent," the ASB explains on its website.

The principle of rescue dog training is no secret: "In training, the dog gets a treat from the person the dog has tracked down after a successful search," Joachim Schankin reveals. "So it's all about the reward." But until that happens, of course, the task must first be completed. Once the dog has discovered the supposedly missing person, he must signal success by barking. "He lets you know in this way," says Schankin. For more than 20 years now, the ASB rescue dog team has existed in the Oldenburg district. When needed, the ASB volunteers are alerted by the police.

Other aid organizations also have rescue dog squadrons. At INTERSCHUTZ, for example, the Johanniter will be represented by teams on its stage in Hall 26 on June 23 and 25. In addition, the topic of " Rescue Dogs in the Fire Service " will be on the lecture program at the INTERSCHUTZ Forum in Hall 26 on June 24 at 10:30 a.m.