Search dog finds missing man in hut near Königstetten

A five-year-old Labrador found a missing 51-year-old man in a hut in a wooded area near Königstetten, in the Tulln district, on Wednesday, ORF reported. He was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Red Cross rescuers had been searching for the man since midday. The dog, Gracy, located him shortly before 8 p.m., according to Red Cross search dog handler Sari.

Twelve Red Cross search dog teams took part, alongside the Austrian Rescue Dog Brigade, Rescue Dogs Lower Austria, the Austrian Dog Sports Union, the Workers’ Samaritan Federation’s rescue dogs, police and a police helicopter.

Red Cross search dog teams are mainly deployed when people go missing. Their training takes two to three years and requires regular work on the dogs’ stamina, accuracy and sense of smell, the organisation said. Sari described the successful search as a special moment, while stressing that such operations depend on teamwork.

It was the second time in a week that a rescue dog had found a missing person in Lower Austria. A man was found in Melk during the night into Tuesday.