Thuin, Canine Capital of the World!

In 1954 the General Secretariat of the FCI settled in Thuin. It is curious to note that dog lovers throughout the world know the name of the town in which the FCI operates and offers the services that its 13 employees provide on a daily basis. Thuin now figures on the world map in the hearts of all dog enthusiasts on all continents! This is a reality that, although not on a grand scale, has not escaped the town’s elected representatives, who have on several occasions expressed their delight in counting an international organisation celebrating its centenary amongst their population of 14,650 inhabitants!

Conscious of the role that the FCI plays as an ambassador for Thuin, Philippe Blanchart – Acting Mayor – and the Town Council have named the city “Canine Capital of the World”. In this centenary year, this designation crowns the good relations between the FCI and the town that welcomes the Federation by focusing attention on Thuin, which would become a Mecca for dog fanciers, providing a positive window to the world by displaying knowledge, projects, initiatives and other breakthroughs concerning an animal that in this day and age has an important place in our society.

What could therefore be more natural than this designation knowing that Saint Roch, the Patron Saint of Thuin, is also the protector of animals and frequently portrayed with his dog?

Marie Luna Durán
FCI Marketing and Public Relations Manager
24.4.2011: International Day of Search and Rescue dogs

© IRO - free
Natural disasters such as the ones in Japan or in the previous years in Sumatra, Haiti or Chile have precisely shown once again: Search- and Rescue dogs are superior to all technical equipment when it comes to tracing of buried people.

Thousands of rescue-dog teams are in constant training and are at disposal worldwide around the clock to save lives in case of emergency. Almost all dog-handlers work voluntary, in their free time.

Dedicated to all these dog handlers and dogs the “International Day of Search and Rescue Dogs” was installed 3 years ago, this year held on Sunday 24th of April 2011.

From Australia to Canada, from Japan via South-Korea to Argentina and from South-Africa to Russia as well as in all European countries, rescue-dog teams are the centre of this day to present their work to the public on many places.

Lt. Col. Mohamed A. J Al-Ansari, INSARAG Regional Chairman Africa / Europe / Middle East and Ministery of Interior of United Arab Emirates:
“For the 3rd Worldwide Day of Search and Rescue Dogs on Sunday, 24.04.2011 – originally initiated by the IRO – we wish all participating organizations all over the world a successful presentation of their important work. A lot of training, mostly done in the background and with not enough public recognition, can then be presented to the public.

And with that, one will see the magnitude of work and effort, carried out by our friends all around the world with all teams, in a highly-appreciated manner that makes us proud and makes us stand to show respect to those people.”

© IRO - free

The President of the IRO (International Rescue Dog Organisation) Dr. Wolfgang Zörner on the occasion of the „Day of Search and Rescue Dogs“: „Rescue dog work has made an enormous improvement in the last couple of years, especially in those countries, which are widely affected by natural disasters, just look at the latest mission in Japan. Mostly all over the world, the rescue dog handlers with their dogs perform a long training and deployment voluntary. Therefore it is surely legitimate to show these activities on that special day to the public.“

Info for the „Day of Search and Rescue Dogs“ under www.rescuedogday.com.

Press inquiries:

Paul Cech
IRO-Press
A-2320 Schwechat
Schildweg 14