The autumn of 2019 turned out to be a very busy one for CST volunteers: between 30 September and 4 October, CST's most highly trained dog teams took part in the 15th edition of the M.A.I. Service Dog Training Championship, held at the "Dr. Aurel Greblea" Canine Training Center in Sibiu. This was the first edition in which civilians' M.A.I.-certified dogs were also allowed to take part. CST volunteers took top places in the overall wilderness search and rescue standings. Tibi and Yukan'na took 1st place for wilderness search and rescue and 2nd place in the special obedience event, while Silvia and Arik took 2nd place for wilderness search and rescue. We congratulate all the participating dog teams, and especially our colleague from Clubul Câinilor Utilitari (the Working Dogs Club) in Bucharest, Romică Chințoi, together with his dog Billy, who took 1st place for urban search and rescue. Thank you to the "Dr. Aurel Greblea" Canine Training Center and the M.A.I. Cultural Center for the invitation and for the opportunity to take part in this championship.
This week also saw the annual MAI Certification exam for search and rescue dogs belonging to organisations that signed the cooperation protocol with DSU (the Department for Emergency Situations), in which 3 CST dog teams achieved recertification, meaning they can now be considered for search missions managed by DSU: Silvia with Arik obtained certification for wilderness search, Tibi with Yukan'na obtained dual certification for wilderness and urban/rubble search, and Raul with Aka obtained certification for wilderness search. Congratulations once again to all the volunteers who took part in the certification sessions!