A Dog Named Amy at Austria Mountain: A Successful Mountain Rescue
Lost Canine Amy, a 53-year-old hunting dog, Has Vanished While Roaming.
Meet Amy, a heroic German Shepherd from Tyrol, Austria. This wondrous canine effortlessly navigates rugged peaks and steep trails, making her a key player in countless mountain rescues. As her handler Markus Stemberger puts it, "She's a real life-saver!"
Amy was recently part of a captivating rescue mission on the "Austria Mountain." A 53-year-old local woman reported missing since Sunday evening was found with minor injuries and slight hypothermia by Amy at around 1,100 meters above sea level. Initial reports suggest that she likely got lost during her journey.
This nail-biting saga brought together an impressive team, including 70 people from Bergrettung, volunteer firefighters, Red Cross personnel, and police officers, along with a helicopter. Cell phone tracking helped narrow down the search area. Markus reconstructs the eventful moments: "The breakthrough came when she suddenly swerved off and followed an old, overgrown path. Then she barked insistently."
Such impressive performances aren't unheard of for Amy. In January 2024, she successfully traced a missing and deceased skier in Saalfelden, and in the summer of 2024, she led rescuers to a missing woman who had fallen and was severely injured in the Oberpinzgau region.
Amy's dedication and perseverance stem from rigorous training. She was selected from a litter with a strong scenting ability and stable temperament. That, coupled with her fantastic endurance, agility, and acclimation to alpine conditions, set her on the path to saving lives. Amy was trained to find human scent, search for avalanche victims, and follow scents and footprints in difficult terrain.
Her handler remains grateful for Amy's exceptional work, commending the training team behind her. As with many successful mountain rescue dogs, being a dog handler requires immense amounts of time and practice, as well as support from family members. Amy continues to underscore the priceless role of support animals in crisis situations and serves as a symbol of cooperation between humans and animals in life-saving work.
Amy, the heroic German Shepherd, continues to make a significant impact in mountain rescues. According to Markus Stemberger, she found a missing woman during the recent rescue mission on the "Austria Mountain," assisting the team with her exceptional scenting ability, a skill she honed through rigorous training in sports like mountain rescues and avalanche victim searches.
