As part of the program of the National Firefighters Congress 2025 (Conabom), which takes place in Fortaleza between August 5-8, 25 dogs and their handlers participated in the National Rescue Dog Certification.
Among the evaluations carried out on Monday 4 August in various locations, was the Specific Odor Test, which took place at Sesc Iparana Resort, in which the animal had to locate the victim by smell.
Captain Eliomar, commander of the Canine Search Company (CBCães) of the Ceará State Military Fire Department (CBMCE) and test director, explained that the certification is a kind of attestation that the dogs truly perform the service for which they were trained.
Eliomar shared: “It’s a qualification, a seal of approval from the National Firefighters League (Ligabom), which is being implemented here in Ceará.
“Twelve judges from all over Brazil evaluate the dogs in tests that certify their obedience, control and dexterity. They then test the dogs in a simulated real search.”
According to the Captain, this is the largest edition of the event, involving participants from 17 Brazilian states, including judges, test directors and binomials, which are the pairs formed by the firefighter and the dog.
The certification guarantees that the dog is fit to respond to disasters, which is required in some states, such as Rondônia.
This is according to Corporal Naira of the Rondônia Military Fire Department (CBMRO), who led Malu, a Brazilian Tracker, in the test. “
She commented: “So, now we know that she and I, as a pair, are ready to go searching for the missing.
Corporal Naira added that the recognition will be very useful in her state: “In Rondônia, we have a lot of forested areas, and therefore, many missing people.
“There, elderly indigenous people often get lost, as do fishermen and farmers. We do a lot of rescue work.”
Thrilled with his Labrador Dora’s excellent performance in the test, Private Nogueira, from the CBMCE, also sees the certification as a personal achievement.
Nogueira shared: “She’s one year and four months old and has been with me since she was 45 days old. I realized that, during this time, I’ve learned a lot from her. And I’ve also been able to teach her.”
In the test, the dog was supposed to identify where a specific odor was located in the environment or if the odor was absent, which was the case.
After just a few minutes of evaluation, Private Nogueira quickly realized that Dora hadn’t identified the specific odor in the location.
He concluded: “Working with dogs requires a lot of sensitivity because you don’t have vocal communication. You have to read her behavior to know if she’s identifying the odor or not.”
As part of the program of the National Firefighters Congress 2025, which takes place in Fortaleza between August 5-8, 25 dogs and their handlers participated in the National Rescue Dog Certification, hosted by the CBMCE.
