On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the 60th anniversary of the military dog center in Kaisersteinbruch in Burgenland took place. In the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, the anniversary was duly celebrated with an open day, a military music concert and a performance exhibition. After the field fair, two service dogs, three people who had made special achievements in the service of the military dog center, were awarded the Rochus Medal as part of the celebrations. Their patroness, Sabine Schoeller-Lamberty, was at their side. She herself is a proud dog owner and lover and is known as a supporter of the military dog center.
The then military dog squad was founded in 1964 and over the past 60 years has developed into an internationally recognized central educational institution in the field of military dogs that is unique in the Austrian Armed Forces.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner: “The interaction between humans and animals, with their extraordinary skills and loyalty, makes them a great team. “Man’s best friend” supports the soldiers in their daily work at home and abroad with his fine instinct. They are not only irreplaceable support, but also further protection for our soldiers. I would like to thank and congratulate the staff because the military dog center is considered a highly respected and future-oriented institution throughout Europe.”
In addition to breeding military dogs, the military dog center ensures the training, further education and further training of all military dog teams of the Austrian Armed Forces. The military dogs’ areas of responsibility include guard and protection work, detection tasks in the area of explosives and narcotic drugs, and explosive ordnance defense. The military dog center celebrated the anniversary with a ceremony followed by a showcase of the military dog teams. In addition, a weapons and equipment show was organized by various associations of the Austrian Armed Forces. The well-attended festival tent invited people to linger under the accompaniment of the Burgenland Military Music. Furthermore, the former commander of the military dog center Colonel Otto Koppitsch was honored for his life’s work by the Austrian Association of Service Dog Handlers. Major Benjamin Jäger has been running the military dog center since July 1, 2024.
With around 2,500 registered Rottweilers, the military dog center is considered the largest owner of this breed in the world. In addition to the Rottweiler, the German Shepherd and Labrador are used as military dogs in the Austrian Armed Forces. The Austrian Federal Army has around 170 military dogs. Around 70 of them are stationed in the Kaisersteinbruch in Burgenland to breed for training and operations.
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