Senior civil servant and dog handler

Big brown eyes attentively watching every visitor at Christina Sonntag’s office. The dog is curious and lifts his head, then runs to the door and greets the visitors, wagging his tail. Cisco is a trained rescue dog and Christina Sonntag is his handler. Not only does the dog accompany his mistress during her volunteer work, he hardly ever leaves her side at the BAAINBwBundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr.

There is a small metal disc with a red cross on it hanging from Cisco’s neck. This means that the Dutch Shepherd is a rescue dog of the German Red Cross (DRKDeutsches Rotes Kreuz). He and his handler are one of the teams of the DRKDeutsches Rotes Kreuz Bensheim e.V.eingetragener Verein rescue dog unit. "We spend a lot of time together and we are quite attuned to each other," says Christina Sonntag. At BAAINBwBundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, she is responsible for the so-called locally deployable networks of the Bundeswehr as deputy project manager. Among other tasks, she and her team ensure that soldiers on deployment have access to networks. A task which requires her full concentration because communication in operations can be essential for the troops’ survival. At the weekends she regularly commutes between Koblenz and her home town. In order to strengthen the bond between human and dog, she requested to be allowed to bring animals into Bundeswehr facilities. Her superior saw this as an opportunity to honor her volunteer work and supported the request.

They saved a life during their first mission

Last year, a short time after passing the rescue dog exam, the first "real" rescue mission took place. The Sunday began with the usual training session for the rescue dog unit when the rescue assistant was called out to a swimming accident. A short time after the end of the mission Christina Sonntag and Cisco were alerted again. With teams from the rescue dog unit of the Bergstraße-Odenwaldkreis e.V.eingetragener Verein, the specialized detection working group of the technical relief organization (THWTechnisches Hilfswerk) Viernheim, the THWTechnisches Hilfswerk Bensheim and own forces, they went into the search area allocated to them. Nobody knew whether the missing person was in that area and what state of health they were in. Suddenly, Cisco barked, he had managed to find the missing person on his first mission! The dog handler administered first aid with the assistance of a colleague and then handed the patient over to the alerted rescue forces. "For Cisco, this is all one big game. During his training, Cisco learned that strange persons are also interesting and that it is worthwhile searching for them and finding them. He points out persons by barking and then waits for his reward in the form of food. To him there is no difference between a mission and training - which is not the case for me," says Sonntag. Cisco’s strong food motivation makes training and working with him easier.

The dog is popular in the branch

Cisco has meanwhile become an integral part of the branch. The office doors are always open and people are literally waiting for the dog in order to play with him. "We concentrate on our work every day. It is great when the dog comes in and nudges you because he wants to be petted. During the breaks, we make time to play with the animal. It blows the cobwebs away," says project and team manager lieutenant colonel Maurizio Klug. With a smile, branch chief Dirk Müller adds: "If you want a job here you’d better not be afraid of dogs or allergic to them. Regular cuddles for the dog are part of our job description." The branch chief is proud of his colleague who spends large parts of her free time doing volunteer work.

There have been no complaints about the dog in the branch so far - unless the dog has to stay at home. When Cisco isn’t there, something is missing from the ITInformationstechnik experts’ building. There was only one occasion that caused irritated looks which was when snoring was heard in the background during a video conference.

Aruba has already been trained to heel

Aruba is Christina Sonntag’s second dog. The puppy is nine weeks old and also a Dutch Shepherd. A request to bring animals to Bundeswehr facilities has already been submitted for the little dog. However, nobody can resist her big round eyes. Currently, Aruba spends a lot of time sleeping under the desk. Of course Christina Sonntag will also train the dog as a rescue dog. The training will start in the coming days. From an age of six months, the dog will be tested for its aptitude as a rescue dog. If she passes this and other tests, she can become a rescue dog. "Unlike Cisco, Aruba is rather playful. But this is also something we can use to our advantage," says Christina Sonntag laughing. She is very glad that she can take Cisco (and soon hopefully also Aruba) to work with her. "I have been so incredibly lucky here. I am very happy and grateful about the support we receive from my branch chief and the entire team."

"Nerdy" names

When asked about her dogs’ unusual names, the dog handler explains that Cisco is from a so-called "C-litter". Which means that the dog’s name has to begin with a C. "After a long search on the Internet, I found the name Cisco. As I also work with network components at BAAINBwBundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, I found this name somehow fitting." So the dog was named after the slogan "a good router always finds a way". It was similar for Aruba. The puppy comes from an "A-litter". So what would be more natural than naming her after a company producing wireless networks? "This is admittedly rather unusual, some call it 'nerdy' but it just fits and both names are easy to say."

Questions to Christina Sonntag

by Dennis König