News

With the temperatures soaring dogs, handlers and support alike met at the Brooklands Museum for their annual show. This was the first time that we have been invited to attend (and it won’t be the last), the demonstration was introduced and narrated by Daryl Toogood to a crowd of several hundred eager to see members of the public.

Demonstrations were carried out showing the steps involved in selecting, training and handling a search dog in a rather confined arena. The arena itself was about the size of a tennis court, surrounded by a tape barrier, had engines, generators and sirens running all around and the BBQ stand wafting fumes across it.

This was the first public demonstration for several of our members including Sue & Hugo and Tony & Spud, both handlers were full of nerves but the dogs were cool as cucumbers and breezed through without a hitch.

With thanks too the generosity of the members of the public who donated £120 in collections, this money will go towards equipping members of the team with the specialist equipment we require to continue with our service to the community.

Look forward to our next demonstration; check the calendar for when and where.

Thankfully 3 people were found safe and well but sadly 2 could not be saved despite best efforts by the team to locate them. However sorrow was replace by joy at the news of Tony and Spud qualifying at Level 2 after 7 months of intensive training, which now enables them to attend searches for lost, missing and vulnerable people wherever we are called.

As we look forward to the start of a new month the calendar is filling up fast with demonstrations, training and more possible assessments in the planning.  We have welcomed several new members and will begin helping them to train their pets in a valuable job serving the community in and around Berkshire.

To see what we are up to and where we are in May check out the calendar.

This is the first level of training which now enables them to attend operational callouts to search for lost, missing and vulnerable persons alongside other search dog teams, Search & Rescue groups and Police.

The assessment is not an easy test to pass and their success is confirmation of the effort and countless hours they have put in over the last year of training.

Well done too you both.

Often done by working the dog from a boat we decided to start small and search from the banking of a small pond in the Bracknell area first. Enter the creature from the Black Lagoon aka Pete, as the only diver in the group he willingly volunteered to spend most of Saturday morning floating in the shallows and reed-beds.

Pete & Sox immediately attended and joined teams from LSDogs Sussex, LSDogs Southern and Dorset Search Dogs. All the dog teams were requested to search a vast amount of woodland in the local area, the average area size was approximately 250 acres. With light failing fast the teams continued on until they were stood-down by Police, the search was to continue the following day unless further information was received.

The teen voluntarily handed himself into a local police station later that night, safe and well.