DECEMBER 2008
21st Dec .....Callout (for 5 mins) .....and for goodness sake Kaz!
On Friday Kaz and I had the day off from work - she had to sort out her car and do things about selling the house and I had to play with a tennis ball with my grandpa...it was real fun and I got very muddy. Just as me and Kaz were leaving to go home we had a dog page to go and help the Keswick team with a search for a missing person. Kaz and I got in the car and she was going to call in via the radio when we got a bit closer but about 10 mins later she had another pager message saying that the person had been found - so we went home instead.
Today me and Kaz and Daryl went for a lovely wet and windy walk and I played in the river with the ball til it was time to come back home. Then Kaz decided that she wanted me to be on a Christmas Message and took some photos of me in a stupid hat....honestly I am planning to write to the RSPCAAED (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals And Especially to Dottie)....
Finally I wanted to say a big Christmas woof to everyone who reads my blog regularly - you know who you are!! If any of you know where my two big brothers Donald and Fraser (the two stupid labradors) are then please send them my love. I know I was always horrid about them but I did love them really and I dont know where they are living now and I just hope that they are ok and happy!!
15th Dec Sorry for not blogging!!!!!!
Thanks for all the emails about not having blogged for so long - it's Kaz's fault really - she has been so ill that I have been forced to run around fetching her tea and hot water bottles for the past 4 weeks!! Plus we are moving house in the new year - Kaz has sold ours and we will be moving to my grandma and grandpas until Kaz buys a new house (of course I will be checking out the suitability of any new place for small black and white collies!!) Anyway she is better and in London today so I have control of the laptop again and Kaz promises I'll be getting more laptop access!!
Well it's all been happening here:
Good News - New searchdog Jake and his lovely handler Laura passed their assessments this weekend - it has been a long hard road for them both and I am very please as yet another good looking dog has joined the ranks!!!!
Sad News - Searchdog Comet dies
It was so sad this week, we heard that Comet had died - he was a very lovely and very successful searchdog and we are all very sad and send our love to his handler Mike.
NOVEMBER 2008
23rd Nov ...Not a happy bunny.....or even a happy dog!
Kaz and her team were due to go into Penrith to do some fundraising and stuff for the switch on of the Christmas lights today. I dont get it - cant someone just throw a switch - it seems a lot of bother for nothing!! Anyway - I was roped in to go along and grace the team with my presence - never again!!! I knew it was going downhill when Kaz put on a silly hat.....but it got a whole lot worse when she decided to put some tinsel and a weird hat on me - apparently lots of people thought I was dead cute.......hmmmmmmmmm
22nd Nov ...Smile
I know I havent told you any good jokes for a very long time, so here goes with them....he he, I
enjoyed them but Kaz seems to have got a bit of a twitch in her eyebrow when she reads them!!!
What do you get if you cross a sheepdog with a rose?
A collie-flower !
How do you feel if you cross a sheepdog with a melon ?
Melon-collie !
Oh and I have been having a chat with the other searchdogs and we have come up with a list of rules for the new trainee puppies and all of your dogs to follow - enjoy!
DOG RULES - AS ADVISED BY SARDA LAKES
VISITORS: Quickly determine which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly and leap playfully on this person. If the human falls down on the floor and starts crying, lick its face and growl gently to show your concern.
BARKING: Because you are a dog, you are expected to bark. So bark--- a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night and hearing your protective bark, bark, bark ...
LICKING: Always take a BIG drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans prefer clean tongues. Be ready to fetch your human a towel.
HOLES: Rather than digging a BIG hole in the middle of the garden and upsetting your human, dig a lot of smaller holes all over the garden so they won't notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, maybe they'll think it's moles. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem.
DOORS:The area directly in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep.
THE ART OF SNIFFING:Humans like to be sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty, as the family dog, to accommodate them.
DINING ETIQUETTE:Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up any food that falls on the floor. It's also a good time to practice your sniffing.
HOUSEBREAKING: Housebreaking is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.
GOING FOR WALKS: Rules of the road: When out for a walk with your human, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn.
COUCHES: It is perfectly permissible to lie on the new couch after all your humans have gone to bed.
PLAYING: If you lose your footing while chasing a ball or stick, use the flower bed to absorb your fall so you don't injure yourself.
CHASING CATS:When chasing cats, make sure you never --- quite --- catch them. It spoils all the fun.
CHEWING: Make a contribution to the fashion industry. ...Eat a shoe
22nd Nov ...Searchdog Comet retires
Ohhh, sad news this week - Comet - that very handsome searchdog from Patterdale has decided to retire. He is very good looking and always a real gentleman to us lady collies. He has been on the callout list since 2000 and he has made lots of finds (he gets called Lucky by a few of the jealous searchdogs!!). Anyway - he applied for retirement and got it - so he now gets to lay about by the fire - but he is still in charge of Mike's new puppy Moss who is just starting out......here's lovely Comet -
17th Nov ...great news
It was the training weekend at Honister this weekend and it was a good time had by all - my half sister Molly was tested and she is now allowed to be a trainee searchdog - I am very proud of her and I'm sure she'll be brilliant....and also Meg (Elly's little dog) did the test and she is a new trainee too!!! I wish I was still a trainee coz it's great fun (I enjoy what I do now but you do get loads of cuddles and stuff by the bodies when you are a little dog)....here's Meg and Molly
Also Laura and Jake passed another 2 assessments - that means they only have 2 more to do then they will be on the callout list - hooray!!!
On Saturday night all of the trainees and some of us searchdogs went out on a exercise round the back of Castle Crag - there were 9 bodies hidden - I found 7 of them and the reason I didnt find the other 2 was that one of them had hidden in the wrong place outside of where we were searching and the other one was in a place where Kaz and I stopped cos we met another search team coming the other way (Mike and Fly) and the handlers didnt want us playing together so they made us walk to heel for about 120m so I had no chance of rushing off to the body - huh Kaz has learnt a good lesson now!!
Today I am at home looking after poor old Daryl who isnt well - Kaz is also ill but she went to work because apparently man flu is different to female flu!!! (Note from Kaz....thanks Dot just wait for the avalanche of emails!!)
11th Nov -Callouts....some sad news ...and my sister qualifies for Crufts!!!.
Sorry I havent been able to blog for over a week but it really has been hectic with poor old Kaz being
all over the place with work and then we had a long 2 day callout. So anyway here goes with all the news:
Searchdog Brin who retired a couple of years ago sadly died last week - he was still coming along to training keeping an eye on us young-uns until about 10 days ago. Brin worked with Mike (who now has Fly) and they were a team for 10 years on the Cockermouth MRT. I am sure that Fly is keeping Mike cheered up......
I had a really nice email from my aunty Lorna - she told me that my litter sister Coire who had originally gone to train as a searchdog in Exmoor but who came back has now qualified for the doggy Oscars - Crufts in the obedience competition - she won her semi final in Stirling and will be in the final - you see it must be the superior family genes that make us sooooooo very good!!! Well done Coire and I'll get Kaz to record Crufts when you are on!
We were at home on Tuesday night after a pretty exhausting day of playing in the office and suddenly the dog pager went off for a callout to Sedburgh - Kaz rang Kendal base and was told that a lady was in her car in a river. So Kaz got together her special equipment for working near water (....note from Kaz - basically a dry suit, buoyancy aid, helmet and lights) and we set off. When we got there Kaz put all her gear on and I even got my special buoyancy aid on as well and then we set off searching the river bank - I got asked to search the ground between the bank and the road just in case the lady had managed to get out and Kaz and some others searched the bit closer to the water. The weather was very bad and the river was very fast flowing. At one point I started barking very loudly at the waters edge and went and got Kaz to come and see - a sheep was stuck in the trees and was drowning and I thought Kaz could help it - so her and Dave W got it out (she told me I was very clever). Then at midnight we were asked to stop and told to come back the following morning. At 6.45 am we left home and when we arrived the sun was shining and the river had already dropped by serval feet - Kaz and I continued our search downstream about 6 miles. After a while a team about a mile upstream from us sadly found the lady. It shows just how dangerous water can be and how quickly the conditions change.
Talking of sheep rescues - Kaz's team were out and about helping sheep to safety - here's a picture of Glen (who is training his little collie Molly to be a searchdog) with his new best friend!!
3rd Nov -Chilling out.....
Hi Dot fans - thought you'd like the photo of me chilling out in front of the fire on the sofa after all the running around a dog like me has to do - only dont let Kaz know I was on the sofa - she'll be cross!!!!
Just a quick update - Laura and that lovely boy Jake had some assessments at the weekend and passed another day - hooray - well done Laura and woofs to Jake!!
2nd Nov -Sponsored walk with Casterton School.....
Kaz, me, Daryl and body Terry drove all the way to Casterton near Sedburgh today to go to Casterton School for their Annual Sponsored 10 mile walk in aid of SARDA. There were lots of girls and their families, teachers and pets taking part as well as some of the searchdogs (Les with Kess, Jack and Dart, Dave with Flash, John L with Skye and new pup Isla and Ian with Vinny). We had a really nice walk and Dave and Flash did a quick demo for the girls. We had a couple of stops and some nice hot chocolate - thanks Kathy! and afterwards we all had tea and cake. here are a couple of photos of our day......
OCTOBER 2008
29th Oct - Les and Kes have a find and I get a nice email.....
Well while all the fuss about nothing was going on in the Lakes with the Mountain Marathon, Kendal and Langdale teams were busy with real callouts...here's the story about what happened from dog Les:
A group of 4 became split up when one managed to cross a stream that the others weren't able to. They had only gone for a 'short walk' at 10am because of the weather! They had no torches, so had to stop moving once it went dark. They were eventually located at 03.15 by Kendal MRT members who had come to assist after LAMRT had been out in atrocious conditions for 4 hours. The evacuation was made difficult by the speed and volume of water flowing. The training and equipping for swiftwater rescue by both teams has now been used on many occasions, and made these situations safer, if not actually any more comfortable!
LAMRT actually went very close to them, but on the “wrong” side of another beck because of the information provided. After failing to find them and then questioning the informant further, it transpired that the group had not taken the first footbridge which would have taken them to Red Tarn but the second which leads into Hell Gill. Dog Beinn (Roger) had already been out for 4 hours and KMRT were called out at about 00.30h – dog handlers had to drive via Grasmere and Red Bank to avoid the flooding at Skelwith Bridge. Kendal team sent one group up the Band while Dog Kess (Les) and Vinny (Ian) headed into Hell Gill with other team members. Les was in front, Ian was checking between the footpath and the beck (otherwise known as the raging torrent). Kess went over the 2nd footbridge and then over the small ridge in front and then returned barking. Les sent her back and could then hear shouts. Once Les was on top of the small ridge, he could see the mispers on the far side of Crinkle Gill (approx. grid 26363 05154 if you want to have a look). Cold wet, but otherwise OK – though stuck between various watercourses. The swiftwater techies then took over. Someone in the Kendal team who was below Les said afterwards he thought he’d heard some shouting but thought it might have been the dog handlers. It also turned out the mispers had seen Langdale’s torches so shouted but the mispers were very close to Crinkle Gill and the noise it was generating, and there was also another gill between them and Langdale. Of course, if they’d had torches…
This is the bit that says everything about the dog handlers......'Anyway good teamwork – and clearly for me a case of being in the right place at the right time. If Ian had been in front, he’d have had the find'.
Also we got a nice email from a lady called Catherine (yes I knew it, someone is reading this blog!!!!).............................
Dear Dottie and Kaz,
I have been reading your dog blog for several years, and check in most evenings to see your adventures (great blog by the way!). However my reason for writing is to say thank you to you and Kaz for setting the record straight regarding the OMM. This was my third year in the event, and we go walking and running in the Lakes several times a year. Each time we set off into the fells I always pride myself on saying that I shouldn’t go if I couldn’t look anyone who might have to rescue me in the eye and say I hadn’t been doing something irresponsible or stupid (we can all have accidents after all!). After the media frenzy I was starting to doubt whether I made the correct decision starting on Saturday morning, and would have been really upset if I felt I had done anything that mountain rescue teams had deemed idiotic (I hold you all in very high esteem by the way!)
Anyway keep blogging and great to know you are there if we need you (which I hope will be never)
Love and strokes to Dottie
Catherine Akehurst x
28th Oct - Busy weekend in the Lakes.....
Well I guess you've all seen the news about what happened up here at the weekend - Kaz and I were chilling on Saturday morning - frankly the weather was horrid - she decided to sort out her winter kit so that as soon as the clocks went back and the weather got more cold, she'd be prepared. Anyway - I was supervising her when her pager went off and she told me that we needed to go to Keswick to help out with the OMM. She went to her team base and met up with Pete, Jon, Dave and Steve and they all travelled over together. It was a bit chaotic - the weather was terrible and Dave took some interesting video footage going up the Buttermere side of Honister Pass (which I'll be putting on the web soon!!). Kaz spent the rest of the night at various places on the Pass ensuring that all the runners were accounted for. Then she came home and went to bed and then we got called out on Sunday coz 4 of the runners were still missing (they weren't really, they'd just taken a little time to let people know where they were). All in all there was only 12 injuries, and the biggest problem seems to be the fact that the cars were parked in a dead end valley that floods really badly....Kaz said most of the people she saw on the Saturday were pretty chilled out (no pun intended!!!), and most had really enjoyed the experience!! It's funny how the newspapers and TV and some local businessmen seem to want to make a fuss over nothing, isnt it! Anyway - yesterday Kaz was really busy with work and I was really busy looking after a new ball that she'd given me!! Tonight we are going training in the Whinlatter Forest - hooray!
23rd Oct - Search Callout on High Cup Nick.
Kaz and I were phoned by Kaz's team leader at about 7pm yesterday - it turned out that 2 people had phoned the Police to say they were lost on the Pennine Way near High Cup Nick - funny thing is Kaz had met body Glen earlier inthe day and said she thought there'd be a callout...the woman is a witch!!
Anyway we drove over and met up with Dog Dave and Flash and then a couple of Kaz's team mates and went up the hill to High Cup Nick - blimey the weather was awful (gales, rain and fog). Anyway after about an hour and a half we all stopped and switched our torches off and suddenly we saw a faint light in the distance - luckily we'd found them and so we then helped them walk off the hill (they were just a bit cold and wet and fed up) and finally we got to bed at about midnight....I'm having a bit of a snooze under the desk and Kaz is working hard!
21st Oct - I met loads of children......
Kaz and I visited a lovely Primary School in Carlisle called Norman Street. Kaz and I then had to talk to 60 of their children aged 4 and 5 about the work I do. The children asked me loads of interesting questions like 'what sort of equipment do we take' and 'do I wear a special seatbelt in the helicopter?'. I had a great time and we went outside to have some photos taken - here is one of me with some children called Daniel and Grace (who I think could make excellent Mountain Rescue members in the future). (Note from Kaz - permission has been granted for Daniel and Grace's photo to appear here)
14th Oct -2 day callout......
Kaz and I were just about to leave the office yesterday and then we were going to be going over to Keswick to do a talk and demonstration to the Bassenthwaite Rotary Club. But as usual, the SARDA pager went off - it all got a bit hectic really - Kaz had to phone our callout co-ordinator Chris to see if he could do the talk and then she had to get Daryl to drive over to Keswick to drop off the projector for him. In th meantime me and Kaz went to a village near Carlisle called Wreay to look for a man that had gone missing. Kaz and me were taksed with searching about 4km of steep and dense woodlands alongside the river Petteril. Mike Hill from Kaz's team was our navigator (thanks Mike) and the other searchdogs (Elly and Mac, Les and Kess, Ian and Vinny and Dave and Dynamite went off along various routes). At 9pm the search was stood down for the night - I was quite gald and so were Kaz and Mike coz the ground was really bad and there were lots of brambles which got in to my paws and hurt a bit. By this time Daryl had come back from Keswick so he picked us up at the end of our search area and we went home for some tea. The next morning Kaz and I went back and started to search again (Mike navigated for us once more and he was very good!!) - a lot of the Lakes dogs couldnt make it so me, Kaz and Dave with Flash were there plus two dogs from SARDA Scotland. We searched the same area again (which was a bit easier in daylight) and at about 1030am, sadly, the body of a man was found outside our search area. I had to wait a long while coz Kaz was involved in helping the Police to remove the man. Kaz was very sad when we went back to work (our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time....)
I am in the office today sleeping under Kazs desk. I am pretty tired but I am waiting for my grandma and grandpa to come and pick me up as Kaz has to go to Keele for 2 days to her work conference - so I get to play and get loads of fuss while she is away!! So no blogging til next week Dot fans.....
Finally Christyne Judge (who used to work with retired searchdog Skye got married last weekend - here is a lovely piccie of Christyne, Dave and Skye)....congratulations!!!
7th Oct - Happy Birthday to Kaz......
Kaz was 43 years old yesterday - (301 in dog years -blimey she doesnt look too bad really!) I have been staying with grandma and grandpa this last few days as Kaz and Daryl went to Edinburgh for her birthday and got to look round the castle and climb Arthurs Seat (not sure if Arthur minded....) and they got to do all sorts of other stuff. Then they came back and had a meal with grandma and grandpa and we have now gone home and we are chilling out in the lounge. Kaz and I are going away with Kaz's work from the evening of 8th until the 10th so I probably wont get time to blog much as I need to keep an eye on her!!! So Dot fans, I'll get in touch soon.........
SEPTEMBER 2008
30th Sep - A an overnight dog callout to Grange over Sands
Kaz and I were at home she was just getting ready for bed when guess what the pager went off for a doggie callout and so me and Kaz jumped in the car and we drove all the way to Grange over Sands where we were asked to search a big area of woods called Eggerslack Woods on our own for an old lady who had gone missing from a nursing home. As usual, it started raining very heavily and the paths in the woods are all limestone and it was very slippy for us both especially on the downhill bits! We worked for about 3 hours and the only thing we saw was the Lancashire Police helicopter above us. Afterwards we went back to the controllers and they asked if we could all go back the next day - luckily the lady was found ok very early in the morning so we didnt need to go back. (Kaz was a bit tired and grumpy at work the next day)
28th Sep - Kaz gets a Callout
Kaz and Daryl decided to have a chilled out day at home with me and we were all just about to sit down and watch a DVD when (surprise surprise) the team pager went off to go to help Patterdale on a callout at Hayeswater - coz it was a rescue they decided to leave me at home and went off.....they werent very long and here are a couple of piccies of their callout.
25th Sep - Talk to the WI
Kaz me and Daryl went to the WI in Carlisle to give a talk - (it's grandma's group so I had to be on my best behaviour!). I had a great time telling them all about what I do - here are a couple of piccies of the night - the WI have raised some money for SARDA and I'll let you know soon just how much!
23/24th Sep - Long Callout
Kaz and I were chillin at the office at about 4pm when the dog pager went off. We were told to go to South Stainmore to help look for a man who was missing - me Kaz and Daryl drove over to the rendezvous and we started working in the forest with Moudy and Vinny. We searched very difficult woods til late and then we were told to come back the next day and start all over again.
The next day we started at 8am and searched more of the bad woods - it was difficult for Kaz and Daryl and all the humans coz the branches of the trees were very low and Kaz got one in her eye which hurt a bit she said!
We didnt find the man and we were told to go back again the following day but on Thursday morning we got a message to say that he'd been found in Kirkby Stephen and he was ok.
Here are a couple of piccies of the callout that show what we searched and what the ground was like.
14th Sep - Training at Kentmere
It was the September training weekend and so we went along today - we watched some of the trainees doing their thing and I was very proud of my relatives Einich and Sam who seemed to be really good. Daryl took some really nice photos - here's one of Laura and Jake who passed 2 more assessments (4 more to go now!) and one of Nick and Sam, and then one of four of us relatives sharing a cage!
13th Sep - Kaz goes for a swim and we have a callout
It was the Great North Swim - Kaz and Daryl, body Kim and a lady called Eileen were swimming it for SARDA - it was a mile in Windermere. The water temperature was 15deg!! Kaz was very brave (alternatively you could say she was just plain stupid really) - she decided to do it without a wetsuit! The others were much more sensible though. Everyone managed it and came in with some very respectable times. Here is a nice picture of Kaz, Daryl and Kim with their medals:
Kaz and Daryl wouldnt let me swim though - actually I'm pretty glad about that! I stayed with grandma and grandpa - they gave me lots of fuss as usual. Then after the swim Kaz and Daryl came and picked me up and we went home. Then just as we'd all gone to bed the dog pager went off at 9.30pm to tell us to go to Langdale base to help look for a missing man. Me, Kaz and Daryl (well mainly me) searched the area ringed in red and while we were doing that Mick and Roger were searching the bit in blue - it was hard work - very steep and lots of woods, ferns and holes (that Daryl fell into a lot!). Les and Benny were searching a big area and Elly was in the bit between the road and Rydal Water. We all finished at about 2am when the man came back to his car (!) and then got home for 3.30am - them got up in the morning and went to training in Kentmere.
11th Sep -Sad news for SARDA but especially for Elly
Kaz was very sad today - as she heard that Polly (one of Elly's close friends) who comes to body sometimes had died. She was a really nice person and always out and about in the hills cycling and running and stuff and always made a big fuss of us dogs..
1st Sep - Fun weekend
Ohhh - we had a really nice weekend - Kaz and Daryl decided to take a drive over to Langdale and we went for a walk up Hell Ghyll - the weather wasnt very good but that didnt matter and we had a play and I even did a practice of searching - here's a great piccie of me and Kaz having a rest on the way back (well she is I'm just letting her think I'm tired!!)
Then we drove over to Gosforth and Seascale and we had a run around on the beach with a tennis ball - it was great fun - I even had a little bit of ice cream!! Then we drove home and we played a really good board game called Carcassonne (kaz is rubbish at it - clearly she hasnt got a logical brain). On Sunday we went out to do some fundraising with Kaz's team at Tebay - I go t loads of fuss and today I'm laying on the floor in Kaz's office chilling out!
18th Aug - Training weekend fun and good news for Laura and Jake
It only seems 5 minutes since I last blogged but I looked at the date and discovered that I havent written to you all for 10 days - blimey I must be slipping. Well, what's been happening then?
Kaz and I had a nice week at home and we did some walking and playing with sticks and tennis balls and stuff and I supervised her and grandma in the garden on Friday. On Saturday I stayed at home for the morning as Kaz had to go down to her team base and learn to drive their new team landrovers. After that she came home and we then went out to Haweswater where SARDA was holding its August training course. We spent some time with the baby dogs and watched Elly's new dog Meg doing some fun run aways (I wish I was still a baby dog cos they get the most fun!!).
Then we met up with the others who had been training elsewhere and we all went back to the Hotel for a cup of hot chocolate. Laura and Jake had been on assessment and passed - hooray!!
On Sunday morning me and Kaz and Daryl went up to Small Water to help with the Stage 2 dogs - all of who seemed to be having a really good time - I even go to have a couple of quick goes as well - and Laura and Jake passed another assessment so that means they have 2 under their belts now - (Kaz is confident that they'll be qualified soon)
10th Aug - Up half the night with a callout - then training and then another callout!!
After the fun of Lowther - although Kaz's team who were doing the parking and stewarding dont seem to think it was much fun.....we had a nice quiet night waching a film. We decided to have an early night as we were going out team training on Sunday morning but at 3am Kazs dog pager went off. I have to say it did take her a bit of time to get herself awake - she phoned Wasdale base to be told that 9 people were missing on their way back from the Scafell summit during a 3 peak challenge and could we just search Langstrath (hmmmmm....it is the longest valley and not nice). Anyway me, Kaz and Daryl drove over to Stonethwaite making sure we were very quiet going through the campsite and then when we go there we started heading up Langstrath where Mick and Ginny had already started. Apparently, search dogs Beinn and Pippi were already out and about. The weather was awful - pouring with rain and gale force winds and Kaz and Daryl slipped about on the the rocks alot. After a couple of hours the people were found so we could go home. Here is me and Kaz at about 4.30am.
After this we drove home and had some breakfast and stayed up then drove to the Penrith base for training at 9am. We did some training on Blencathra (as you can see here).....it was bad weather and we were all soaked after about 5mins flat - but we had some fun anyway
....then the pager went off as we were on our way back to base to go home - we were asked to go to Pooley Bridge to search for a man who had gone missing. Kaz and I searched along the Lake and then also down the river to the weir - some of it was difficult as it was very overgrown and Kaz and I were in the water a lot of the time. Unfortuantely the mans body was recovered by divers the next day..
9th Aug -Lowther in the mud......
Well - its all been happening here then..... Kaz was going away on Saturday but because of one thing and another she didnt - I know she was disappointed but I was secretly pleased as she gets to stay with me.......anyway because she didnt go away we went to the Lowther show (AKA Glastonbury!) There was mud everywhere but it was good fun - we saw the ladies from Burns the Pet Food people who sponsor us with our dog food and here is a nice picture of me, Kaz, Benny and Moudy with Rowan the lovely Burns lady (who gave us loads of treats!).
After this Moudy and I showed the gun dogs at Lowther a thing or two when we entered the Doggy Darts competition which was really good fun although Kaz told me I wasnt very good as I dont bring the dummy back to her hand which is what gun dogs are supposed to do apparently!
4th Aug - Dog Day Off - then some demos and then Kaz is away
Kaz and me are at work today - she's apparently working hard (really difficult drinking coffee all day!) and I'm chilling under the desk. Tomorrow we are helping Mick Guy and Ginny do a demo and then on Wednesday we are demoing what I do to Kaz's team mates. Then very sad news - Kaz is off to Chamonix on Saturday for a girly holiday with bodies Kim, Anette and Cathy and some others - I will really miss her but I've told her that I'll be ok and I'm sure I'll get loads of fuss from Grandma and grandad!
3rd Aug - Dog Callout
Kaz and me had been out all morning dowing some filming for a TV documentary on Channel 5 and then suddenly her pager went off. It was a callout to look for a man missing on the Cumbria Lancashire border. It took a long time to get there and when we arrived there was Mac and Elly, Mick with Ginny and Mist and Benny with Moudy. Roger and Beinn and Les and Kess had already started to search as they live closer than us. We were given our area to search and we were just starting when we heard over the radio that Kess had made a find (Note from Kaz....sadly Kess has found the body of the missing man). We had to wait for some time before we could come home. Here we all are getitng ready for the search.....
2nd Aug - Quickest Callout
Kaz's team pager went off this afternoon when she was studying - I think she was quite glad as she'd been working for quite a long time. She drove us down to her base and we started getting the landrover ready for drving to Kirkland and we were just about to leave with Dave and Ian when there was a phone call to say the man had been picked up by helicopter and flown to hospital - so we came home and she had to do some more studying(Ha Ha).
JULY 2008
31st July - Kaz does some more swimming
Kaz and her team were doing some Water Rescue training tonight so we all went down to the Eamont and they practised throwing ropes and reaching to people. It was quite good fun watching and I got a load of fuss from the team!
28th July - Kaz goes on a long callout
Kaz and I were going to meet some friends in Pooley Bridge at 6.30pm tonight but Kaz's team pager went off and she left me at home and went off thinking it would be a short callout to help a lady with an injured ankle. Well she got home at about 1130pm after having to walk a very long way and then carry the lady out on a stretcher. So we are going out tomorrow night instead!
27th July - Kaz does some swimming
Kaz is weird - her and Daryl and Kim are going to be swimming in something called the Great North Swim - a mile in Lake Windermere in September to raise money for us dogs! (There are times when I seriously wonder how you humans became in charge of this planet - why would anyone want to do that for no reward - not even a stick!). Anyway Daryl and Kaz decided to do a bit of training in Ullswater and so they swam about a mile and a half whilst I watched from the beach. They both said it wasnt too bad (but funny thing is they were pretty tired after). Just as they were getting in the water their team pager went off for a callout in the North of Cumbria but they carried on with the swim instead. After that we all had a bit of a play in the water - me chasing stones and them throwing them.
23rd July - 2 callouts same location
Last night Kaz and I were just about at Whinlatter for training when the dog pager went off for a call to Langdale - 3/4 of an hour later and Kaz, Daryl and me and Elly and Mac and her navigator were bimbling up the Band (Note from Kaz....Well it was pretty quick bimbling Dottie) looking for a family who'd got lost in the mist. After about half an hour we were called and told that another group were also missing in the area - but they got themselves sorted very quickly. Anyway we got up to 3 Tarns and were about to start searching either side of the ridge south along the Crinkles when lovely searchdog Comet located them after hearing shouts so we all turned back round and went all the way to our cars - half way down Daryl hid for me and Mac so we'd be fooled into thinking that we'd found the people we'd been looking for and not get fed up. We eventually got home at about 2345 so Kaz was a bit tired and grumpy this morning! Here's a piccy of the Band and the Crinkles (in daylight) so's you know what I am talking about. Kaz was quite happy about last night though - she said it's the first time she's walked up the Band in the daylight!
21st July - New car for me and a couple of callouts
Last Tuesday Kaz and I went training in the forest at Keswick - it took a bit of time as the idiot humans couldnt get the key to work in the lock for the gate! Anyway we eventually got in and had some fun looking for the bodies. Then Kaz and I went to grandmas because Kaz had to go to Plas-y-Brenin very early in the morning and she was going to look after me. We were just going to bed when the dog pager went off for a search at Kirby Lonsdale for an old lady - Kaz decided we couldnt go and when she got back in the evening we found out that sadly the lady had died and been found in Windermere.
Then on Friday Kaz went to get her new car - well actually it's a van and it has been specially fitted out for me and all my things - it's just like having a house on wheels and I've been checking out all the little cubby holes and stuff - it's marvellous!!
On Sunday Kaz had been painting the house (under my careful instruction) and she had just put everything away when the team pager went off for a callout - a search at Haweswater - so Kaz and me and Daryl jumped in the van and went down to start a search of the Coast to Coast footpath when the man was reported as being found - hooray!!
Today I am sitting pretty in the back of the van with the doors open watching those 'pesky ducks'.
14th July - Sad news from SARDA England
It was very sad today - Fern the dog who belongs to SARDA England Handler Bill Batson has died.
She had been very ill recently but was thought to be recovering. Unfortunately she developed an infection that she was unable to fight.
Fern was on the callout list for 2½ years and was involved in 20 searches finding 3 people. We all send our love to Bill
14th July - Another fun-filled weekend
On Fridays in the summer Kaz has the day off and she spent the whole day painting bits of the house. It was dead boring and I was very pleased when she finally took me out for a nice walk - then her and Daryl took me to something called a 'drive-in-movie' and we watched a really old film called Grease - agghh Kaz and Daryl know all the words and sang along with the songs - I had my paws in my ears most of the time!
On Saturday Kaz had to do some studying for hre university thingy and she stayed at home but I was allowed to go with Kaz's team to a place called Dalemain where we did some fundraising - I was made a real fuss of by lots of people and had a great day! Here's a nice picture of me.....
After I got home from collecting, Kaz told me that she was taking me back to the drive in movie with some of her team mates as they were going to be watching the Italian Job with some bloke who's name's Michael Caine - anyway she was just getting the tea ready when her team pager went off for a callout at Haweswater - so she went to it and unfortunately it took so long that we didnt go to the film in the end!
On Sunday we went to do a dog demonstration for some people near Cockermouth but the person organising it had messed up the dates so we ended up going for a nice walk instead and then had tea and cake at body Terry and Mary's house (ohh and loads of fuss for me)
8th July - Busy week
Did you all know that it is the 75th anniversary of Mountain Rescue in the UK this year? (No - nor did I).... but nevertheless Kaz and all the team have been involved in a big day over at Langdale Ambleside. I went with her to the rugby ground where I did a dog demo in pouring rain (honestly I really must complain about being made to work in bad weather). Les did the talking on the PA thing and John and Skye and Glen and puppy Molly helped us show what we do - we were of course brilliant. Then my grandma and grandad came over and watched Kaz and her team (they also pursuaded Elly to join them for the day) enter the Its a Knockout - and they came 3rd!! On the Sunday me and Kaz and Daryl took a group of young people out on the hill as part of the celebrations (I think we were all glad to get home on Sunday night - I was whacked!!). Here are a couple of piccies of the 2 days........
2nd July -Coniston Training Weekend
It was the Coniston Weekend and quite a few of us went over to camp in the pouring rain at the Coppermines. Lots of puppies were there - Moss with Mike, Bruach with Tom, Einich with Joy, Molly with Glen and training with me were searchdogs Vinny, Kess, GInny and Mist - trainees Skye and Kitt had a great time working big areas up at Leverswater. Overall a really good weekend - apparently the handlers all enjoyed themselves on Saturday night in the hut!!
JUNE 2008
22nd June - Wet weekend and a callout
Kaz and I were staying with grandma and grandpa this weekend which was good coz I got loads of tennis ball games and extra treats when Kaz wasnt looking!! Then yesterday afternoon just as the rain was pouring down, Kaz's dog pager went off for a callout to some missing mountain bikers on Crossfell. It took me and Kaz (well her really) 25 mins to drive down to the base and then just as we were going to get out and search they turned up so we went back to Carlisle for some tea! Kaz is in the office today but for a change I'm typing my blog at grandpas pc - he has an eye on me making sure I dont break anything.
This weekend its training at Coniston - Kaz rang body Kim last night and has arranged for us to pitch our tent with hers.Last time Kaz camped on a SARDA weekend her and Jess ended up re-doing their tents 3 times coz handlers Macca and Mike Blakey kept taking the outer off and turning it round so they couldnt get out! Keep your fingers crossed for handsome trainee Jake (with Laura) who are on assessment.
16th June - Been away in Birmingham
Kaz and I have been away with Kaz's work in Birmingham - it was good fun and I got loads of fuss. On the searchdog front it has been quiet - Kaz reckons it's because it has been nice weather that no-one is getting lost at the moment.
Other bits of news are that Dave Watt was filmed for ITV Border last night about our new supporters club called the Friends of SARDA Lakes - here's a piccie of him and also the link to the pamphlet (notice I'm on the front!!) you can cick on it for more information about joining!
Also here are is a rather attractive shot of Merlin who belongs to Dave Lewis who was a dogsbody with us - he moved to Worcestershire and now they have defected to supporting the SARA team there - traitor. Hi Dave, Merlin and Sharon - we all send lots of love to you!!!
12th June - Threlkeld Primary School Day out
Ohh I had loads and loads of fun with Kaz yesterday - we went to Conisotn to meet the year 4, 5 and 6 children and me and Kaz were given 8 children to take out for the day - with Mrs Smalley who was their teacher. We went up to Boulder Valley and Kaz showed the children all about how to boulder and they had great fun climbing all over the rocks. Then me and Kaz got them to try to search for someone - but it took them ages and ages to find them - and I then showed them how quick it was using a superior searchdog and I found the person in 23 seconds!!! After that we had lunch then Kaz let them work out a really interesting route round the side of Coniston Old Man and we had a bit of an adventure getting back to the centre. Everyone had a nice time (especially me) - so hello to everyone at the school!!
11th June - Threlkeld Primary School Day out
Kaz and I are going to be helping the teachers from Threlkeld Primary school tomorrow taking the children up Consiton Old Man - I am really looking forward to it coz I know I'll get loads of fuss made of me!!
Then Kaz and I will be away with Kazs work until next Monday so the dog blog willl be quiet til then! Take care Dot Fans!!!!
9th June - Hot day's training
Kaz and I went to her team training today - it was being held over near Dufton Pike and we were asked to look for some missing people in an area of very steep ground which used to be an old mine working. Kaz and I worked with our navigator Daryl and it was really hard work as there wasnt any wind and the ground was rough - in fact both Kaz and Daryl slipped over but I was brilliant as per usual (coz I've got 4 paw drive unlike you humans). After about 2 hours we moved to another bit of the mine workings and I found one of the missing people (well it was Dave from Kaz's team pretending he'd been out all night when actually he'd just bimbled up there and hidden)......after we found them we all went to the pub for the important (well that's what Kaz said) debrief. Here's a couple of piccies of us in action!!
MAY 2008
30 May - long day and then doing some filming
I had a long day yesterday with Kaz - she had a meeting in Stockport followed by another in Ambleside in the evening and I went with her - I had quite a bit of fuss but not too much in the way of tennis balls being thrown!! Tonight Kaz and I are at Kirkstone Pass to do some filming for the new BMC Mountain Safety DVD which should be a load of fun and I'll get to show off my superior talents!!
Dont forget if you are out and about in Kendal tomorrow then we will be doing some collecting around the town - come and say hi!!!
28 May - doggy callout
Kaz's team pager went off last night at 2045 to assist with a search at Patterdale. Me and her got in the car and drove down to the team base. Kaz was told to drive to Patterdale with me and a navigator and we were asked to search up Caiston Glen onto Dove Crag and back via Priests Hole for 2 people who were a bit lost. Just as we were driving down - the doggy pager went off for more dogs to help out. We'd just got out and started our search when the two people were found. So we went back to the Patterdale base for a cup of tea (great biscuits too!) and a quick chat with the others before going home.
26 May - Went for a walk and ended up on a callout
Kaz and friends from the team took me for a walk on Helvellyn on Bank Holiday Monday - we were sat at the Hole in the Wall eating some food when Kaz's radio suddenly burst into life - Patterdale team had got two callouts so Kaz radioed and said we could help - so Kaz, me and one of them went on one callout and Dr Andy went on the other (....and next time I'll keep my mouth shut...). Turned out our casualty was at Ruthwaite Lodge - so we ended up descending down a really bad and steep bit of ground for about 500m and while Kazs teammate and I went to help the casualty, Kaz was asked to go down to a Patterdale team vehicle and pick up a stretcher (have a look at the route she took). After a while the Patterdale team were there and helped out and then Kazs team turned up to carry off the casualty (who had a fractured and dislocated ankle - ooohh painful) - Apparently Kaz's legs are pretty stiff today!!
20 May - Weird or what?
Do you remember last year when Kaz and I helped a doggy called Sam, his owner and friend after Sam had hurt his leg. Well this weekend Kaz and I were camping at Hollows Farm in Borrowdale - just as we got out of the car a voice shouted 'Kaz is that you?' - and then Sam came running towards us!! Turns out that Mark (the owner) and some friends were camping there as well - what a surprise - so me and Kaz joined them for a quick drink in the evening. Next morning Mark came over looking worried - Sam had cut himself badly and he asked Kaz to have a look at it - she told him it would need stiches so poor Mark and Sam had to go back to the vets. Sam ended up having an operation to make him better and Kaz is worried that she has some sort of curse on her!!
18 May - Kaz is back from Belfast
Finally Kaz is back from working in Belfast - she was there for a couple of days at meetings and she managed to get in some sightseeing at the Giants Causeway and even got to go to the Bushmills Distillery (she told me it was very interesting but that I wouldnt have liked it)...I miss her loads when she's away from home. So what's news then?:
Our training officer and general top bloke Mick Guy was on a rescue the other day and managed to turn his ankle and tore some ligaments - get well soon Mick!!
Kaz's teammate Glen - his new collie puppy Molly has broken her leg jumping up (but the vet says she's get better really soon)
Kaz and I went for a nice walk at lunchtime with searchdog Mac and Elly - Mac and I ran round with tennis balls and Elly and Kaz gossiped!!
Kaz is in the office today and she and Steve are working on their new email and IT systems - I'm lounging around chewing the pink pig but am very happy cos I will be training tonite and seeing all my friends!
9 May - Kaz is back and off again
Kaz and Benny and Les went to Norway to help with training their dog handlers to work like me and the others - they had a really great time apparently and stayed in a lovely hut in a place called Tjorn near Stavanger - Kaz says I must say hi to everyone so here goes: Hiya and lots of love from Kaz. Here are some piccies of the trip.......and you can even read Helen's dog blog - (dont worry it's in English!!) www.mist.dogsandmaps.com
She's been away for 6 bloomin days and tomorrow and Sunday we have a training weekend in Langdale but after that she's goimg away to Belfast til next Thursday and taking the pc with her....marvellous! So no blogging til then.
Other news from the dogs is that Laura and her handsome hound Jake passed their first assessment in Coombe Ghyll last week so hopefully they'll soon be on the list - hooray!! Poor old Mac has been told he has a bit of arthritis but he's got some medicine and Elly hopes he'll be ok........
APRIL 2008
27 April - Kaz is off to Norway
Kaz and Benny and Les are off to Norway to help with training their dog handlers to work like me and the others and I'm going to miss her lots and lots but I will be going to see grandma and grandpa for the 6 days so I will be getting lots of fuss and cuddles from then to make up for it! So when she gets back I may allow her to put some of her photos and video clips up!
25/6th April - Long Weekend
Me and Kaz and 3 others from her team were on the hill helping some of the teams from the RNLI (Lifeboats to you and me). They were going to be doing a team building weekend in Ullswater and me and Kaz and Glenn were there to help them navigate from Patterdale to Mardale Head via Borredale Hause, Angel Tarn, the Knott, Kidsty Pike while the team and the two Ians came the other way. In the middle of the day they had to do a load of excercises and build a boat and get across to the island in the middle of the tarn. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad at that point as you can see from the pictures below....Glen and Kaz and I retreated to the tent!
After the 2 hours at the tarn - we then had to get them to navigate across towards Mardale Head - it was very bad weather and all of them got blown off their feet at some point - then we finally ended up at the Rigg on Haweswater at about 5pm - just as we were about to do the last exercise - a search task - Kaz's pager went off with 2 shouts - one for a doggy job and one for a job for Penrith so Kaz was going off to the dog job but then got stood down. We stayed the night with our friend Kim and then on Sunday went back to play in the water with the RNLI. On Sunday night Kaz and friends went out to play something called 10 pin bowling - she said that the ball she was given was not working properly!!
24th April - Searchdog Skye retires
We heard today some sad news about that handsome searchdog Skye who has retired as he has got an excrutiating ligament (or something). He has been a qualified dog for 6 years and works with Christyne - if you look at the roll of honour page you'll see his account of what has happened to him. Here is a cute piccie of him and Christyne
21st April - Kaz and I visit Scotland to see old friends
I have been with Kaz in her new camper van all weekend in Scotland - we travelled up to Rannoch Moor and camped overnight which was great cos I got loads of fuss then we went to Fort William and then had a nice walk (we even had a chat with the Lochaber team who were on a callout to Ben Nevis but they didnt need a searchdog at the time or we would have gone with them!!). Then we went to see my old friends searchdog Drizzi and Kidsty (and Karen and Pete) who moved to the North West coast of Scotland to build a house (well the dogs arent doing the work!). We had a great time on the beach and running all over the place - then it well down hill from there onwards......the camper van broke down and Kaz and I were taken back to Carlisle on a lowloader (she wasnt very happy)...anyway we had a great time and Kaz chilled out a little - here are some lovely photos of the camper (before it broke down), Karen and Pete's house, and then me and Drizzi and Kidsty on the beach
2nd April - Kaz is sad
Sorry I havent been very good at blogging recently - but there have been a lot of things happening lately - poor Kaz is quite unhappy at the moment - her and Baz decided to split up and it is a little difficult a the moment (thats why she is using her old name now) - I make sure I keep giving her lots of cuddles to help. She is also very busy at work so that is making her a bit fed up....she says she'll be feeling better very soon......and says thanks to everyone who has sent her nice messages.
1st April - weather rubbish....Hi guys - am sat in Kaz's office chewing a dog bone and wondering when I'm going to get out of here and on the hill (...actually Dot we're training at 6pm...) I'm soooooooo bored - I have some fun earlier though - Glen from Kaz's team came to her office with his new puppy dog Molly - it is very cute (not as cute as me) but I did put her in her place - well she needs to know who is the boss around here. Anyway Molly is only small (10 weeks) and she will eventually be training to be a search dog. Glen says that the family are really happy with her already - of course - she is a superior sort of dog!!! Here she is.....
MAR 2008
28 Mar - Lots of catching up to do.....
Ok Dot fans - sorry I havent been blogging but Kaz has been mega busy and wont let me play with her laptop - but here's the SP on the news and views:
Kaz and I were photographed in the Helvellyn area for a magazine - honestly 2 and a half hours to take one photo (Kaz didnt enjoy it as she doesnt like her photo being taken - me on the other hand I love it!!)
Ian and Vinny and Roger and Beinn passed their last assessment and they are now on the list with me - that's great coz I get to bat my eyelashes at more fabulous looking dogs!!!! Here's Vin and Beinn posing with their handlers
Also there have been a lot of searches - I was out with Kaz and some of her team mates last week just about to climb a gully in Brown Cove in the snow and her pager went off for a dog search - her team mates Glen, Craig and Daryl offered to navigate for me and we all went to Grizedale to look for a missing man - it was hard work in the snow and trees and unfortunately the body of a man was found. The other dogs went to another fatal accident on Red Screes the other night and had a very hard night.
This weekend Kaz and I are going to a party on Saturday night then we are going to be at Tebay collecting money for Kaz's team on Sunday......if you're around I'll see you there!!
Merlin (who belonged to Dave Lewis the dogsbody that moved south_) emailed me the other day - Dave is now a member of SARA (a lowland search team) Merlin seems to be having loads of fun too - so a big woof to Dave, Sharon and Merlin!!
Oh yes and before I forget I must say a big THANK YOU to Dana at Spottie Dottie Pet Shop who sent us all some nice toys for training!!
13 Mar - Kaz is going away....
Kaz has to go to work at something called the Outdoor Show so I am staying home with the 2 stupid labradors and grandma and grandpa! So I'm not going to get hold of the laptop til next week - so no more news til then Dot fans!!
10 Mar - I'm a star again
Kaz and her team and I went to the University of Cumbria to do a presentation on MR and dogstuff - I was as usual fantastic!! The nice man Simon Yates was there as well and he was very complementary about me and the work that us searchdogs do! Kaz says she'll let me have some of the photos soon.
4 Mar - LABRADORS RULE
I am convinced that the best breed of dog in the world is a labrador - particularly black ones - they have the finest intelligence, a great sense of smell, are handsome and very cuddly......I completely retract all previous statements about Stupid Labradors and will, in future make sure I give them all due respect and acknowledge that they are the superior being.....(Note from Kaz - hang on a minute Dottie are you ok?) Of course we are, I mean, I am ... furthermore I will resist from talkiing about collies being 'proper dogs' , will not try to get Kaz's attention and will stop telling Donald that he was useless because he failed as a searchdog....(Note from Kaz...ok I definitely know something's wrong here.....)....She may be the family star but it's time we hounds stood up for ourselves and told the truth about it all.... oops - we blew it - better take the tape off Dottie's mouth now Fraser!!
That's better - I dont know - there I was having a sleep under Kaz's desk when suddenly the two STUPID LABRADORS got hold of me - wrapped some gaffer tape over my nose and started typing - at the same time laughing and muttering about getting their 'revenge' on collies....that's the last time I let them in Kaz's office. Anyway - order has returned - Kaz is back in the office and the stupid labradors have been returned to the car in disgrace!!
I wont be able to blog for a couple of days as Kaz is away with work and I'm staying with grandma and grandpa - so take it easy dot fans!
1 Mar - We missed a callout and Mac located the missing person!!
On Saturday night we had a callout to assist Langdale Team with 2 missing people on Crinkle Crags - by the time Kaz's pager had gone off and she looked at it - it was late at night. Anyway it turned out to be a hard night for all of my searchdog buddies- Mac (and Elly), Fly (and Mike), Kess (and Les) and Ginny (and Mick) - apparently it was raining and very windy and there was no visibility - the handlers all got blown over, had to get across tricky becks and Mick Guy got ill!! Blimey!! Anyway very early in the morning Mike Hadwin and Elly heard whistles and shouts and Elly sent Mac up the hill to see where they were coming from - he located the missing people and they walked them off - Fly told me he got home at 3.30am - Mike was cold and wet - Fly was just tired and hungry!!
FEB 2008
28 Feb - A great Game and a shop named after me!
My good friend Rigg (AKA Rigg the Pig who used to be training as a searchdog) sent me an email asking me to try out this game - why dont you give it a go it's great fun.....just click here - there's even a player with my name (although spelt differently). Thanks Rigg and a big woof to you from me!
Also Kaz has been talking to a lovely lady called Dana who has a fantastic web pet shop called guess what? Spottie Dottie (blimey I'm so famous now humans are even building shops in my honour!). Anyway have a look at the link - I'm already making a note of what I want Kaz to buy me this year!!
I quite fancy a nice pink collar.......
28 Feb - Almost a callout
Me and the two stupid labradors went for a walk with Kaz on Helton last night - it was great fun - I kept barging Fraser out of the way to get to my ball on a rope - Kaz told me off though and made me lie down while she played with them - it's not fair - doesnt she realise I'm supposed to be the one she spends all her time with? Anyway we all ran around for a while and then we met one of our friends a handsome German Pointer and so we ran around some more!
After we got home us dogs were all really hungry (normal state of affairs for Labradors I'm told) and Kaz made us our tea and we had a cuddle with her on the sofa but dont tell Baz coz he doesnt like us on the furniture! He was out climbing so he wont know (Note from Kaz...not unless he reads this dimwit!)
At 8.30pm Kaz got a phone call to say that we might be needed to go out on a search for a man who had not come back from a walk in Seathwaite - Kaz got ready and waited and about 1 /2 hours later was told the man had come back - hooray!!
5 Feb - Kaz goes away again
Hi Dot fans - well this weekend me and the two stupid labradors played with Kaz and Baz on Helton Fell which was great fun and me and Donald tried to pinch the roast pork yesterday but Kaz has a sixth sense when it comes to dogs trying to raid the kitchen!! Kaz is away again today with work - boo - and she wont be back til Wednesday......not much happening on the SARDA front at the moment - except the next training course is happening soon - that's the one where the lovely Vinny and Beinn will be on assessments and if they pass they'll get on the callout list - hooray!!! I have to say a big hello to my friend (and former trainee searcdog Rigg who keeps telling me off for calling the two labradors stupid - he's a half lab himself)....sorry Rigg I dont mean it really!
2nd Feb - We're back - what a great time!
Kaz and I got back from the Scottish course yesterday afternoon and Kaz then had to go straight out again as it was her Advanced First Aid Exam at 5.30pm - she got home at 10.30 and was tired!The course was great fun - there were 7 graded dogs and 4 trainees and loads of lovely bodies and a few visitors (including the lovely Theresa from the Czech Republic who trains with searchdogs over there).
Kaz and I travelled up with body Kim and we all stayed in the Norweigian Hut in Glenmore - there wasn't much snow but we did some really big searches around Coire and Lochan with the graded dogs and the trainees did really well with everything they did. We even did some searching in the woods with bodies hiding in some really strange places. Kaz and I worked well together and when I was on a find she had to carry out an ice axe arrest - I wasnt bothered though because I had found someone - although I was getting a bit frustrated that she hadnt got there very quickly.
The evening entertainment was interesting (Kaz said) - apparently the new craze in SARDA is playing drafts (photos to follow). All in all a great time and everyone did really well.
15th Feb - Off to play in Scotland
Just to let you all know that we havent fallen off the face of the earth but me and Kaz and all the others are off to Scotland for Winter training until the 22nd Feb - so I'll be back blogging then with the gossip and photos and stuff. In the meantime take it easy and stay safe!!
10th Feb - Callout to Scotland
As I said yesterday, Kaz didnt have to go on the exercise today as we had been out searching the area last night. So we spent a quiet day playing with her in the garden - well actually she was doing the gardening and me and the stupid labradors were helping by chewing the sticks and digging up things (funny she didnt think it was helping though!). At about 5.30 in the evening Mick Guy rang Kaz to tell her about their day on Crossfell - all of the dogs found the pretend missing people and Vinny and Beinn passed another assessment which is great (I really fancy those two).
At 6pm Chris Francis the callout co-ordinator rang Kaz and asked whether we could go up to a place called Currutherstown in Scotland to help look for a missing man. We drove all the way up and were given an area of woods to search. The ground was very boggy - covered with fallen trees and brambles and was extremely steep in places. Searchdog Corrie was in the east and I was in the west of the area. After an hour or so one of the Moffat team found a piece of the mans clothes and me and Corrie were asked to try and find him- I found some trousers and barked loudly and Kaz came over - just then both me and Corrie turned round and we saw the man - Kaz and the other dog handler got him out of the water and then they did something called CPR for about 1/2 an hour til he was taken to hospital. Sadly he didnt survive. Kaz was a bit upset when we drove home.
Today the weather at Kaz's office is lovely - me and the stupid labradors are in the back of the car - Kaz has the boot open and we are looking at the ducks and stuff. We've already had a walk on the fells this morning which was nice.
Anyway only 4 days til we all go up to Scotland - hooray!!
8th Feb - Callout on Crinkle Crags then an overnight exercise on Crossfell
Kaz and I and the two stupid labradors were chilling out on Friday night - the weather was pretty bad - high winds and quite cold.....Kaz's pager went off at about 8.30 and she was asked to go over to Langdale Base to help search for 2 missing walkers on Crinkle Crags - we drove over slowly coz there was a lot of fog on Kirkstone pass. Then we arrived and Kaz and me and my half sister Ginny and her boss Mick Guy were told to search up the Band to Bowfell and then north to Ore Gap. It was Kaz's first day back on the hill since the Man Flu and she was coughing alot - it was terrible weather - fog and high winds. Mick and Ginny went off up towards Ore Gap and me and Kaz searched round the summit of Bowfell. My friends Searchdog Mac and Moudy were going up another way. At about 1.50am - there was a call on the radio to say that Ginny had found them and we all came off the hill. It took a long time for them all to come off the hill and we got home about 4am
Kaz got up at about 8.30 to do the gardening with Baz - then she was called in to her team base with me to start preparing for a search exercise which was going to be happening on the Sunday with lots of other teams - but at 6pm she was told that if she went with another dog handler and searched up Crossfell in the night then she wouldnt have to go during the daytime exercise. So we went up with handsome searchdog Fly and his boss Mike Hadwin and two fo Kaz's teammates John and Darryl.
The only problem is that I keep thinking that when Kaz walks up a footpath with other people then I'm not working and I wouldnt go away from her to do my job. She wasnt very happy about that and has told me that I need to do some extra training. Still, it was a lovely night and we got home just after midnight.
4th Feb - Kaz takes to her bed!
Oh dear - Kaz finally got the cold she was trying to avoid - she has been a miserable old bat for the last couple of days (well that's what Baz has been saying to us dogs!). On Saturday she got up had breakfast then promptly back to bed - goodness me if I did that there'd be hell to pay!
Baz was a bit sneaky though and had switched off Kaz's pager so she wouldn't be tempted to go on a callout while she was ill. So guess what happened? Her team had a callout on Saturday afternoon near Haweswater and then on Saturday night there was a dog callout on Great End for two missing walkers.
JAN 2008
28th Jan - another couple of callouts
Last night Kaz was in bed when her pager went off for a callout to Crinkle Crags - she got me and we started to get ready to go over to Langdale Base - we got almost there and then the people were reported as being safe so we came back.
Then this morning me and Kaz and the two stupid labradors were on the way to work when the dog pager went off for a callout in Keswick - we went straight to Keswick base and were told I was the only searchdog (until some others arrived). We went with Chris Francis and we were told to search a big area of woodlands by the river - it was very steep and Kaz was getting a bit frustrated with me cos I wouldn't go down the very steep bits to the water's edge. She soon found out why because she slipped about 30ft down a very muddy slope.
It was hard work for me - it was very muddy and steep and there were lots of fallen trees and no wind and lots of rain! After a while the RAF helicopter started searching along the river and they spotted the lady in the river - unfortunately she had died. Kaz was a bit concerned that I hadn't found her because we'd passed that area in the woods - but it was very hard for me - the lady was in the river so unless I had actually swum in I dont think I could have found her.
Kaz has just arrived back at work with me and the two stupid labradors and has just told me she needs her PC.........
24th Jan - Ooh I'm not popular and Kaz's team get 2 callouts in a night!
Kaz was in London yesterday all day and I stayed with Baz and the stupid labradors. He had arranged to go beating (apparently that isnt what it sounds like - I have to admit I was a bit worried) - normally he just takes Donald but he had to take us all as Kaz was away. Well everything was going well, but I havent been trained with birds and I ran down the edge of the pen and they all shot up in the air (about 50 of them) - which isnt supposed to happen - well, not at that moment. Baz got shouted at, but he was ok with me and still gave me a biscuit after.........
Last night I was pleased when Kaz came home - she was very tired (something to do with getting up at 4.45 and then sitting through the worlds most boring meetings)...I still managed to get a bit of fuss and a cuddle from her though. Then her team pager went off - and for once we didnt go anywhere coz she decided she was too tired, and thought I was probably tired from my day of chasing the birds!)...funny thing was her team pager went off again for another callout at 9.30 and she decided that she was still too tired - she doesnt look so bad today though...but tomorrow she's off to
Southampton for a meeting so I bet she'll be tired again.
21st Jan - Kind donations and a mad woman!!
Kaz and I went to Threlkeld last night to do a presentation (Kaz) and Demo (me) - it was great fun and can I say a big woof to all the lovely ladies who came and listened to Kaz (you deserve a medal) - and also thanks for the biscuit and the donation to SARDA Lakes
Also a big thank you to Kirkby Stephen MRT member Alister Renton who sent us a donation in memory of his Grandma
Finally - there is a mad woman in our midst - Julie Graham, who is a supporter of us, has decided that she is going to run the London Marathon is aid of SARDA Lakes - have a look at the marathon page for more information ....honestly the woman is crazy -lovely but craaazzy!!
20th Jan - My sister Gael has written to me
Here is my sister Gael - she recently sent me an email which was great - I dont remember much about her but she sure looks pretty and clearly very intelligent - obviously the superior genes!!
20th Jan - Great News for Roger and Ian
Two of the good looking trainee dogs Vinny and Beinn (see the piccie below) are about half way through their assessments at the moment, and this week the SARDA England organisation bought their dogs up for an assessment course which Vinny and Beinn went to (along with some of the assessors from here)......(Note from Kaz - both organisations regularly assess candidates from the other so that there is an element of external verification of the standards).
The good news is that both Beinn and Vinny are now on 5 assessment passes each and apparently were pretty good even in the really bad weather!! Hooray for them - here they are
Also Kaz wants to say thanks to everyone who has sent us congratulations on my recent first find - ......Note from Kaz - seriously, many thanks to everyone from all over the world who have sent such lovely messages - at the end of the day we did what we trained to do and it was the luck of the draw as to which area we got to search; the team of dogs, MR personnel and those who help train us (especially the bodies) should all be congratulated - not just us......so - well done everyone - it was a joint effort!!
6th Jan -All my training has paid off - I found someone for real
Kaz was in London at a meeting and had just got off the train in Penrith when her pager went off for a search for a man in Wigton. She got home and ran in to get me and her things - we drove straight over to Wigton Police station and met all the other dogs (Fly, Mac, Ginny, Mist, Moudy, Kess, Flash and Dynamite) as well as the Cockermouth team members. The dogs were given two areas to search and off we went.....Kaz was working with Benny (Moudy) and we set off round a tarn - it was great for us dogs coz we could swim through it all but Kaz and Benny found it really hard as there were some very deep puddles! I had a bit of a moment though, I got over enthusiastic about jumping a big ditch and ended up in it - but my jacket got caught in brambles and I kept trying to swim but I couldnt go anywhere! Benny and Kaz tried to free me up but they nearly ended up in it as well - luckily I managed to free myself.
We searched loads of woodland and it was really thick and horrid - at about 11pm we were told to stop and we went back to the Police station where we told them that we felt that we needed to re-check the area again - as it was so difficult.
This morning we were paged to go over again, this time Kaz's team Penrith and Keswick were also asked to help. Kaz and I and Mike Hadwin and Fly went back to the Forest and started searching (before we did though, Kaz and Mike chose which side of the Forest they were going to do and Kaz chose the middle bit). After about 20 mins I was running through when I smelt a person - I ran over to a fallen tree and sure enough it was someone - I ran right back to Kaz and barked like mad - when I got her to the man she was very worried as he was very blue and didnt look very well - but she called for Mike and they set up a special tent to warm him up and the rest of the team arrived to help get him better. We then carried him out on a stretcher to an ambulance. Funny really, you would think Kaz would be happy, but she had a bit of a cry on the way home!! I'm glad I could make Kaz proud and I'm really glad that the man was safe.
13th Jan - Training and stuff
Kaz and I went over to Loweswater to train this weekend - it was really great fun - Kaz and I helped with the trainee dogs on the morning - it was fun watching them and realising that I'd made so much progress since the last couple of years - here's a nice photo Laura and Jake (he's very handsome).....
Trainee Vinny and Beinn passed another 2 days of assessment so they'll hopefully soon be on the callout list - hooray!!
In the evening there was a night exercise and I was sent up a footpath to find the bodies -Kaz was really impressed with me coz I ran around and found them all and she didnt even have to leave the footpath!!
5th Jan - Another team callout
Kaz and I were in the office when Kaz's team pager went off in the afternoon to help look for two missing walkers on Crossfell - there is currently an avalanche warning in the Lakes so as you can imagine the weather was atrocious....anyway just as we rocked up to the base, we were told that the two men had found a place called Gregs Hut and they were staying there until someone found them - so we could go home (but first we had a cup of tea and some cuddles from Kaz's team - well I did not Kaz!!)
3rd Jan
Hi there Dot fans and a happy new year to you all!! It has been pretty quiet really on the callout front - the last one was on 23rd December and Kaz and I nearly made it before being stood down.
What other news is there? Well we are all looking forward to next weekends training - it's getting pretty nerve racking for some of the others as they are now under assessment - so fingers toes and paws all crossed for trainees Beinn, Vinny and Blisstic!!
Yesterday Kaz was at work when her team pager went off - so she and the rest of her team went down to Patterdale to assist with a callout on Helvellyn. When she got back me and the two stupid labradors got some cuddles from her...we love Kaz!
1st Jan
Just for a bit of fun - here are 2 piccies of Kaz and Baz dressed up for Last Night's party - funny enough people didnt recognise Kaz
