A holiday on Arran

Me and Kaz and Daryl and the Dram dog have been on holiday this week - we came over to the Isle of Arran and are staying with searchdog Ruby from SARDA Southern Scotland (well next door). It has been great - we've done loads of walking, been on a ferry and today we all went swimming in the sea - it was great coz me and Kaz swam out a long way together. Here's some pics. Tomorrow we go to grandmas for the weekend while Kaz and Daryl go to something called a Stag Weekend in Glen Coe - apparently they are doing canyoneering and other stuff and didn't think me or the Dram dog would enjoy it!

Big weekend for Bill and Ani

Trainee Ani and her handler Bill Malone will be doing their last 2 (of 14) assessments at Loweswater this weekend. They will be doing a big line search along the valley with a couple of other graded dogs and then tomorrow they have to do a 'big mountain day' which can be up to 4 hours long.

I remember mine and Kazs assessment at Loweswater - we did our line search there - it was very hard work!

Me and the Dram dog are at home today - Dram knocked his elbow somehow on Thursday and has got something called bursitis (swollen) and I'm on antibiotics coz I'm having my teeth done on Tuesday. Now, i like the vet as much as the next dog but im not keen on the scraping and noise - so they kindly offered to knock me out!

Kaz and Daryl are having a day sorting their stuff out for their triathlon tomorrow at Talkin tarn - I'll let you know how it all goes, although kaz keeps muttering about how 'someone's got to come last....'

Laters Dot fans

I make a new friend

I met my adoring public today at the Penrith carnival. Me and the Dram dog had loads of fun being made a fuss of. Here's one of my new friends!

Blimey - it got a bit busier

.... So you remember that Kaz and Daryl had been training then had 2 callouts then came home yesterday? Well, they'd just finished their tea and we had had a big play in the field and they were about to go out with handlers Iain and Ali for a drink, when guess what - the pager went off for a missing lady at Mardale Head (back where they'd been earlier). This time I was needed so we drove to the carpark. Daryl was going to navigate for Kaz but him and team leader Mike were taken up near Small Water by the Cleveland Police Helicopter and me and Kaz searched the wood and copses - it was hard work and poor Kaz was getting poked in the eyes by twigs. The rest of Kazs team walked up to Small Water and just as we'd finished searching the woods and were waiting for the RAF to pick me and Kaz up for a lift up to the top, some of the team radioed to say they had found the lady. At the same time as all this was going on, the police had asked some of the team still in the carpark to go to help an injured person on Kidsty Pike - so they set off there. Then a lady from the Haweswater hotel turned up and said she had a group of walkers who hadn't checked in and she was worried about them. We honestly thought that this was Callout number 5 - but a quick radio call to the group on Kidsty Pike confirmed that they were the overdue party- phew!
Whilst we waited for the others to walk off I rolled in something horrid and Kaz and the team members in the control vehicle weren't very happy!

We all got a nice cup of tea at the hotel and when we got home Kaz put me in the bath and used smelly soap on me - I don't really know what all the fuss was about - eau de fox is quite nice!

Anyway here are a couple of pics taken by Daryl up on Nan Bield - we are now having a rest before doing some fundraising at the Penrith Carnival

Kaz and Daryl go training and on 2 callouts

So, Kaz and me and the Dram dog went on a lovely walk yesterday - up from Pooley Bridge all the way along parts of High Street to High Raise.

We were all a bit tired when we got back and me and Kaz had a big cuddle in the sun out in the garden.

Today Kaz and Daryl got to go to team training which was all to do with swift water rescuing.....so me and the Dram dog stayed home. After training Kaz and Daryl ended up on 2 callouts (she was on her way home to pick me up for the second one but it go stood down).

Tomorrow is Penrith carnival and we are all going along to raise money for Penrith team.

A day for remembering

Kaz has asked me if she can write something today - so I guess just this once......

Tomorrow it will be a year since we lost a dear friend of LDMRSDA. Although time moves forward slowly, the memories of Dave Watt are still strong amongst the handlers and dogsbodies. As we remember the times we had with Dave, we also take time to think about Dave's family who surely feel the loss more than we can imagine. I won't be the only person to raise a glass to a gentle, complex and very dear friend xx

Similarly, handler Roger Pickup lost his best friend Beinn a year ago. Rogers new pup Ted is certainly following hard in Beinn's paw prints and is, I am sure helping Roger through the sadness of Beinn's loss.

As sad day - but strangely one of smiles too.