Happy anniversary to me!

It's 6 years today that I passed my final exam as a searchdog. I've been to over 200 callouts !!! It's been great and I'm hoping to do loads more!

Pics from training

Oh it was really nice today - me and Kaz went to Whinlatter and did some training. Kaz was instructing for Elly and Brackeb, but we got to play too which was fab. I found body Penny in record time (Kaz wasn't doing anything in record time) but she got there eventually! It was good to see Mara and Kath, Martin and Cuillin, my big sis Ginny, Glen and Molly and Laura and Jake.

When my and Kaz got back she let Angus have a go and put out 3 boxes with different scents on and he found all of them which Kaz told me she was very pleased about. Blimey it was cold so a big thank you to all the bodies!

Here's me and Penny

Sad news from Glencoe

Me and Kaz and the Dram and Angus dogs had a lovely time yesterday on our walk - we did some obedience stuff (not for me, for Angus dog) and had a fab run round.

It was really cold but not enough snow for playing :-(

Oh my very good friend Rosemary wrote to me telling me how sorry she was that I'd been left outside by Kaz after the Callout the other night - at least someone cares Kaz !!!!!

There was some very bad news yesterday and that was about an avalanche in Glencoe which has killed 4 people. Snow is can be very dangerous on the mountains sometimes and we all feel very sad for their families. I am trained as an avalanche dog too and I know how hard the local Mountain Rescue Teams must have been working to help find them.

Today me and Kaz are going to do some training at Whinlatter - she is taking the Angus dog and Daryl is bringing Dram dog to see if they can do a little bit of training for their trailing thingy. I'm looking forward to that and seeing all my friends.

Callouts and watching other searchdogs

Well this year has got off to a bit of a quick start.

Kaz and me had been out helping Kath and her trainee dog Mara do some searchdog stuff on Sunday over at Nine Standards.

They did really well and me and the Dram dog kept a sharp eye on the proceedings as you can see!



We got home from training and me and Kaz settled down to have a good read (well she was reading - me and the Angus and Dram dogs were chewing on a rather nice bone I seem to recall).  Suddently at about 4.30 the team pager went off for a search for 2 missing people lost somewhere near High Street. 

This is what it looks like in the day time at the moment....



Me and Kaz jumped in the van and drove to Mardale Head where we met up with our team member Vic who was going to be our navigator.  Our job was to go up to Blea Water, up to Caspel Gate, Long Stile, High Street Summit and then work out what to do from there.  Blimey it was a bit difficult - the conditions were pretty awful (even I'll admit that!).  As we got up to Caspel Gate and then onto the scramble up to the top, the wind starting really blowing and both Kaz and Vic got knocked over a few times.  Even I was blown over and I've got four paws on the ground at all times!

We also met up with Kaz's team mates Glenn and Matt who decided to go from High Street North towards Kidsty Pike to meet up with team members coming the other way.  That meant we had to go from the High Street Summit over to Thornthwaite Beacon which was very windy and very wet and foggy. 

Kaz and Vic were losing radio signal at one point so we were very pleased to hear that they had been found on Rest Dodd over towards Hayeswater by Patterdale team members.  Kaz and Vic had a sit down and a cup of tea then we started making our way back round Mardale Ill Bell towards Nan Bield - I was being very helpful and running in front - apparently that wasn't too helpful cos the visibility was only about 10 feet!

We eventually arrived back at the Mardale Head carpark at about 11pm and we were all a bit tired!!

We drove back home and Kaz did something terrible - she left me outside all night on the doorstep!! That's terrible isn't.  She reckons that she'd let the Dram and Angus dogs out for a quick comfort break and thought I'd already gone to bed in the kitchen but I hadnt - I was still in the garden.  The other two ran back in and she locked up for the night.  When I got back to the front door it was all locked up so I ended up curling up on the doorstep all night until she remembered in the morning and opened the door!  The other two dogs laughed at me - dont worry I'll get my own back on them one day.

Then this weekend me and Kaz have been assessing the SARDA England Searchdogs which was great fun.  They were really good.  1st off the assessors gave the handlers the area to search - it was really interesting cos the area we were assessing was the one that me and Kaz did when we finally passed our assessments.

Then they ask the handlers to work out how they are going to do their search (some of the handlers draw pictures of their area to help themselves) and then they set them off -

Some of the handlers get very artistic with coloured pens and stuff!

Here's trainee Wisp - who was a very pretty girl but also naughty as she ate the water container in the van cos she was bored.

and here are some of the other searchdogs.................

It was great fun but very cold.

Today it's snowing so I'm looking forward to Kaz coming home and taking us out for a long snowy walk - hooray!

2013 is here

Well it's been a pretty good start to the new year for us. Us dogs had a Callout to help Cockermouth MRT at 0040 on New Years Day - me and Kaz didn't go coz we were all staying at Grandpa Ron's in Worcestershire. My big sis Ginny's went along and luckily the missing lady was found very quickly by team members. Then on 2nd Patterdale MRT called us out but our pagers didn't go off so only Andy and Cory and Mike and Moss went!

Yesterday me and Kaz did some training - here I am finding bodies Rosemary and Terry on the fell at Whinlatter in the driving rain.

Then Kaz did some work on scent discrimination with Angus dog in the woods. He was very good.

Dram dog came too and had a nice run round too.

Then today we went for a long walk - Dram and Angus dogs were right posers (I was more interested in running after tennis balls).

We are all just chilling out now in front of the log burner which is great!

Happy New Year And Some Resolutions!

Me,and the Dram and Angus dogs have decided that we need to have a new year resolution (or two) so here you are;


Try to understand that the cat is from Venus, and Dogs are from Mars.

We will no longer be beholden to the sound of the can opener.

Take time from busy schedule to stop and smell the behinds.

Grow opposable thumbs, break into cupboards decide for OURSELVES how much food is *too* much.

January 1st: Kill the Tennis Ball! Must kill the Tennis ball! January 2nd - December 31st: Re-live victory over the tennis ball!

We will NOT chase the damned ball unless we see it LEAVE HER HAND.


....and a one specially for the boys....

Circulate petition that Leg Humping be a skill required for Trailing dogs

Happy New Year Dot fans - if you're wondering what the humans are up to - they're playing with some silly game and making a terrible noise!

I'm in a load of trouble for not blogging

So, it's a New Year's resolution that I'm now supposed to be sorting out which means that I will be a really good dog and blog more regularly - that's because all of the people I know that read my blog have been contacting me lately to tell me off.  So I promise faithfully that I'll be much better in 2013.

 

In the meantime Kaz says that i have to give you a roundup of the news since I last blogged at the end of October.

 

As you know we now have 3 more searchdogs on the list - Bill with Ani, Chris with Beck and Andy with Cory.  They have all been out on their first ever searches (well - for Chris Beck is his 3rd searchdog so actually it hasnt been new for him).  I can remember the first ever search I did with Kaz on Gummers How nearly 6 years ago - Kaz was dead nervous and she wanted me to search every blade of grass which was a bit slow - but eventually she learnt to just 'Trust Me!' and now I run everything - she just really drives me around.  I bet Andy and Bill felt the same as Kaz but I'm pretty sure that Cory and Ani sorted them out pretty quickly.

 

There has been some sad news though, and that was that Kess (one of my relatives) who retired as a searchdog a while ago, has died.  She was always a real character and she put me in my place a few times when I was a puppy. 

 

 

 

Les and Julie really miss her as we all do.  She made quite a few finds and people often thought i was a younger version - if I continue to be as good as her then I'll be really happy.

 

So what else has been happening?  Angus Dog is coming along well with his training - Kaz is taking it really slowly because he is nearly 11 months old now and apparently that's when dogs get a bit awkward and not listening to their owners - I dont remember being like that!  So she has been training him on scents - inside and outside the house.  Here's a piccie of him indicating at the skirting board where Kaz had dropped a little bit of scent onto the corner and then got him to smell a gauze with that scent on and then sent him round the house to find it.  Kaz was dead pleased with him and he got a big fuss from her.

 

 

Angus is also learning some obedience and doing well - he is ok at being told to lay down from a distance and is very good with the sheep and even the fell ponies!!

 

 

 

Me and the Dram and Angus dogs helped Daryl put the Christmas Tree up this year - I was quite impressed that the Angus dog didnt manage to pull all the things off.....even when Daryl put Candy Canes onto the tree!

 

 

 

Angus dog got bitten by a badger one night when we were out on the fell - he was sniffing at a big hole and suddenly the badger ran out an grabbed him - poor thing didnt know what to do and his nose had a nasty bite on it (that'll teach him).

 

We have had a couple of callouts with the team and the dogs this last few weeks - me and Kaz went to help out Patterdale Team with a search for a missing man by Ullswater.  Me and Kaz joined up with my big sis Ginny and her handler Mick Guy and we searched a really steep area of woodland in the dark - at one point, Mick took a bit of a slip and some rocks came down the hill towards Kaz which was a bit scary.  Sadly we didnt find him that night and then the next day the search continued with a load more of the dogs (including some from SARDA England).  He still wasnt found that day.

 

Then me and Kaz went back on the Sunday to help out again and see if we could find him.  Sadly he still hasnt been found which must be really difficult for his family.

 

Then Kaz and I were called out to help search for a missing lady in the Kendal area but got stood down when we were on the way.

 

Kaz went off to instruct on a training course for members of Mountain Rescue teams who want to be Party Leaders and she left me and the Dram and Angus dogs at home with Daryl.  Whilst she was there the local Swaledale Team had a callout for a missing person and she went on it all night - I was not impressed - she went on a callout without me!!! Huh - that will certainly not be happening again very soon!

 

Kaz and me got asked to go and help out with a search for a missing fisherman on the Eden - my big sis Ginny and her handler Mick also came along and we spent a very wet day looking for him with Kaz team, Penrith.  Here I am when me and Kaz stopped for a quick cup of tea and a biscuit for me.

 

 

 

Just as we finished the search we got another callout down to help Langdale/Ambleside team with a search for a man who had been out all night - just as we were arriving the man turned up - he did really well to look after himself on the fells over night in such bad weather.  As it was a work day for Kaz, she went back in to the office - and as I was soaking wet they let me come in and warm up under the desk - I got loads of fuss off the people in the office too which was really nice.

 

We went back again on the Saturday morning and did another search with Kaz's team but we still havent found him - sad.

 

I got a bit bored on Christmas Eve - cos Kaz was busy trying to wrap pressies (no excuse) so I just sat a stared at her to make her take us all out - it worked!!

 

 

We had a lovely Christmas Day - me and Angus and Dram dogs went up on the fell with Kaz and Grandma and then came back and we all opened our pressies - we all had really nice chews and balls and the humans had ridiculous things like Ice Axes and DVDs!

 

The humans went over to the pub for Christmas Day dinner which was apparently very nice while we stayed at home and took a sneaky peak at the TV....here;s Kaz and Grandpa and Grandma

 

 

 

 

Then on Boxing day me and Kaz and Daryl and the Angus and Dram dogs went down to ullswater for a quick swim - yes the humans came in too which was fun although they didnt stay in as long us us - I like the piccie of me and Kaz and the Angus dog!

 

 

 

Just as we got home from the swim Kaz and Daryl had a Boxing Day mountain rescue callout with their team and went down to the base to meet up with some of the others to go and help a mountain biker who'd fallen off his bike and hurt his face on a track near the Pennines.  Luckily the ambulance (which was being driven by Kaz'd friend Serena got there and the man was taken to hospital by the air ambulance so the Mountain rescue team weren't needed).

 

 

So finally here we are - today is Grandpa's 76th birthday so happy birthday for today!  Me and Kaz and the Angus and Dram dog and Daryl are in Kidderminster seeing Grandpa Ron and Grandma Jeanie and their dogs for a couple of days - we are having a great time running all over the fields together!

 

I really do promise to start being a better blogger in 2013 - so just make sure you tell me off it I'm not!

 

Take care and happy New Year xxx