For goodness sake - I've just about got used to the Dram dog being in the house when we all went out for a drive and CAME BACK WITH ANOTHER DOG - agggghhhhhh!
Actually we'd already met him on the trailing weekend at Patterdale and ok I did like him. Kaz explained that she wanted to start training another dog (not to be clever like me but as a trailing dog just like my clever friend Mij and what the Dram dog is currently training for).
Anyway - we bought him back from Toms in Scotland and he's been here for three weeks so far and is alright ( I s'pose) - here he is...Kaz still luvs me best tho'
Me and Kaz and Daryl and Deam dig went down to north Tawton in Devon for a trailing training course. We drove for a long time but eventually arrived and met the others. We were going to watch Daryl and the Dram dog do his trailing stuff, but Kaz got told there was a missing person on Bodmin Moor and me and her were going to help the other dogs search for him. It was great - lots of good wind and not too hot but I got a bit scared of the cows who were protecting their calves and the horses who kept chasing me. We worked for a long time but eventually heard that the missing person had been found.
When we got back Daryl told Kaz that him and Dram had done well. So the next day we worked at an old country house - I even got to search in the house and found someone in the cupboard in the library!
We watched Daryl and the Dram dog and they did really well and even did a small trail for a person.
The next day we all went to some fields and searched - it was great and I had loads of fun finding the bodies.
When we came home Daryl and Kaz had been busy until this weekend and on Saturday we all went over to Whinlatter so Kaz could help assess trailing dog Paddy and his handler Neil from Northern Ireland. They followed a 4 hour trail for over 2 km with lots of twists and turns.....and they passed - hooray!
The Dram dog and Daryl did a discrimination test on 3 different people and found the right one and was brilliant!
Then today we went to Haweswater and me and Kaz did some Assessing - Andy and trainee dog Corrie passed some more assessments and haven't got many more to go now- hooray! Everyone else seemed to be doing well too so that was great.
Yesterday me and Kaz and Daryl and the Dram dog went over to Kirkby Stephen MRT base to help Kath out - Kath is the Deputy Team Leader at Kirkby Stephen and has just started training her dog Mara. Me and Kaz have been helping her - Kaz has been doing the human stuff and I've been having a bit of a doggy chat with the young upstart! Anyway, we went to help so that Mara wouldn't be scared when the helicopter came in.
First of all when it was landing Mara was a bit nervous (probably the noise) but Kath gave her lots of treats and she eventually settled down a bit.
Then they shut the motor down and Kath walked Mara on and she was able to settle down on board.
Then they started up and went for a flight round - Kath says she was really well behaved.
Then it was the turn of the Kirkby team members to climb on board, have a flight and be winched out. They all seemed to enjoy it!
Then me and Kaz and Daryl and the Dram dog were told we could go on board with Kath and Mara.
We stood in front of the helicopter (slightly to the right of the pilot) and they lowered the steps. We walked across to the door one at a time - it was very windy and loud. The Dram dog was very good and walked calmly on board. Mara did really well but was a bit scared right at the end!
We took off and flew round,then it was time for Daryl and the Dram dog to be winched out. They walked over to the big door and Daryl got the harness on himself and made sure the Dram dog was clipped in to the hook.....then they were off. Then it was me and Kaz as usual, I wriggled around while we were in the air.
Kath and Mara stayed on as it was a bit too scary for Mara to be winched out.
So then, where did I get to on my last blog? Oh yes, I'd just been groomed and wasnt too impressed was I!
Anyway since then it's been pretty busy all round really.
1st of all Daryl and the Dram dog were training for Trailing with all the other handlers from Ireland, Scotland and other places in England. We all stayed at Patterdale YHA and me and Kaz were helping as assessors.
I was dead proud of the Dram Dog - he did really well. He is now at stage 11 (of 17) and he had to do a test where there were 3 people in a line and Daryl was given a hat off one of them in a bag. He then had to give the hat to Dram Dog to smell and then he had to walk over to each of the people and tell Daryl which person the hat belonged do.......and he did it really well. Now, dont tell the Dram Dog but I was flamin amazed - I'm trained to find any human scent but he's being trained to find only 1 human scent out of many. Well done the Dram Dog.
On the Tuesday, me and Kaz went to Whinlatter for a bit of training - it was very midgy and Kaz was being eaten alive. I was dead brilliant - I found all the bodies in super quick time. In the meantime Dram Dog and Daryl were showing off their skills at scent discrimination with handlers Chris and Mick being the bodies. Everyone else seemed to have a really good time too - Elly and Bracken are coming on well and Andy and Corrie are looking good. Little Mara and Kath are beginning to work well too and Mara's bark is really starting to change from a squeak to a proper bark!
Then Kaz and Daryl had a parcel delivered to home - it contained another dog! Here it is..........
..... me and the Dram dog got a bit miffed about it as we thought it was going to be replacing us, but Kaz and Daryl explained that they were riding the dog down a river in Scotland....idiots! (more about that later...)
On Thursday me, Kaz, Daryl and Dram dog went over to Keswick to the Keswick team to talk about a charity even that we were helping with. Basically, they have to help run a demonstration rescue for some children to take part in, so we went over to Great Wood and looked for a place to do the demo. Me and Dram dog played in the beck whilst Kaz and Daryl did the work! Can you spot me in the piccie?...
On the Saturday the demo went really well for the children - they loved it. Me and Kaz showed them how a searchdog works and then they helped treat our pretend casualty and put him in the stretcher and carry him off. Then at lunch time they watched the RAF helicopter fly in and they were allowed to go inside and have a look. What a great day.
Then me and Kaz did some training up at Whinlatter on the Tuesday - me and searhcdog Ginny who's my big sis had a great time in the rain.........dont we look pretty! Andy and Corrie did a big area as a practice for being asessed and looked really good so hopefully they'll be on the callout list soon.
Then last Saturday me and the Dram dog went to grandma and grandpas for the day as Kaz and Daryl and handler John Leadbetter were off to do a mad event in Scotland. Basically, they were going to do the Glen Nevis River Race which was a 2 miles down river race on an inflatible lilo (hence the blow up dog that I referred to earlier)
(Have a look at this video clip....it'll give you an idea of how daft they were)
They all got home late on Saturday night counting their bruises!!!! They had to get all their kit ready cos we were all due to go dog training at Coniston, so that took little while and they finally got to bed at 2am.
After about 3 hours, Kaz's pager went off at 5am for a search down at Ullswater for a missing man whos car had been found. Me and Kaz went down whilst Daryl and the Dram dog stayed in bed snoring.
Kaz and I searched the banks of Ullswater and I thought I could smell something different coming from the water, so I barked at Kaz. Kaz wasnt too sure what to do and so she got John and Skye to go along there too - Skye also was very interested in the area so we passed the information on....here I am searching the banks.
We then searched some steep woodland with searchdogs Ginny, Meg, Enich, Keppi and Moss. Me and Kaz got home on Sunday afternoon after Patterdale team stood us down for the day - Kaz was very tired so had an early night!
Then last night (Tuesday) me and Kaz went out again to help Patterdale team in the continuation of the search - I got to search some really steep woodland that was full of brambles and head high bracken and also an old disused quarry, but didnt find anything.
Its been a pretty busy week in Cumbria - but not necessarily on the mountain resuce searchdog front.
On Saturday last week me and Kaz and the Dram dog went over to Ennerdale for a day's training with the searchdogs. Kaz acted as the body in the pouring rain - here she is and here's her hidey hole she found. Funny it doesnt look that bad to me!
Everyone seemed to have a good time and Andy and Corrie passed an assessment which was great news.
Then on the Sunday, me and the Dram dog and Kaz went to watch Daryl run in the Karrimor Trail race at Keswick which was a 10km run round the back of Latrigg. Daryl did really well and even did a fairly good time!
On Wednesday and Friday Kaz helped out at the Police HQ in case there were any incidents whilst the Olympic Torch was in Cumbria and Daryl went down to escort the procession with the Penrith team - here is Chris Bonington with the torch by our team vehicle.
Then this week Kaz was just coming home from work when her phone rang and she was asked by the Callout Co-ordinator Chris to help with a search in Scotland in a place called Kircudbright. So she came home and picked me up and we started driving back up the motorway. Kaz got a call from Mick to say him and Ginny and Elly and Meg were also coming too. We hadnt gone too far (just passing Carlisle) when we got stood down as the missing man had been found, which was good news.
On Thursday I was taken to be groomed cos Kaz thinks i was looking scruffy - huh - now I smell of perfume and my tail is all neat and tidy - this is not a good look for a roughty toughty searchdog! I have threatened the Dram dog that he's next in line!
Then yesterday Kaz and Daryl were supposed to be swimming in the Great North Swim at Windermere- but cos the weather was really bad, it was cancelled which was a bit of a disappointment. So instead kaz did some baking then we went to say hi to Grandma and Grandpa as it was their 51st Wedding Anniversary so me and the Dram dog made a big fuss of them.
Today we're all having a bit of a rest and I'm about to watch the footie - COME ON ENGLAND!!
(Although frankly you've got no chance!)
So Kaz ad Daryl went off to London to see the Queen last week - well actually the Diamond Jubilee Concert - and me and the Dram dog got to stay at home with Grandma and Grandpa which was great fun.
Kaz and Darykl met up with some of the others from Mountain Rescue and they all had really good views of various singers....although for some reason Daryls finger got stuck on the camera button when someone called Kylie Minogue came on!
So this week Kaz has been a little tired after all the excitement - but today me and Kaz and Daryl and the Dram dog went out with the Penrith Team for their Sunday training exercise over at Haweswater - we had to search for a missing man and me and Kaz (with Daryl and the Dram dog as navigators) set off to search all the way up to Rough Crag but had to do the big bowl near Bleawater. When I started searching round the bowl - I heard a sheep making a lot of noise (more than they normally do) - I wasnt too sure what to do coz I knew Kaz wouold be angry if I went over to any sheep but I was a bit worried about it - so I thought I'd check it out and it was a lamb that had got into some very deep water and couldnt get out and it was really tired. I didnt want to scare it so I laid down next to the water and just looked at it until Kaz came and rescued it. Then we carried on searching in all the crags... it was great fun - here are a couple of pics (including a very nice one of the Dram dog and some of Kaz's team):
So after the search we then startted to do some crag training where Kaz was going to be the casualty but no sooner than she had gone up the hill to pretend to be stuck, than the pagers went off for a real team callout to help a man who'd fallen down an embankment on the river Eden near Carlisle. Me and the Dram dog stayed in the car whilst Kaz and Daryl and the Penrith team as well as the Ambulance and Fire Service went off and sorted him out. Me and the Dram dog are now watching the Canadian Grand Prix while Kaz and Daryl do something called 'unwinding'.
So, after our luvly holiday on Arran, Kaz and Daryl went off to Glencoe a very important weekend - handler John Leadbetter's stag do! Kaz told me she has great fun quad biking and canyoning in the heat.
Today me and the Dram dog are back at grandpa and grandmas coz Kaz and Daryl have been invited by Mountain Rescue to Buckingham Palace for the Jubilee Concert - they are looking forward to it!
