Training fun

On Monday night Kaz and Daryl went on another Callout to help a lady on Dufton who couldn't be reached by ambulance - I wasn't required so I stayed home to supervise the bad dogs!

Last night me and Kaz went to Whinlatter.  Dram and Daryl didn't come coz Dram had a poorly tummy. 

Angus did a search from the cars for Mary the pretend missing person who'd wandered off up a track an hour ago.

He found her really quickly but then I showed him what us proper dogs can do and went off to find Jim and Glen while Kaz flogged up the steep ground

Kaz thought the views were pretty good...

Busy times

So it's been pretty busy really round here - and I cant beleive that it's been 2 weeks since I last posted something! Me and Kaz and Daryl (oh and the Angus and Dram dogs) went down to Dartmoor to go and do some of that trailing training for those two good for nothing puppy dogs! 

 It was a great weekend and we all got loads to do - even me. On the Friday I didnt do much but I did supervise Kaz and Angus and Daryl and Dram dog who were learning how to search for the start of their trails. 

They both did pretty good really and found their bodies - although Kaz found out that wearing gloves is a good idea as Angus managed to pull the line so hard it burnt her hand! We also watched Jamie and Diesel from Anglia work a trail which was really brilliant - they are definitely going to pass their exams soon. 

On the Satuday we went to Wood House an old stately home which allowed the mountain air scenting dogs an opportunity to search inside for missing people - I did too and it was great fun. I went in the front door and Kaz put her finger on the wall which I had to follow closely and eventually as we went into one of the big lounges, I realised that there was a smell of a person near a window behind soime curtains. Boy, did I make sure I barked loudly! Then we carried on a cleared the rest of the house. On the way out I smelt another persons smell coming from a cupboard and a cat flap - Kaz was dead pleased when I barked to say she was there. 

 Kaz and Angus then went onto do a search where Kaz didnt know where the body was. This time Kaz was given a hat belonging to the pretend missing person (Kate) and she was told that Kate had last been seen about an hour ago in the garden. Kaz gave Angus the smell of the hat and he shot off from the garden onto a track leading out of the grounds. He went in to the undergrowth next to the track and told Kaz that Kate had walked past there - to tell Kaz that Angus lays down. Kaz then clipped him onto his long line and told him to find her and he started pulling her up the track following the vegetation at the side. He even ignored a lady walking down the road towards him. Suddenly he took Kaz left at the end of the track - she was really surprised to see someone who wasnt Kate sitting there and she thought Angus had done it wrong, but he only sniffed at the first person and carried on another 20 ft and there was Kate who Angus greeted with a big lick and lay down. Kaz was dead pleased and so was I (but dont tell him that!) 

Dram and Daryl also did a trail in the area and were dead good too....so all in all very pleased. Here we all are - yes we all managed to pose outside the stately home (you should have seen all the handlers panicking that we would all have a big fight!) 

 

Then the next day we played in Helen's farm and watched Jamie and Diesel do another fantastic search! 

This last 2 weeks me and Kaz have been manic. Last weekend Kaz was being trained on blue light driving by Daryl. (She said it was fun but it isn't always brilliant to be taught by your boyfriend). Here's Mike practicing 

Kaz and I then have been on a load of callouts the first was in Grizedale forest looking for a missing man. I worked with searchdog Beck and her handler Chris - it was dead spooky, we didn't find him though. Then we searched for a missing man in Wetheral over a couple of days. Her I am managing the search strategy!

Luckily the man turned up. 

That day Kaz and I were on the way to a search in Scotland when there was a crash on the M6.  Kaz stopped to help an injured person and once shed done that continued to Hawick but before we got there the missing person was found.

I was getting a bit tired, but the next day we got called to look for a missing person near Keswick again we got stood down before getting there. That night we had 2 callouts over at Haweswater and we started looking g for them but they both turned up! The following night we drove down to Preston to help searchdogs Floss and Finn looking for a missing lady. We searched the woods and fields for about 4 hours - she turned up the next day which was good. 

So we finished the week a bit tired really!

On Sunday Kaz and Angus did a training session - they did  really excellent trail from Whinlatter visitor centre across the main road to Revellin. I was so impressed with him - here is a pic of where he started the search!  

It was very busy with lots of cars people and dogs!

Anyway I will blog soon. Take care Dot fans!

Having Fun in the Sun....

Blimey - it's been hot hasn't it?  A lot of people are walking in the hills and getting ill - so as ususal the mountain rescue teams have been pretty busy - especially Wasdale and Langdale - my friends searchdogs Rosie, Ollie and Pippi on Wasdale team have been helping out whenever they can and so has searchdog Ted over at Langdale.  Remember if you go on the hills and it's hot you need to drink at least 1.5litres of water to make up for all the sweating - if you dont you could get headaches and be sick - and dont forget your dogs - we need water too!! Kaz always carries about a litre for us and she tops it up from streams - she has even taught us all a command called 'drink drink' which means we need to take some water up from puddles or streams.

I went with Kaz the other day to see handler Mick Guy and my big sis searchdog Ginny.  While we were there it was great to see our friend and ex Lakes dogsbody Dave Lewis - it was his birthday and he'd come up for a week to see everyone. Here's me and Dave having a great time playing

and here's one of me and my sis Ginny and Dave's dog Merlin in Mick's garden...

Kaz and Daryl have been working with Angus and Dram dogs on their trailing thingy - they both seem to be doing really well and Kaz thinks that they may even start taking their exams at the end of the year or early next year.

I went with Angus and Dram on Saturady morning to Red Screes to do some training - it was really nice.  Phil and his trainee dog Crag were there and they did really well - she is very quick and barks loudly which is great - here's Crag

We also saw Roger and Ted, Andy and Corrie, Ian and Keppi and John with Isla and Skye...here's a coouple of pics of Roger and Ted and Andy and Corrie...

I got to have a go and searched up the crags and found Jane on a very steep slope which was a bit tricky for Kaz to come down. After Jane had played with me, I went across the big boulder field and suddently realised that there was someone below me, so I shot down the slope and found body Steve and lay next to him panting (cos it was really hot).....after a couple of seconds tho, I remembered that I was suposed to let Kaz know, so I barked 3 times and ran back to her and barked just the once.  Then I went to Karen and barked a lot a her and got a great big fuss.  It was really nice to play with the bodies - sometimes I wish it was just me and Kaz again and I didnt have brothers cos then I'd get her all to myself!  But I suppose it's a good idea she's got Angus and Dram, cos I wont always be here to look after her.

On Saturday, just as we were all about to get our tea, Kaz and Daryl got a callout with their team to help someone on the Lakeland 100 race - he had got into difficulties about 70 miles in and was dehydrated and exhausted somewhere near Haweswater.  It was sunny when they left but as soon as they got going, Kaz said that the heavens opened up and they got drenched - the man was taken to hospital via the air ambulance.  This is the team back at the vehicles getting a quick cuppa and biscuit before going home.

On Thursday this week we are all going down to Dartmoor to do some training with the lovely people from SARDA England - Kaz and Daryl will be concentrating on training Angus and Dram, but I'm hoping I'll be getting some fun too!!  I'll let you know how it all goes.



A lovely holiday and a nice training weekend

Well - it's been a couple of weeks since I last blogged, mainly cos we've been on holiday and Kaz and Daryl didn't have a phone signal (shame!).

So - what's my news then?  We've all been on our holidays to some place called the Applecross Peninsula up in Scotland (sort of opposite Skye).

We set off and it took 7 hours driving to get there - but Kaz and Daryl stopped loads so we could get out and have a leg stretch.

We stayed in a beautiful cottage which was all round and very nice inside with great views and a fab garden where all of us dogs could run around lots :-)

We saw some seals and otters and had lots of fun running on the hills and on the beaches - hooray.  Kaz and Daryl even did a bit of training with us all which we liked.

Here are a couple of pics of Daryl on the hillside

 

 

When we got back from our holiday the weather started warming up a bit and that was nice cos Kaz and Daryl wanted to have a bar-be-que in the garden.  It was a nice night apart from the nosy cows in the field!  All of us dogs enjoyed it cos we got a few treats.  Kaz said it was typical that Daryl wouldn't allow her to do any cooking.

 

 

Then at the end of last week, Daryl and Kaz were helping do a 2 day training session for the Fire Service Apprentices.  I went too as I was showing them what searchdogs can do - the 1st day was doing some classroom stuff learning about map reading and then we went out and did some practical exercises - that was when I showed them how good searchdogs are.  I got loads of fuss from all of them - it was great.

 

 



Then this weekend the searchdogs were all training over at Coniston - it was very hot but all the dogs did really well - at stage 1 Phil and Crag, Martin and Isla, Mike and Mij and John and Cuillin did lots of little runs to ensure that they didn't get too hot and bothered.  The stage 4 (graded dogs) Chris and Beck, Elly and Meg, Nick and Sam, Andy and Corrie, Mick and Ginny and Laura and Jake did some training in Levers water - literally - they all ended up going for a swim!  Kaz and Daryl were training with the Dram and Angus dogs doing trailing stuff - blimey they both must've been training when I've been asleep - they were really good.

On Saturday night we had a BBQ which was fun, and on Sunday we all did the same again.

We are all just chilling out tonight after all the exertions!

Kaz and Daryl get a callout and Ted grades

Hi Dot fans, well what a busy week it's been.

Kaz was working from home on Friday afternoon, when there was a callout for Penrith team to rescue a lady who had possibly broken her leg on Kidsty Pike.  Kaz told me that I wasnt needed on the rescue and that I could stay at home with Angus and Dram (hummph) and she jumped in her van and drove off to the base.  Meanwhile Daryl was at work and managed to get across to the base too.  As they were driving over to the callout, Kaz was running the incident and was told that the Air Ambulance was on its way.  When they all got to Mardale Head, they started walking round to the lady, and by the time theyd carried all the equipment round, the helicopter had landed near her.  Kaz and some of the team helped carry her into the helicopter, but just before it took off the lady decided she was too scared to fly so the team had to carry her the whole way off which is a pretty long way considering that at the start there was only 6 of them!  The Kirby Stephen team arrived to help out - Kaz she was glad to have them there.  Here they all are arriving at the ambulance with the casualty....Kaz is talking to the paramedics by the ambulance doing a patient handover.

Then the really exciting news is that my relative Ted has graded as a search dog - hooray!  His handler is Roger Pickup from Langdale - although Ted reckons that if he takes the medical exam and driving test he wont need Roger!  Congratulations to Ted for passing (oh, and Roger too I suppose).



My little brothers go training - and I get to watch.

Hiya

well, hasnt it been hot out there?  I am hoping that all you human types are taking good care of your dogs.  Kaz is always good to us - she even took an umbrella out the other day to make sure we had some shade when we sat down!

At the weekend we all went down to Smelt Mill - home of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team.  We were there so that the Dram and Angus dogs could do some trailing training (and so's I could watch them).

On Friday we all went to a place called Beacon Fell and we all learnt stuff about how to do trails (I thought it sounded quite interesting).  Here is Kathy from Wales getting some one-to-one training from the instructors Iain and Tom.

Kaz and the Angus dog got to try and work out which of the 3 people sitting down was the correct one - here is Angus going into body Helen!

Angus's half brothers Woody and Tor were there too - so they had a big play.

Then Dram had a go at a small trail and did well - he had to go from a picnic bench and follow where Callum had walked which was up a path and then through a gap in the wall and had hid in some undergrowth.  He was really good and Daryl was dead pleased.

When we all got back on the evening we had a nice swim in the river and I told the two boys how proud I was.

On Saturday we all went to Longridge Fell - it was very very hot and everyone had difficulties in the heat - especially the black dogs!  Kaz took an umbrella for Angus and kept him cool under it when we were sitting down.  Angus started to do his first trails - a body walked into a piece of ground and sat there for 2 minutes, then they got up and walked into the woods about 100 ft away.  Then Kaz brought Angus out and put on his harness and long line clipped onto his collar.  She gave him a scent from the body (it was Luci's hat) and told Angus to 'find'.  Angus went to where Luci had been sitting and lay down to tell Kaz he'd found where she'd been - then Kaz said 'Show me' and clipped the line onto Angus's harness and he followed where Luci had walked and then took Kaz all the way to her.  He got lots of fuss from Kaz (I'm jealous) and he then got a big potof smoked sausage and a play with the tuggy toy as a reward!!  Kaz was very happy with him.

The Dram and Daryl had a go and did a really difficult trail along a stony path and even managed to work out that at a cross roads the body had turned right!! So Daryl was very pleased too.

At the end of the afternoon one of the bodies went out and hid so that I could have a go and find them.  I was brilliant and did it super quick and got loads of cuddles.

On Saturday night, there was a callout for the Bowland Pennine Team so some of the people on the trailing course went to help.  Kaz stayed with me and Dram and Angus and Daryl went to help the paragligder who'd fallen.

On Sunday we all stayed near to Smelt Mill - I watched Angus do another small trail onto body Maria - he was really good and Kaz was dead pleased again!  And then Dram and Daryl did another trail over a bridge, through a gate and along where 3 of the bodies had walked and then they split off from each other and he followed the right one!! Clever dog - dont tell him though.

We got home late last night and we were all dead tired.

This weekend it is training at Thirlmere - my cousin Ted will be doing some assessments so I have my paws crossed for him to pass!



A couple of busy weeks

hi Dot fans - how're you doing?  Well it's been a very busy few weeks for us, so I havent lived up to my new year resolution and blogged very regularly!

So, what's been happening then?

Well we had an openday so all the searchdog fans could come and meet up with us - as you can see at the beginning of the day it was pretty quiet - but it soon got really busy with us all getting lots of fuss.  Some of us dogs and our handlers showed off what we can do - I ran all over Red Screes pretty quickly and was very good apparently.

 

 

 

 

Kaz has been having some time off work this last weeek - on tursday night we got called out to a callout to search for a missing man near Cockermouth.  It is quite a long drive over there but after 50 mins or so we arrived at the place where we were to start our search.  Some of the other dogs were arriving too, but as we were being told what to do by the Cockermouth team leader, a member of the team found the man's body.  It is always very sad when this happens and so Kaz and I went home and our thoughts were with the family.

 

Then on the bank holiday weekend we had friends come up to stay with us.  Kaz has known them for 20 years and we all had a good couple of days - especially the humans who were up til all hours playing a card game! Honestly we couldnt get any sleep......

 

 

On the night they went home, we ended up going out on a callout for the Penrith team for a couple of missing people who had rung the Police to say that they were by the summit shelter on Cross Fell, but werent able to get down as the weather was really bad.  When Kaz and Daryl got to the base, Kaz took over running the incident as she is now a deputy leader and Daryl was sent up with some of the others to the top of Cross Fell - they took a long time and Daryl said the visibility was only about 30ft - I was a bit miffed they didnt need me though!  Anyway Kaz and Daryl finished about 2am and came home for a long sleep.

 

Yesterday, Kaz took me and the Dram and Angus dogs up to Small Water for a nice walk.  We got up to the tarn and then she took us scrambling up the gully at the back onto the top....of course I've done all this sort of thing before but Angus is pretty new to it all and I showed him how to use 4 paw drive to get up the near vertical rocks!!  He wasnt too bad actually but dont tell him I told you so.

 

 

 

Oh yes - before I forget, a couple of weeks ago a 9yr old boy called Jamie walked up Consiton Old Man to raise funds for the dogs and the Hospice at Home.  He decided to raise the money after his aunty got very ill and he had a great day with searchdogs Skye, Bute and Einich.  Here are a couple of photos showing just how bad the weather was for him!

 



 

Today i went up to Red Screes with Kaz and did a bit of training which was fun - I got to find body Steve who was half way up the crag in a pretty difficult place to be honest - but it wasnt a problem for a superior searchdog like me!

 

Next weekend me and the other two dogs are going down to Lancashire so Angus and Dram can do some trailing training.  Kaz and Angus went out tonight into the garden and did loads of stuff with different scentts - hmmm I'm getting worried that Dram and Angus will start to get good at this trailing stuff.

 

Anyways - hope to speak to you all soon Dot fans.......