Our two search dogs Amber and Binnie were deployed on their first call out yesterday.

With their handlers, Paula and Chris, they were two of five dog teams from the South West to pass three days of challenging assessment in five mountain areas in the Lake District recently, after years of demanding training.

It has been more than twenty years since we last had search dogs in our team, due to the commitment required to train a dog to such high standards.

These air-scenting dogs can cover difficult terrain quickly and detect human scent over very long distances, saving time and, ultimately, lives. 

4 of the 5 newly qualified search dogs in the region featured on BBC Spotlight recently - here's a video of the report