There's been a murder!

Today saw the majority of the team wrapped up against the cold and wet for some crime scene training.
We had three guests come in to take the session which was both fun and interesting. We had a look into what happens after we have found a person in what may turn out to be a crime scene. Its not just about finding the Misper it sometimes involves helping them after their death if it turns out to be suspicious. We always have to be alert to our surroundings and not just for our safety!

Training 12 November

This time of year we are glad of all the layers we are provided with. 

Our jackets have a zip in "Duvet" which is lovely and warm, just right for loitering in woods at training, and protracted searches in the cold. It looks as if we are all on our mobile phones, which we sort of are, we have a mapping system app called View Ranger which is great for both training and live searches and what we are doing here is opening up the app and route planning.

Whilst I was taking the team photo one of the search dogs was standing on my shoulder! They do hate being left out of things! 

Eastbourne

Today the team are in Eastbourne selling raffle tickets to win a car, all todays proceeds goes to Search Dogs Sussex, Come and meet the team buy a ticket and make a fuss of one of our incredible dogs.

Night and Day

These are a few photos taken whilst on a live search, We did a night search followed by a return search during the following day. This search was highly advertised in the area and on the television. At night we rely on the dogs who will be wearing strobe lights and bells and on good torches and personal lighting and High visibility tops.
During the day we still need to wear Hi vis and as you can see ours are actually load vests which enable us to carry quite a lot of equipment in all the pockets as well as keeping us seen and telling the public who we are. The dogs can get wet dirty and as you can see in this case covered in Burrs, meaning a brief stop to clear her and make her more comfortable.

Alphapet Veterinary Practice

I am going to start this post by saying, I have just come off a night shift and need sleep!
Today Lu and myself together with retired search dog Skye went to receive a cheque from AlphaPet Veterinary Practice in West Meads.
They had put on a dog fun day earlier in the year with all money raised being split equally between two charities, ourselves, Search Dogs Sussex and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Lu and I received the cheque on behalf of the team. Both of the cheques in the above photo were for £1220.79. so their show must have been a fantastic event. We thank them very much for choosing our charity to support.

Camping!

We are often called out to search for someone who may be in a tent,so today we put up a tent in the woods to get the dogs thinking about this. It was also quite interesting to notice how the dogs found the scent, which was not the same as someone who was not in a tent!
I did have to explain myself to an elderly couple who were out walking their dog though, as they were worried about walking past me in the tent.
When one of the Search dogs (Who shall remain nameless) found me, they leapt onto the tent, and subsequently me! So anyone who is thinking of going camping with one of our team members....make sure he leaves his dog behind!

Conference

This weekend I found myself in Newport Pagnell for the 2017 Lowland Rescue Conference. I had no idea what to expect but decided that if I just met other LR members it would be worth the trip!

It was a lot more than that! There were sessions on all aspects of the role, from Water training, through Rescue Drones onto Cadaver dogs and Radio comms. Besides all the sessions and input, there was plenty of time to meet team members from around the country, making new friends and eating some very nice food. There were stalls set up in the coffee area where we could buy clothing and equipment and also see what sort of kit there is that we might like to use.

All in all an excellent weekend, subsidised by Lowland Rescue.