They train so that should they ever be called upon to use their noses for real, they can do the job quickly and safely in locations that are often too dangerous for their handlers to enter.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, the Southern Training Group for the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Search Dog Association often hold on-site training exercises to get their dogs up to operational status.
Liz Cartwright from Sydenham has worked with Duke, a 16-month-old heading cross dog, since October 2023.
“It is amazing being part of the search dog team, it’s something I’m very passionate about and I love the team dynamics between the members and the dogs.’’
The dogs were either qualified or working towards being declared operational.
USAR national dog trainer Colin Howard says there are only six dogs nationally that are fully trained for this type of work, as it takes 12 to 24 months to train a dog.
Their training involves many hours by their volunteer owners working with their dogs to teach them ways to search based on smell or sound across terrains as open as office blocks or as rugged as quarry piles.
