Lake District Mountain Rescue Searchdogs

18/06/2026

Time flies when you're enjoying yourself! Especially at 4 times normal speed. On a training evening of mizzle and breeze it makes it easier to "see" the wind direction. And, we can see how the dogs instinctively range across the wind in order to find the scent cone coming from the practice casualty. It comes naturally for the search dogs but, when needed, their handler can direct their dog with their body language. One example is walking across the fell in the direction that they want their dog to move. This session features Search dogs Roxy and Ceilidh and Trainee Search Dog Jura.

Thank you to kind sponsors of our Search Dog’s food:

14/06/2026

We would like to say a huge "Thank you" to Lune Valley Dog Training Club ( www.lunevalleyagility.co.uk ) for their kind generosity. They raised £2,600 towards our life saving work and have continued to support us over many years. This is particularly appreciated because this comes from fellow dog trainers.

12/06/2026

(Reposted due to a technical glitch!)
Last weekend's training saw two days of strong winds occasionally gusting to gale force which caused downdraughts and multiple changes of wind direction. This made it challenging for the dogs to detect the scent of the dog’s bodies but, without exception, every dog succeeded.
We were joined by friends from Rescue Search Dogs England , Search Dog Juno and Handler Chris. It is always nice to see other dog teams working; sharing thoughts, ideas and skills. As ever, it was a real pleasure working alongside a clearly very competent MRSDE Handler and very gifted dog.
A very important and huge "Thank you" goes to the generosity of the farmer who gave permission for us to train on their land. Without this help our work would not be possible.
Thank you also to our sponsors WCF Pet & Equestrian who provide their food for all of our dogs.

04/06/2026

31/05/2026

In this short video we demonstrate why search dogs bark near to the casualty, run to find their handler and bark at the handler. In the mountains visibility can change very rapidly and the distance from the casualty to the dog handler can be long and/or over technical terrain. So, barks at both ends gives the handler directional information especially in fog or at night. And, more often than not, both! Training at the early stages involves encouraging immediate barking "first time in" to the casualty.

Kind sponsors of our dog food

25/05/2026

On Saturday we were requested to help Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (Rescue No. 51) with a search for a missing person. Search dog Broch and handler Rob made a successful find.

21/05/2026

Search Dog Broch and handler Rob recently attended a rescue by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (Incident:46)
Broch calmly took the noise and the wind in his stride and it nicely highlights the range of training for differing environments that search dogs need to be happy with.

In this case the noise and downdraft from helicopters, which can be between 35 to 70 mph depending upon where you're standing.
With the kind help from HM Coastguard we gently introduce dogs to the smell of aviation fuel, the noise and the gale force winds.

16/05/2026

Having a wonderful time here at The Old Dungeon Ghyll. Why not pop down today and tomorrow and meet one of our lovely search dogs.

15/05/2026

It is always with mixed feelings that we share the news of one of our dog teams hanging up their search jacket for the final time. However, sadly that time has come for Search Dog Morag (Penrith Mountain Rescue Team).

Whilst it’s sad to see Morag retiring, we are extremely proud of her and her handler Matt and we celebrate the amazing working search life she and Matt have had together as a wonderful dog team.

The decision to retire a search dog is an incredibly difficult one for every handler and it is no different for Matt who said:

“Unfortunately that time has come when I know it is time for Morag to retire. As I prepared to head out on a search yesterday I considered taking Morag one last time, but despite me dashing around the house to get ready, Morag just laid in her bed.

Morag is now over thirteen years old and graded as a search dog in May 2018. She has been called to over sixty searches in those years, and has attended a number of other jobs just in case the casualty wasn’t where we thought they were.

As an older dog she still enjoys searching and I still intend to bring her to training sessions, but she is slowing noticeably on longer jobs and harder ground. In addition her hearing and sight are not as they once were, giving her even more excuses to ignore me and sod off (at a gentler pace) where she pleases.
Last night was the first search I have done in eight years where I haven’t had Morag with me. At one point I, rather absentmindedly, held a gate for her and whistled a few times too”.

The Association cannot thank you enough Matt and Morag for your significant contribution to the Lakes Search Dogs! You have been a super team and a pleasure to watch. Enjoy your well earned retirement Search Dog Morag 🐾🐾🐾

Lakes Collection