(Duddon & Furness MRT)

Air Scenting Dog Team,

Roxy is the first Springer Spaniel to be graded in the association. She is very friendly to both humans and especially to the male search dogs…She is just a little bit ball obsessed and loves finding the bodies for a play and a cuddle. As a Spaniel, she hunts differently (runs round in circles, propelled by her tail) to the other dogs,  Tom is from DFMRT and Roxy is his first dog.

They successfully graded on Monday 31st July 2023 on Cat Bells.

Keswick MRT
Air Scenting Graded Dog Team (RETIRED)
Martin Bell & his lively Border Collie Isla graded at a special assessment session at Hollows Farm, Borrowdale in December 2015, after a lengthy series of assessments. As a paramedic, and very fit hillsman, Martin has all of the assets to be a dog handler, and living in Rosthwaite in the Borrowdale Valley is likely to get plenty of work as well! Isla is a beautiful, loveable bitch, from a breeder who has supplied a number of successful collies to handlers in the Association

Patterdale MRT
Full Mountain Trailing Dog Team (RETIRED)
Dave Benson (usually known as “Benny”) and his dog Brock have been ploughing a lonely furrow on the Trailing Dog course, where the dog follows an individual’s scent to locate the casualty or missing person. As we have no instructors in this discipline, Benny and Brock have been working with a variety of organisations including SARDA Wales and NSARDA. The team have just been upgraded after a series of assessments. On Sunday 8th December 2019 Benny & Brock passed their final assessments to be upgraded to Full Mountain Trailing Dog Team status.

Keswick MRT
Air Scenting Graded Dog Team
Rob, a professional photographer by profession, graded his Collie bitch, Rona, in November 2015 at Buttermere and his second Dog Broch 6 years later. they 3 of them are graded as a 2 dog team, only the 3rd time this has been attained in our association. Rob is responsible for many of the excellent photos on the site, as well as on the Keswick MRT website. A bit of a technical geek, he has already equipped Rona with a GPS collar, so he can plot where she has been on a callout ! Rona may be small in size but is big in attitude – but she loves to be cuddled and fussed over as well, Broch is the opposite a big beast loveable and soft and a passion for posing for photos. Rob is the Association Chairman since 2017

(Cockermouth MRT)
Air Scenting Graded Dog Team

Call Out Coordinator & Association Assessor
Stage 4
Mike and his Border Collie Dog Marty have moved swiftly though their assessments and were graded in Langdale after a 4 hour search in ‘character building’ conditions. Marty was named by Mike’s son who has a fascination with the ‘Back to the Future’ film. Marty, who comes from working sheep dog parents on the West Coast, is very playful and is obsessed with his ‘tuggy’ toy. Marty responded well to the challenges of assessment, having grown into a powerful and rangy dog. Mike has been involved in mountain rescue in the Lakes since he was 18 as a member, then a Team Leader within the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team. A move to the North in early 2017 now has him wearing a blue jacket with the Cockermouth Team. Mike is also an Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Technician Instructor for LDSAMRA.

Penny Kirby from Wasdale MRT graded her dog Jess as a Searchdog on Saturday 5^th October.

Jess is Penny’s 5^th dog in a career as a handler, which started with Search Dog Ben in SARDA England days – 30+ years ago.. Since then, Penny keeps coming back for more, with some interesting training rewards – we will never forget her turning up with dried Fish skin, to reward the second dog, Miff, during training. She would always claim that things weren’t going well in training any of the dogs, yet consistently turned out great search dogs – Ben, Miff, Pippi, and Olly – who served her, Wasdale team and the Association with great distinction.

Penny was awarded an MBE in the new years Honours list in 2023 for the services to MR

The latest, Search Dog Jess, is another success for a dedicated handler.

Penrith MRT
Air Scenting Graded Dog Team
Matt and his rescued Border Collie Morag finally made the grade at the Patterdale Training weekend in May 2018, after a 4.5 hour search of Brown Cove in baking temperatures. Matt is a member of Penrith MRT, and is a teacher by profession. He’s also a member of the Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit, though Morag’s grading doesn’t qualify her as an underground search dog ! Matt has recently become a proud father as well, so his life is somewhat overloaded at present !

(Cockermouth MRT)
Graded Air Scenting Dog Team
Stage 4
Tom, a member of Cockermouth MRT  has graded his 1st dog Bess. Bess is a lively collie to say the least, she has a fascination with the game ‘tuggy’ and search dog Marty… Bess loves barking… maybe too much… Bess is a rangy, enthusiastic dog.