Following last weekends assessments in Bury St. Edmunds, where Bolton MRT member Dave Marsh took on a lead role in assessing six dogs for their suitability in Lowland search work, he then travelled over to the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland for a joint weekend assessment with Ireland and Ireland North Search Dogs, part of IMRA (Irish Mountain Rescue Association)
Based at the newly opened Tollymore Forest Hostel [built at a cost of over 1.5 million pounds] Dave met up with fellow SARDA external assessors from North Wales plus the guesting assessors from both associations.

One name worthy of mention is that of Neil Powell who has just had a book published about his amazing forty years involvement as a search dog handler. [If you want to know the title – it is ’Search Dogs and Me,’ and Dave Marsh assures all it’s a cracking read about his many searches and the dogs he has trained].

Of the six search dog handlers and of course their search dogs, who came under scrutiny in Ireland, Dave Marsh is pleased to record that four achieved top marks and were promoted to Full Search Dog handler/ Search Dog status, with the other two retaining their novice grading.