Very experienced Bolton MRT member Dave Marsh has just returned back to Bolton after spending a long weekend down in Kent as a guest assessor for NSARDA Cantech [Kent] search dogs who were conducting an assessment weekend.

Dave, who is currently the Secretary for the National Search and Rescue Dog Association [NSARDA], journeyed down to a Scout camp site just south west of Royal Tunbridge Wells, where he was joined by the NSARDA Chairman, Harold Burrows and the Search Dog Training Officer for Wales, Roly Leyland. Both Harold and Roly have many many years of training search dogs with their claim to fame as having attended the Lockerbie incident.

Over the course of the weekend, the three handlers and dogs going for Initial grading, were assessed undertaking a minimum of four assessments with a maximum of five taking in different scenarios which included footpaths, open area, forest, and dense woodland. Due to the depth of snow [150mm min] and with air temperatures between minus 4 daytime, down to minus 12 at night, problems which incurred were varied and wide to say the least.

However at the end of the tough assessments, Dave happily reports that all three handlers and dogs achieved their grading.

As a pleasant footnote, one handler, Mick, had saved his dog, Red, from a rescue centre where the dog had been in kennels for twelve months due to no one wanting the poor unfortunate animal. Mick aquired him and has now turned him into a delightful novice search dog. Well done that man.