A rescue dog from Dogs Trust Shrewsbury is helping to find missing people after he qualified as a search and rescue dog.
Matthew Massey adopted Border Collie Dyno from the Shrewsbury rehoming centre when he was a six-month-old puppy. After more than two years of training every weekend, Dyno has now graduated, achieving the Search and Rescue Search Dog Standard, accredited by the National Association of Specialist Dog Users.
Matthew already volunteered with Severs Area Rescue Association (SARA) and wanted to give a forever home to a dog that could potentially become part of the specialist team.
Dyno is now a lowland search and rescue dog for SARA and is on call for West Midlands and West Mercia Police. Since graduating he has been involved in eleven searches for missing people.
Matthew says: “He took to the training straight away and picked up things very quickly. We can be called out to help day and night, 365 days a year and although he’s a great family dog, as soon as he SARA jacket goes on he knows he’s working.”
Louise Campbell, Manager at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, says: “Dyno came to us as a very young pup. He was absolutely delightful and I can remember when Matthew adopted him. It’s great to hear that he has truly fulfilled his obvious potential and gone on to become a fantastic search and rescue dog, as well as being a huge part of the family’s life.”
To find out more about the dogs at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury waiting to find their special someone visit www.dogstrust.org.uk. To find out more about Dyno’s work as a search and rescue dog visit www.sara-wyreforest.org.uk
