Matt has a degree in International Disaster Engineering and Management (Hons) with experience in NHS emergency planning and security management. It was during a field skills survival module during the second year of his degree that he witnessed, first hand, the value of search dog teams.
“As part of an exercise, I had to gather information from a key witness and use several search teams to find a missing person somewhere within a huge mountainous area. I was able to narrow down the search slightly but was still left with a huge area which needed covering in a very short space of time. Technically we could only use human searchers, but knowing that one of my assessors had a search dog, I invited his dog for a ride along and a ‘walkies’. Once we were at our area, it was literally a case of following the dogs nose! I was suitably impressed and passed that element of the course with flying colours.”
He started training his own dog, Charlie, with the Hampshire based search dog team. Matt and Charlie progressed through the ranks until to become a level 3 handler and dog team, allowing them to quickly search large areas at a time.
In February 2006, Matt set up Dorset Search Dogs. With just a handful of members, the team located several missing people, pushing the team into the lime light.
With his experience of training several of the teams dogs and as a national assessor for LSDogs then ALSAR, Matt wrote Dorset Search Dogs beginners and intermediate course. The intention was to recruit new dogs and handlers, giving them a good platform to start their training and to raise much needed funds for the team.
Wendy was a level 2 dog handler with her search dog, Hattie, who possessed remarkable talent. Unfortunately, Hattie passed away in 2023. Wendy is now training Dottie, who is displaying good potential in her search dog training.
Wendy and Hattie’s journey started back in September 2014 when at 5 months old Hattie completed the Dorset Search Dog beginners course. Wendy joined the team in December 2014 and qualified as a operational search technician in June 2015. Since 2015 Wendy has regularly attended local callouts supporting dog handlers or assisting Dorset Search and Rescue foot search teams. Her outstanding support and commitment was recognised in a letter of commendation from Dorset Search and Rescue in 2017.
Wendy’s ultimate goal was always to become an operational dog handler with Hattie, this took years of dedication commitment and training to reach the Lowland Rescue hasty dog standard and be ready to go forward to national assessment, the hours of training paid off and she passed first time becoming operational on the 24 March 2019 .
Hattie was a Giant Schnauzer; giant in size and giant in character. She absolutely loved the search game and had a reputation in the team for her enthusiasm and energy! A very talented dog who appeared on stage at the Bournemouth Pavilion in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and was part of the Lowland Rescue display team at Crufts in 2020.
Wendy is bringing on young Dottie to follow in Hattie’s paw prints. Dottie is a Giant Schnauzer who is showing great enthuasism for teh search game.
I joined the Dorset Search Dog in January 2016 when Rufus was 18 months old, we passed the introductory course in the May 2016 and this was the start of a long journey to reach an operational standard. We were ready just as the Covid 19 pandemic hit and halted training and assessments. In December 2020 we passed the National air scenting search dog assessment to become a level 2 Hasty dog team. This meant we were restricted to searching 25 metres either side of a path. Our next step was to progress to an area search dog team. Rufus is a confident dog that likes to range, area searching plays to his strengths and we soon progressed and qualified as an area search dog team in December 2021.
Rufus is a German Wire Haired Pointer bred from a working gun dog. Typical to his breed he is high energy, driven to work and head strong. His strong work drive makes him keen to search and keeps him focussed on the task and with his Pointer nose he has an amazing capacity to pick scent up at a distance.
The dog training is one big game of hide and seek with lots of praise and play, from an early stage it was clear Rufus loved it as he was always enthusiastic to do more. I have learnt so much more about Rufus through the training and it is a great feeling working with your dog as a team.
In 2019 I became the Treasurer of Dorset Search Dogs and the Lowland Rescue moto ” 100% professional 100% voluntary” came to mean so much more when I realised the personal cost to team members who care for their dogs and dedicate their time freely to support Search and Rescue. As a team we are very grateful to local fundraisers, sponsors and grant makers who help provide the much needed funds required to purchase the technical equipment that helps keeps us safe and gives the missing person the best chance of survival when found.
I joined Dorset Search Dogs in November 2009 as a ‘dogs body’ before becoming a full time member in April 2010.
I work, full time, as an Electronics Engineer, dedicating the majority of my spare time to the team. Recognising Laurence’s commitment and contribution he held the post of Membership Trustee of the Charity from 2017 to 2019.
He is the teams resident technical expert on all things radio. He is leading on the digital network improvement project that has been funded by the SSEN grant.
I trained with HM Coastguard as a rescue officer trained in Cliff Rescue, Search Management, Communications, Navigation, FPOS first aid, EOD, Helo landing sites and water rescue. I have carried out land searches all over the coast of Dorset and Hampshire to find a variety of missing people with most of the results having a happy ending and sadly a few not.
My second role is to carry out maintenance works on properties owned by the MCA, alongside this I am also the owner of a Building company which carries out a variety of building projects. I am also qualified as a PADI diver, Level 4 RYA rescue boat and I have also served on SAR helicopters at Portland Dorset.
Andy has been supporting the team since 2007 first with his trainee search dog Charlie 2 and then as an operational support and most recently he is training his new dog Jess.
Nick is an operational team member. Nick started with the team with Level 1 Trainee search dog Harvey, a very cheeky cocker spaniel who loved to bark and dig holes – not always at the right time. Sadly Harvey lost a short but brave battle with cancer. Nick is part of a national initiative developing trailing dogs as a resource for local team. Nick attends national training with his dog Tyler who is showing a natural ability for this type of work.
Incident of note:
In 2018 Nick was part of a foot search team who located an elderly man who was reported missing in the Canford Cliffs area.
Sheila joined the team in December 2016, with her working Cocker Spaniel Barney. Barney loved the search game and was showing good potential of becoming an excellent search dog. Very sadly Barney passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 2019 which was a very sad loss for the team. Sheila continues as an active member of the team volunteering regularly as an operational support for the dog handlers and regularly assisting with training. In March 2020 Sheila became a Trustee of the charity.
Rich joined the team in 2018 and is a qualified Search Technician providing operational support to our search dog teams. Rich is also training to be a dog handler with his Level 1 (trainee) search dog Jasmine.
“I attended my first training session with Dorset Search Dogs in October 2018. 12 months later I am now an operational Search Technician and my Sprocker, Jasmine is now Level 1 trainee search dog.
I am a big lover of animals, great and small and Its fantastic to see the dogs playing a big game of hide and seek and giving them praise and rewards for working hard. It is a proud achievement to work amongst a brilliant, hard working team who dedicate their free time to help those in need and I look forward to further progress with Jasmine”
Wayne joined the team in 2018 and is a qualified Search Technician providing operational support to our search dog teams. Wayne qualified as a dog handler with his search dog Alfie Duck in December 2021.
Wayne volunteered with the team for several months helping out at training before deciding to join. Wayne’s dog Alfie Duck was named by his children and there is nothing Daffy about Alfie, he is an amazing search dog. Unlike other team dogs in teh team Alfie has a sit indication, at training when he finds a team member hidden in the woods he will quickly find Wayne and sit to indicate he has found.
Ray’s son is the founder of Dorset Search Dogs and as a Dad he thought he would get involved and help in any way he could.
Ray is one of our amazing non operational supports. He helps the team by running control on a training night manning the radio and keeping track of activity. He is also a willing dogs body: a person who hides in a given area for the dogs to practice their search skills.
New trainees will get to know and love Ray at an early stage for his ability to rustle up a mug of hot chocolate from the boot of his car, a life saver at the end of a wet and cold training night.
