DARTMOOR Search and Rescue team from Tavistock have added a new search dog to their call-out list. Following a three-day assessment in the Brecon Beacons, search dog handler Alex Lyons and his dog Max successfully passed all their areas with flying colours. Alex, who has been involved with mountain rescue for almost 25 years and with search and rescue dogs for more than 20 of these, is one of four operational handlers in the Tavistock team. Collie Max, a rehomed dog from Northumberland, is Alex?s fourth search and rescue dog. This is a feat within itself and Alex is the only member of the Search and Rescue Dog Association to have completed more than 20 years? operational service as a dog handler. A team spokesman said: ?Alex and Max are a real credit, not just to DSRT but to SARDA as well. They have worked hard towards this and all the months of training and commitment have finally paid off. As a team we are really proud of them.? During their training they have had to pass many tests along the way from basic obedience through to the three-day assessment. DSRT now has four SARDA dogs with another one in training. The dogs which are air scenting and look for human scent on the wind are trained to locate anybody that may be in their search area. Alex has attended hundreds of searches since he joined DSRT, including not just missing persons but also national incidents such as the Lockerbie disaster and various murder searches.
