Search Dog Megan
Buxton Mountain Rescue Team were saddened to learn from Dave, that Search Dog Megan had peacefully slipped away with Dave and family by her side. Megan was 15 years old, and had been an operational Search Dog for 12 years. Megan continued to come to our base on training nights until just recently, and was adored and loved by all of us, something which she took in her stride every time, especially if it involved a biscuit. Many team members have had a long working relationship with Megan, and she will be very much missed by the team. But, she was also a loved family pet, and our thoughts go out to Dave and his family.
Supporters of Mountain Rescue Teams in the UK will know of the tremendous work that search dogs carry out in making the hills and moorlands a safer place for the community to enjoy their activities.
As Dave himself says “Many think that as handlers and trainers we teach the dog everything it knows and bring out the behaviours and skills that we would like. With Megan I think she taught me far more about handling and training a dog than I ever taught her. She continued to help me understand teaching new skills to dogs long after she retired from operational duties at the age of 12 “.
Throughout her life Meg had a good number of operational finds, some of which were likely to have been life-saving, some of which helped bring closure to families where life could not be saved. In 2011 she was commended by the Chief Constable of Derbyshire for her work on a search.
Handlers and their dogs put in a phenomenal amount of work into becoming the team which is so effective at searching in all weathers and terrains. None of this is possible without those people who volunteer to assist the training of search dogs, whether handlers, the folk that lay on the damp hillside waiting for the trainee dogs to find them, or the public who donate so generously.
Enjoy the pictures below of memories of Megan.
Standown Megan
#offthehill #standdown #sardog
Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England
One comment
Sorry to hear of Megs passing. Worked with her and Dave a number of times and was so privileged to be there on her first operational find.