North Highlands’ Assynt Mountain Rescue Team recruit lifesaving labrador Abhainn and owner as latest Search & Rescue Dog Association (Scotland) trained recruits for wilderness mercy missions
He is ready to ‘ruff it’ whenever called upon across 4660 square miles of rugged hills, mountain and moorland.
Abhainn’s cute and adorable exterior should not be misinterpreted as any sign of weakness or lack of fortitude or dog-ged determination.
The young ‘labradog’ – 75 per cent labrador and 25 per cent springer spaniel – and owner Jim Bunting successfully passed their Search & Rescue Dog Association (Scotland) assessment in the Cairngorms last weekend.
That means they will now be complementing Assynt Mountain Rescue Team’s set of search dog teams from this week, on standby to assist across the whole of Caithness and Sutherland and, occasionally, beyond.
The pair are now classed as an operational novice search dog team with Abhainn part of a pack featuring the more experienced Glen, Conival and Freya on the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team callout list, ready to respond 24/7 through 365 days of the year.
Team leader Ben Dyson said: “Assynt Mountain Rescue Team covers the entire area of mainland Scotland north of Dornoch on the east and Drumrunie Junction on the west. That’s over 7500 sq km2, or 4660 sq miles of mostly wilderness.
“Dogs are thought to have a sense of smell that is 1000 times more sensitive than a human being.
“This combined with their boundless energy and innate enthusiasm makes them a very useful resource in finding missing folk in Scotland’s wild places.
“Given the remoteness of the area we cover, having four operational SARDA (Scotland) dog teams on our call-out list is a real asset.
“All the SARDA (Scotland) dog teams make themselves available 24/7 and 365 days a year to assist mountain rescue teams across the length and breadth of the country.
“This combined with the additional training requirements makes being a dog handler a huge commitment, and, like all our team members, they do this on an entirely voluntary basis.”
Six other Scottish search dog teams passed their assessment last weekend.
To support Assynt Mountain Rescue Team, donations can be made HERE.
