During an unexpectedly chilly July dawn, on the remote slopes of Comeragh Mountains in Waterford County, I found myself hoping for rescue while secluded behind a stony formation overlooking a lake. Unfortunately, my precise whereabouts were unknown to anyone. Familiar with the complexities of finding lost individuals in such a harsh and relentless mountainous landscape, having participated in a number of extensive searches myself, I understood the challenge. A rescuer could pass as near as five metres and remain oblivious to my position, rendering my wait possibly quite drawn out and frigid.
However, the faint chimes of a bell brought a glimmer of hope as they gradually became louder. Suddenly, a border collie sporting a bright orange search-and-rescue uniform popped onto the ridge, glancing down at me with seeming puzzlement. She appeared and vanished swiftly, soon followed by fervent barks indicating she’s signaled her handler about locating a missing individual.
Shortly after, I was located by Ali Tobin from Sarda Ireland (The Search & Rescue Dogs Association of Ireland). Without a doubt, I was out of danger. While traversing to reunite with other members, Ali acquainted me with Daisy, her search dog. The strong, reliant connection between Daisy and Ali was immediately noticeable with the dog being very eager to please her handler. Ali, full of pride, mentions that she’s the youngest dog handler, at only 19-years-old, to have successfully trained a search-and-rescue dog.
Playacting for a vital role known to search teams as “dogsbody” meant I wasn’t actually lost. This role calls for the person to seclude themselves on the mountainside enabling rescue dogs to locate them for training exercises. Without this crucial component, these dogs wouldn’t be trained to accomplish their rescue missions effectively and efficiently.
The concept of employing dogs for rescue activities in mountainous areas hails from Switzerland originally. Stories have been told for years of St Bernard dogs rescuing stranded travellers amidst the snowy, unforgiving landscapes of the towering Alps, which has been a point of interest for film producers and newspaper editors. Most legends have some truth to them, and this is no different. Journeying through the snow-laden St Bernard Pass, which connects Switzerland to Italy and is usually under snow, was a perilous yet necessary endeavour for many Alpine travellers, and the region has claimed multiple lives. Thus, a hospice was established by Augustinian monks at the peak of the pass, at an elevation of 2,500m, to provide refuge for exhausted travellers.
The monks soon identified that St Bernard dogs native to the region had a keen sense of smell. These dogs were adept at locating individuals buried in the snow and had remarkable skills in navigating blizzards. Therefore, the Augustinians started deploying these dogs in snowstorms to find lost or injured travellers.
The charming, photogenic St Bernards inevitably became a subject of various legends, including the widely believed claim that the dogs were always equipped with brandy barrels around their necks as a revival aid for those rescued. However, while unfounded, it was indeed evident that these robust dogs were significantly more efficient and faster in tracking down lost travellers in comparison to humans. Barry, one of the most famous St Bernards, supposedly rescued over 40 people during his lifetime.
While these dogs relied purely on their instincts to rescue travellers and had no formal training, the situation with modern rescue dogs is different. In order to understand the deviation in the method, I accompany Sarda Ireland to a training session in the Comeragh Mountains’ Lough Mohra region.
Upon reaching, I’m taken aback by the absence of St Bernards, pushing me to inquire Gerry Tobin, former training officer with Sarda Ireland, why the iconic, Alpine dogs aren’t included.
“Indeed, St Bernards are quite proficient at search-and-rescue missions, especially when we’re dealing with deep snow, where their strength comes to the fore. But in Ireland, we don’t encounter such heavy snowfall, and the dogs being large and heavy, pose problems when transported by helicopter. Therefore, we majorly make use of smaller breeds, which are just as effective in finding missing persons and are more mobile and convenient to airlift into search zones,” Tobin explains.
As we anticipate the commencement of the training exercise, Gerry shares with me some intriguing backstories of Sarda’s genesis. Gerry narrates that the inception of Sarda could be traced back to 1965 when Hamish MacInnes, a revered mountaineer from Scotland, embarked on a visit to a dog training programme in Switzerland. The intention was to understand the mechanism of training rescue dogs to pinpoint victims engulfed by avalanches. It sparked an idea in MacInnes’ mind whether these dogs could be educated to detect individuals lost on open mountains and blended in the heather and woodland of the isles.
The dogs proved themselves adept at this, leading to the establishment of Sarda in Scotland. The organisation quickly demonstrated its value by locating corpses dispersed widely following the catastrophic Lockerbie air accident. Inspired by the accomplishments of the Scottish rescue dogs, Sarda Ireland was initiated in 1987. Ever since it has operated as a charity foundation, heavily reliant on volunteers, actively training and deploying search Canine teams to track down missing people in Ireland.
When Gerry is asked about the preferred breed for search-and-rescue dogs, he asserts, “The dog’s temperament and physique are ranked higher than its breed. Large dogs tend to fall behind due to their excessive weight and sluggish speed during quick searches. In contrast, their smaller counterparts lack the stamina and swiftness to travel across considerable distances. We predominantly select our dogs from the midsize working breeds, with our team boasting an array of German shepherds, border collies, springers, retrievers and a single Labrador.”
He further explains that dogs have a significantly stronger sense of smell than humans. Therefore, they can sniff out the scent in the air to locate missing people, who constantly shed skin particles into the air. Dogs’ exceptional smelling abilities allow them to find people who are otherwise invisible, often in areas that human rescuers cannot infiltrate. They are particularly efficient when human abilities are considerably hampered, such as in the darkness, forests, dense bushes, and poor visibility.
He mentions two trail dogs undergoing training to serve on a leash. They are being taught to track a solitary human scent while ignoring other human scents around them. Such dogs will prove to be invaluable when the missing person’s last known location is established. However, in all other scenarios, the air-scent dogs reign supreme, he concludes.
Our exploration of the process starts as we head towards an open mountainside where the training drill is set to begin. A volunteer, known as a dogsbody, has already been dispatched to a concealed location within the area to be searched. Helen Connolly guides her Border collie, Rosie, to a higher ground leeward of the search area. Promptly, Rosie commences her quest, energetically zigzagging across the wind, as she endeavours to locate a human scent.
After some time, a thrilled outcry emanates from Gerry Tobin, “She’s got it”. He clarifies that Rosie successfully sniffed the human scent as evidenced by her new posture, with her head raised and movement in a uniform direction.
Yet, the search doesn’t proceed linearly. The scent trail leads to the foot of a compact, stone-lined cliff. Tobin highlights at this juncture, an intelligent dog is needed, one who can abandon the scent and tries to navigate around the cliff. The dog must thereafter return to the area where the scent is presumably the strongest.
Rosie, with her wealth of experience, swiftly figures out how to detour around the cliff and climbs upwards to recapture the scent. She then skillfully navigates through rocky formations, homing in on the concealed person. The successful find is declared with an enthusiastic bark, after which Rosie hastily returns to Helen and escorts her to the dogsbody.
After the drill, I converse with Connolly concerning her canine ally. She shares with me that Rosie participated in multiple rescue missions in the Comeraghs and Galtee mountains, MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, and the Mount Brandon range. I question her about what kindles Rosie’s persistence to continue searching in such challenging terrains. Connolly enlightens me, “Rosie is rewarded with praise and her most-cherished toy every time she locates a missing person. This serves as an impetus for her to continue her pursuit. Therefore, we initially look for dogs with a strong desire to play that are eager to take cues from their handler.”
How does one go about locating a misplaced individual in unfamiliar surroundings, for a canine and handler? “We are directed to a designated sector by the officials, where we define a so-called scent-collecting border on the downwind section of the region. The dog proceeds across this border in search of any possible scent. Should the search prove fruitless, Rosie advances further into the zone, targeting the most probable spots where the lost person may be. We persist in traversing back and forth until we make a discovery or certify the location as empty. Verifying an area as free acts as a major assist to the search-and-rescue crew as it condenses the range within which the missing individual is presumed to be.”
Later, I converse with Winnie Flynn, a voluntary dog-handler, enquiring about her initiation into this role. “I’ve always been fond of dogs, having grown up surrounded by them. I was mesmerised by a demonstration of search dogs while being part of the South East Mountain Rescue Team and instantly knew this was something I wanted to pursue. I spent two years in search of an appropriate dog for training that had a congenial demeanour with humans and other dogs. Eventually, in 2019, I adopted a golden retriever/collie cross named Flame from a family in Cork.”
What was the training process for Flame to become a rescue dog? “The process spanned approximately two years. Initially, I had to encourage Flame to enjoy playing with a toy and to bark whenever she desired the toy, although this could be slightly disruptive to others at home. Subsequently, we played games of hide-and-seek, rewarding her with a toy and plenty of commendation when she found me. It’s fundamentally about search and reward. Prior to any official mountain training, a dog must pass a test demonstrating obedience and indifference to livestock, illustrating training to comply with the handler and disregard livestock. The concluding assessment is a rigorous three-day test aiming to demonstrate the dog’s ability to confront all search-and-rescue challenges across various terrains and conditions, also highlighting how well the dog and handler can operate as a team. I was thrilled beyond measure when Flame successfully cleared the test.”
Next, I meet a chap grasping firmly to a delightful nine-week-old German shepherd pup named Raidr, who has journeyed from Dublin to participate in a Sarda training session. This man, Richie Donelan, an ex-athlete and fell runner, confides that he’s always had a deep love for animals, spending a significant chunk of his youth handling horses. While he took great pleasure in fell running, he concluded that his swift pace deprived him of truly savouring the upland landscapes. “Most of the time, your gaze remains fixed on your footing, missing much else,” he explained.
Keen to become a working dog owner, he became a member of Sarda Ireland to gain a deeper understanding of the obligations that come along with the role, and to make a positive contribution in gratitude for the wonderful hillside experiences he cherished. Over the last one and half years, Donelan has been generously volunteering his time as a dogsbody during training exercises, an experience enabling him to gain a true sense of what it takes to be a rescue dog handler.
Donelan radiates with joy as he reveals that he has managed to acquire Raidr, a puppy gifted by Brendan and Kate Lawlor from Kalee Lodge Kennels located in Co Offaly. This puppy is being trained to be an air-scenting search dog. He is certain that this life will provide the best fulfillment for Raidr as it gives him a mission; something typically cherished by working breeds. “Air-scenting dogs work are cut loose and frequently out of sight, having the freedom to explore as they wish. This necessitates an important sense of mutual trust between the handler and the dog. This is the balanced relationship I want to shape with Raidr,” Donelan states.
After a quarter of a century in the field as a rescue dog handler, Gerry Tobin recalls his most profound experience of locating a lost individual. A few years prior, Gerry Tobin and his trusty search dog, Dex, had been roused for assistance late in the evening. Their mission was to locate a missing lady in a dense woodland after she didn’t come back from her stroll. The search was extensive, having been in progress for numerous hours and involving the civil defence, three specialist mountain rescue groups, and a helicopter, with no success.
Tobin and Dex commenced their search just past midnight, immediately venturing into the woodland. Dex started to trace a wooden pathway in the dark, which made Tobin suspect that they were on the right track. Suddenly, Dex darted left, disappearing into the dense shrubs. After a while, Dex returned exhibiting intense barking, signalling his breakthrough. He then guided Tobin across a sodden bog, through the dense undergrowth to reach a bank.
Laid beneath was the unconscious woman they had been seeking. She was suffering from hypothermia and was barely audible in her breath. They remained with her, ensuring warmth until medical aid came. She was then swiftly transported to a hospital. The woman eventually returned to full health. Medical professionals refuted any doubt that had Dex not located the lost woman at that crucial moment, she would have possibly died, unable to survive the night.