The Dogs
A multi-disciplinary operational K9 search dog capability. The team are qualified to facilitate deployment into a wide variety of search scenarios.
A multi-disciplinary operational K9 search dog capability. The team are qualified to facilitate deployment into a wide variety of search scenarios.
Our Dogs are highly trained in every possible scenario, all-weather, and difficult environments to meet the highest standards as Search Dogs.
Fully qualified Cadaver Detection Dog.
Owner - Mathew Skillen
Woody is an American Cocker Spaniel. The breed is relatively rare in the UK and can trace its route back to the English Cocker Spaniel that was taken to America by the first European settlers. Woody is a calm and gentle dog who has always wanted to work to please. He has won multiple awards in gun dog work and is the only dog of the breed to possess the Working Gundog Certificate from the Kennel Club and remains an ambassador for the breed in working circles. He has appeared in several magazines and can often be found at Kennel Club events promoting American Cocker Spaniels.
Owner - Tina Walker
Detta is a 4-year-old Malinois. She is primarily an operational NASDU level 2 General Purpose Security dog, keeping both myself and the sites we patrol safe and secure. She has expanded her CV to also become a fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Cadaver Detection Dog. She enjoys her detection work as it is stimulating for her and she loves her ball reward when she has a find. Detta is also a much-loved member of the family and lives with several other dogs in my home.
Owner - Colin Monk
Koda is a 2-year-old Labrador. Koda has been training for 16 months as a Live Person Air Scent and Live Person Tracking detection dog. He has shown lots of potential and is a valuable asset to the team. Koda is now qualified NASDU level 3 live victim-air scent dog
Owner - Colin Monk
Jackson is a young Bloodhound. A breed bred since the Middle Ages for tracking people. He started basic training at 8 weeks old scenting on items of clothing and man-tracking to the person over short distances. He is now qualified by GAK9 Europe and UK-K9 as a Live person-tracking detection dog.
Owner - Tina Walker
Samhain is an 11-month-old Bavarian mountain hound. Bavarian mountain hounds are tracking dogs and so he is training up to also become a qualified live victim (tracking and trailing) search dog. He is at the very early stages of his training and is building the foundations which will land him in good stead for future searches. He is a very loving dog who gets away with being incredibly naughty at times.
Fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Water Submerged Cadaver Detection Dog
Owner – Jayne Nicholson
Salvo is a 7 year old Spanish Water Dog, trained and qualified in submerged water and bank human remains detection. Salvo is a hard working dog, who loves being on a boat, but has a good ‘off switch’ and likes nothing better than playing ball. He is currently undergoing further training to qualify as a NASDU Level 3 Cadaver Detection Dog – Land.
Owner - Lauren Smith
Hunter is a Live Victim Water Rescue Dog.
Hunter is a dog who loves yo work in all environments especially water. He is hugely loved in his home environment which he shares amongst 3 other dogs.
Owner - Colin Monk
India is a young Bloodhound. A breed bred since the Middle Ages for tracking people. She started basic training at 8 weeks old scenting on items of clothing and man-tracking to the person over short distances. She is now qualified by GAK9 Europe as a Live person-tracking detection dog
Monty is a working Cocker Spaniel. Trained and qualified in water & bank human remains detection
Border Collie handled by Sally Smith
Rocky is an experienced trailing dog, able to work in both rural and urban environments. His focus and strong work ethic enable him to discriminate and follow an individual human scent in highly contaminated and distracting environments; and his friendly nature makes him the ideal dog for searching for vulnerable missing people. When not working or training he loves to spend his time running on the fells.
Owner - Adrian Rogulski
Kára is a young German Shepherd who started her training at 10 weeks old. In Norse mythology, Kára is a valkyrie, as attested in the prose epilogue of the Poetic Edda poem Helgakviða Hundingsbana II. The name Kára either means "the wild, stormy one." She is a highly motivated dog and is training to become a qualified Victim Recovery Dog on both water and land.
Spice, born in April 2023, is a Fenhound (Bavarian Mountain Dog x Fenlander).
She started her mantrailing training at 6 weeks old and is a qualified trailing dog with GAK9 Europe (field, rural & urban).
Owner Tina Walker
Ohfa is a two year old Belgian Malinois, son of Detta. He is hoping to follow in his mother's paw steps and become a qualified victim recovery dog.
Owner Lauren Smith.
Meth is a trainee Cadaver Dog with his handler Lauren. He loves to work for both food and his toys. A cheeky chap that loves nothing more than zooming around the fields with his other dog companions.
He is a crossbreed and is always up for working super hard.
Owner Helen Johnson. -Harper is a 3 year old Labrador. She is currently undergoing training to the NCTAS Victim Detection Dog assessment standard for land based searches.
Harper is a very motivated dog, she is a pleasure to both live and work with.
Owner Alex Hughes
Sigrid is a 4 year old Belgian Malinois, qualified as trailing dog with GAK9 Europe (Rural lvl 2)
Meet Ojo, a 12-week-old Labrador puppy with a big mission. He's joining his older siblings, who are part of a specialist search dog team. While still learning, Ojo is already helping out by participating in fundraising efforts. These fundraisers support the team's training and equipment needs. With his siblings' guidance, Ojo is on his way to becoming a skilled dog, all while raising awareness and funds for their vital work.
This young pup is not only full of energy but also full of purpose, making a difference even at such a young age. You can meet Ojo on charity events and say hello to him
Jax is Andy’s 3rd operational search dog. He comes from Eromit Kennels in BC Canada, a breeder with a long history of providing dogs for the emergency services. Jax started his working life from 8 weeks when the breeder prepares the puppies for the life ahead. At 4 years old he has jumped out of helicopters into the mountains, flown in planes to remote hunting camps in NWT Canada and travelled in boats into vast wilderness locations looking for the missing.
He arrived in Scotland in Dec 2024 and has had the privilege of being accepted into the SSD family as an asset for HRD.
Always ready to go to work at a moment’s notice with his home in the Cairngorm mountains of
Scotland is his playground and training area.
Raven is a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois. She came from a Malinois and Dutch shepherd rescue at age of around 5-6 months. She’s a trainee cadaver dog.
She loves to train and spend time running in the mountains in highlands with her three working retrievers house mates. She loves to play tug, work out how to open doors and hanging out in garden.
Storm is a six-year-old Belgian Shepherd (Malinois), known for his boundless energy, razor-sharp focus, and unwavering determination. Currently in training as a tracking and trailing dog, Storm also holds operational status as a dual-purpose detection dog, specialising in the search for electronic storage devices and British sterling currency, a rare skillset that makes him a highly valuable asset in both law enforcement support and specialist search roles.
Storm thrives on high-intensity work and requires a structured routine filled with physical activity and mental stimulation to stay at his best. True to his breed, he is driven, intelligent, and utterly devoted to the job.
Lottie is a two-year-old Fox Red Labrador with a heart full of drive and a nose for the job. She is currently undergoing training as a cadaver (human remains detection) dog and is already showing great promise in her field. Like Storm, Lottie is a high-energy, high-drive dog who needs regular enrichment and purposeful activity to stay balanced and fulfilled. Her natural enthusiasm, coupled with her keen scenting ability, makes her an ideal candidate for this vital and sensitive area of search work.
Description - Flash is a working sheepdog. His skillset is varied. Flash loves to use his eyes to work sheep, his nose to detect human remains, and his friendly temperament to provide emotional and physical support.
Dani is a 2-year-old Belgian Shepherd Malinois and is just beginning her training journey with Specialist Search Dogs. She is being trained as a specialist cadaver (human remains detection) dog, both in land and water searches. Dani is incredibly intelligent, highly driven but very calm and collected at the same time, and she loves working! When Dani is not working, she enjoys agility training and long walks up mountains with her two older brothers, Dennis and Dave.