Zeus - Human Remains Detection - Water

Fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Water Submerged Cadaver Detection Dog. Owner - Colin Monk Zeus is a 3-year old Newfoundland Dog. Trained and qualified in water and bank human remains detection. He started his scent imprinting training at 6 months old. successfully achieved this certification at 17 months of age and is one of the youngest dogs in the UK to achieve this level of qualification. Zeus excels when on the boat or around water. He has been working for the emergency services both in the UK and overseas.

Shadow - Human Remains Detection - Land

Fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Cadaver Detection Dog.

Owner - Adrian Rogulski

Shadow is an experienced 8-year-old German Shepherd and a proven operational Human Remains Detection dog. He is fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Cadaver Detection Dog and works confidently across both land and water search environments.

His scent work began early—starting foundation training at just 8 months old, with cadaver training introduced at 14 months. Over the years, Shadow has developed into a steady, hard-working dog with exceptional drive and determination.

Shadow is comfortable operating in a wide range of challenging settings, including open fields, riverbanks, woodland, collapsed structures, grave sites, and complex disaster-style environments. Focused and reliable, he brings a strong working presence to every search—yet at the end of the day, his favourite reward is still the simplest one: a piece of cardboard.

Woody - Human Remains Detection - Land

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.

Vendetta - Human Remains Detection - Land

• Fully qualified NASDU Level 3 Cadaver Detection Dog

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.

Koda – Live Person Air Scent and Live Person Trailing/Tracking

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

Jackson – Live Person Trailing/Tracking

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.

Samhain - In Training Live Person Trailing/Tracking

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.

Salvo - Human Remains Detection - Water

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.

Hunter - German Sheperd - 6 Years Old

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.

India - Live Person Trailing/Tracking

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 - Human Remains Detection – Water

Monty is a working Cocker Spaniel. Trained and qualified in water & bank human remains detection

Rocky - Scent Specific Trailing Dog

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.

• GAK9 L3 Urban Expert
• GAK9 L3 Field Expert
• Skills for Justice Trailing Team (2019)

Kára – Human Remains Detection (HRD) Dog

Owner - Adrian Rogulski

Kára is a young German Shepherd with a focused, driven nature and a real love for work. She began her training from just 10 weeks old and has developed into a confident, highly motivated operational dog.

Her name comes from Norse mythology — Kára is a valkyrie, often linked with the meaning “wild” or “stormy” — which suits her perfectly: energetic, bold, and determined when she’s on a task.

Kára is now a qualified Human Remains Detection (HRD) dog. In training and on deployments she shows strong commitment, clear working behaviour, and excellent handler focus, making her a valuable part of our Victim Recovery capability.

Spice - Scent Specific Trailing Dog

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).

Ohfa - In Training Human Remains Detection Dog

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.

Meth - In Training Human Remains Detection

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.

Harper - In Training Human Remain Detection Dog

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.

Sigrid - Scent Specific Trailing Dog

Owner Alex Hughes

Sigrid is a 4 year old Belgian Malinois, qualified as trailing dog with GAK9 Europe (Rural lvl 2)

OJO - Fundraiser

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

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.

HUC – English Springer Spaniel (Trainee HRD Dog)

Affectionately nicknamed “Captain Chaos,” HUC is an English Springer Spaniel with boundless enthusiasm and an unstoppable desire to work. Often resembling a bull in a China shop, subtlety isn’t always his strongest suit, but determination certainly is. His work ethic is off the scale, and when there’s a job to be done, HUC throws himself into it with energy, commitment, and pure joy. Quite simply, he was born to work, and he does so with flair, drive, and plenty of character.

Raven

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

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

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. 

Flash - Therapy Dog

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

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.