Search and Rescue Dogs Association IoM (SARDA) was founded in 2002, providing externally-qualified search and rescue dogs to the Isle of Man since 2004.

Currently, there are three search dogs with their handlers and five dedicated navigators who assist with training and call outs.

The dogs are assessed to a national standard in the British Isles, through rigorous and robust assessment.

In 2019, SARDA had a record number of call outs by police, aiding in 29 searches for missing people.

The charity has consistently provided around-the-clock coverage to the police and other emergency services to search for and give medical assistance to those in need.

Volunteers include a harbour works supervisor, a prison officer and a computer programmer to name a few.

Jim Macgregor is one of the SARDA volunteers. He joined in 2003 and is a full-time geography teacher at St Ninian’s. He’s also the owner of Ruby the SARDA dog, a German Wirehaired Pointer.

He said, ’It takes a while to train the dogs. Different dogs like different things. You’ve got to find what a dog enjoys and give them it as a reward, which is usually toys. With my dog, it’s food. You build it up and it’s all a big game for them. They learn over time to do set exercises.

’We’ve got two different types of dogs. Air Scenting involves finding people in an area, such as a woodland.

’For my dog, I’ll take something like a pillowcase or an item of clothing with a scent of whoever they’re searching for.’

Jim said that SARDA is seeking new volunteers. ’We do try and get new volunteers, as we’re a small organisation .

’With constantly being on call and requiring training and things like that, it is a lot of time for people to give up.

’We do get a lot of people who come along and volunteer to "hide" though.’

He said that the charity’s main aims are to protect and preserve life, and educate the public on dog welfare.

’A lot of it involves talks within the community, such as at the Women’s Institute, Police Cadets, Army Cadets, Scouts, Guides, and there’s also two kids doing their Duke of Edinburgh training with us as well.

’We visit schools and educate people about what we do but also how to respect dogs too.’

SARDA relies solely on donations and Jim said that it’s rewarding for him and the other volunteers to see how much the island’s community appreciates their services.

’I think the biggest thing is finding someone. We’ve had situations which have been happy endings and some which result in, unfortunately, dead people. However, when you do find them it provides closure to their families.

’To be able to get a dog to do that is quite amazing. My dog, Ruby, for example, can get a scent from the visor of a car at the scene of a car crash.

’If the person’s left the area and she can find where they’ve gone, it saves police a lot of time - there was an incident in Foxdale, searching for a girl and within a few minutes the dog found them.’

Jim said to enable a SARDA dog to be qualified takes a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. ’To qualify a dog to that high a standard is quite an achievement.

’We get tested by handlers in the UK too and it keeps the standard high. By doing so, it’s good to be able to help the emergency services quicker.’

SARDA volunteers not only have to train with the search dogs but also need to hold a current first aid certificate. They are also trained in the use of Tetra radios.

The charity mainly help the police, but also assist the coastguard, civil defence and fire service.

Jim said that SARDA have also successfully introduced a trailing dog to the Isle of Man.

His dog Ruby can follow the scent and locate a missing person more than 24 hours after they have gone missing.

Ruby is only the sixth dog in the whole of the British Isles that can do this and successfully discriminate a scent and find a specific person - a first for the island.

He said about Matt and Holly: ’Matt was named after someone who passed away in the UK, and Holly is the oldest dog that we’ve got, about nine, and she was a rescue dog from the MSPCA.

’She was six months old when she was adopted and had been beaten, and through a lot of patience and training she’s who she is today, trained to a fantastic standard.

’Holly is a runner - she loves running big, open areas.

’Matt is very keen to please his handler all of the time, runs around a lot but is good at finding things. Ruby’s wired a bit different, a bit crazy.

’I had a previous dog before her who was quite aggressive, it was strange, as they didn’t actually like people but Ruby loves people, goes in and hugs people with loads of kisses.

’I’ve taken her into schools and other scenarios and she goes bonkers. She’s particularly good at finding food in people’s bags.’

SARDA regularly have had debriefs from the police thanking them for its efforts. Last year, the team was awarded a prize in the annual police awards ceremony at the Gaiety Theatre for its assistance in locating a young lady who had entered the sea near Ramsey.

Over the last two lockdowns and this one, Jim said that there haven’t been a lot of call outs, but during other times the scenarios range from car crashes to people becoming lost out walking, but the vast majority of people who go missing when SARDA are called are often experiencing a mental health crisis.

He said, ’I know there was something in the news recently that 16 people had tried to take their own lives, and I think only one of those had actually attempted it, but clearly, people have been affected by the pandemic.

’I think it’s the same in parts of the UK, such as somewhere in Wales near where we go for training. They’ve only had four call outs during their lockdown.’

The charity supported Hospice IoM last year, fundraising by dressing as the SARDA mascot, ’Manxie Dog’ in a dog suit and walked the entire length of the TT course, raising more than £2,800.

Jim said that the community is vital to the success of SARDA and is hopeful that their nomination for the Isle of Man Newspapers’ Local Hero Award at November’s Awards for Excellence will help to raise awareness for all that the charity does for the island.

’It’s nice to get nominated for the Awards and it’s a good idea for businesses to get involved, as we are completely self-funded by donations.’

To find out more, visit www.sardaiom.im, facebook.com/sardaiom or email [email protected]