In this series, we shine a light on the lesser known charities in the island.
Our next charity is the Isle of Man Search and Rescue Dog Team (Charity 918).
We spoke to the charity about their work, and why is is so vital for the island.
Who are you / What do you do?
Our charity is Search & Rescue Dogs Isle of Man.
We have two aims:
l The main one is to search for, and rescue, missing people from the island.
We work with the Inland Search and Rescue Group and are called out by the Isle of Man police when someone goes missing. We are available 24/7.
There are currently two search dog teams on call: Gary Wright with search dog Holly and Marc Marshall with search dog Matt. There are also Jim Macgregor and Ruby, who are awaiting an assessment to get back on the call out rota.
We also have two potential new search dogs in training. Ben with Steve and Olivia with Fig.
When we are training in the UK we are also available for call outs with mountain rescue teams and have been used in both England and Wales including on some very high-profile call outs.
l Our secondary aim is about educating people about the dogs.
This involves visiting schools, groups like Women’s Institutes and others with talks and presenting demonstrations to the police/police cadets/army cadets etc.
Why / when did you form?
We formed in 2004 to provide Search and Rescue dogs to the island as there previously weren’t any.
What has been your biggest achievement?
Biggest achievement is maintaining dogs on call for the last 22 years.
Not all search dogs make the grade, so to maintain this level is quite an achievement.
Also we have had numerous finds and some in the island have been life saving finds which makes all the commitment worthwhile.
What is your biggest ambition for the future?
The main goal is to keep up our current high standards and keep dogs on the call out list so that they are available to help search for missing or injured people in the island.
How can people get involved?
You can get in touch through:
l Our Facebook page: ‘Search and Rescue Dog Association (Isle of Man)’
l Our website: https://sardaiom.im/contact/
l Our email at: [email protected]
Where can people find you ad where can they donatE?
We have a donate button on our homepage where all money donated goes to the charity: https://sardaiom.im.
We also have a PayPal giving fund at: https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3883908
l If you would like to be featured, email: siobhan. [email protected]