Pip found safe and well……
Although not a call out…. the team did go out on a rescue mission!!
On Saturday, 5th October, a couple who were on holiday had been walking on Torver Back Common, an area which rises quite steeply at times above the western shoreline of Coniston Water. There are many footpaths and sheep trods frequenting this partially wooded and bracken covered region. The gentleman had slipped and let go of Pip along with her extendable lead. This had spooked poor Pip who then ran off.
Although the couple searched for a long time she could not be found. Posters were placed in strategic positions around Torver and Coniston. The Team was contacted on Monday evening by a fantastic organisation called Dog Lost http://www.doglost.co.uk/ asking if we would keep a look out for Pip, a small Jack Russell terrier.
Tuesday evening was a training night for the team and it so happened that it was to be centred around Searching, with a practice on Torver Common. It was agreed that we should carry out a search for the dog as part of the training. Details were taken from the owner as to where and when it was last seen or heard, as well as Pip’s personality and useful traits. Squeaky toys and treats seemed high on the agenda as good searching tools.
After the initial training on methods and techniques to be employed, the team split into two, with details of the areas to be covered. One team took the high route and the other followed the shore path, looking above the path itself with the aim to rendezvous at a given point. Line searches (where members walked in a line but at a distance apart) were carried out by the teams, but this was at times an arduous task because of the rough terrain.
When we met up, there had been no sign of Pip….. so we decided to return to the landrovers but to carry out one last long line search covering the open ground above the tree line.
And then we struck gold! One of the team members saw what he thought were “cats eyes”, but were in fact Pip’s eyes. Her lead had been snagged in the bracken so although she could run around, she could not actually go very far. The relief and sheer amazement that we had actually found her, was felt by everyone involved in the search.
She was well, just cold and hungry. The very excited little dog emptied her bowels on one member as a show of appreciation!!!!!, before being carried back to the vehicles nestled in a jacket and fed the occasional “Cheesy Bite” and dog biscuit along the way.
Pip was reunited with her very grateful owners who had made their way to the Base.
A brilliant training session which lasted 3 hours and involved 13 team personnel.
