A Lake District search dog has been honoured with the animal equivalent of an OBE for her outstanding career.
Border Collie Skye completed over 200 searches during her 11-year career with Kendal Mountain Rescue Team and was believed to be the oldest working mountain rescue search dog when she retired in September 2020 aged 14-and-a-half.
She has been given the PDSA Order of Merit for her outstanding devotion to duty and service to society and is one of 24 dogs and 12 horses to receive the honour from the animal charity.
Skye, with her handler John Leadbetter, 49, searched day and night in all weathers, supporting the Lake District mountain rescue teams to locate people.
Her unique skills have helped her to clear and discount vast areas of land on searches in often treacherous conditions, speeding up searches and enabling people to be found quickly.
PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Skye with our PDSA Order of Merit.
“Her exceptional skills and outstanding devotion above and beyond that of normal companionship make her a very worthy recipient, and we feel this is a fitting tribute to her lifetime of dedication and hard work.
“Her long and distinguished career has not only seen her protect and help people in danger, her ambassadorial work has helped to raise important funds and increase awareness of the incredible work these mountain rescue teams perform.”
John, who has 30 years of experience working in mountain rescue, said: “Skye means everything to me, she’s my best friend on the fells and we’re life-long partners.
“To see her receive the PDSA Order of Merit is a truly humbling and touching experience, and it’s a wonderful recognition of the time and hard work that search dogs and their teams dedicate to mountain safety. To say we’re chuffed is an understatement!”
Skye’s story
Born in 2006, Skye initially served as a puppy trainee with Bowland Pennine MRT before transferring to Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team.
After completing her training with the Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dog Association she graded, qualifying in 2009, and continued to serve with Duddon and Furness as a graded search dog until transferring to Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team, and finallyKendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team.
She and John have attended searches all over the Lake District, from the remotest valleys to the widest coastal expanses, but they were also sent further afield to Lancashire, the Pennines and Scotland.
Some of her most notable searches include
- September 2012 – a family were reported late returning from a walk during worsening weather. Skye and John were assigned to a remote valley, heading into bad weather she searched for 20 minutes before indicating she had found the family, ending what could have been a long and complex search.
- November 2014 – a family had become disorientated on a mountain summit as darkness fell. The team were able to locate the family at the summit, and Skye provided support and comfort to one of the children as they descended the mountain, the light on her harness and gentle nature helping to keep the child calm.
- January 2018 – Skye provided assistance in a 72-hour search for a missing lone walker on Scafell Pike. She and John were able to search and clear vast tracts of land in treacherous conditions, until the walker was finally located.
Throughout her career Skye has also provided valuable community outreach as an ambassador for search dogs.
She has helped to raise vital funds for the Search Dogs and Mountain Rescue Teams, as well as meeting people at talks and giving demonstrations of her skills to schools, youth groups and scouts, as well as at Rotary clubs and Women’s Institute events.
Skye’s final callout was on September 11 2020, for a search co-ordinated by the Kendal team. UK.
Now aged nearly 16, Skye is enjoying a full and happy retirement with John and his family. She still loves to get out on the hills and fells, although her pace is just a little slower these days.
The citation for Skye’s award reads: “For an 11-year career of distinguished service with Mountain Search and Rescue Teams in the Lake District, 2009-2020.”
