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Mountain rescue now have dedicated dog teams

Lorna Kelly (Luggala Estate Executive Administrator); Maurice Brady (DWMRT Team Leader) with search Dog Layla; Terry Byrne (DWMRT Chairperson); Michael Keegan (Luggala Estate Farm Manager); Philip McRory (DWMRT Team Member and Dog Handler) with search dog Grace.

© Wicklow People

Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team (DWMRT) now has a dedicated search dog team comprised of four qualified search dogs and two in training. The team is further divided into air scenting and ground scenting dogs. Ground scenting dogs will follow the trail of a specific person whereas air scenting dogs will look for any people present in a given area.

These dogs and their handlers have a huge impact in searching for missing people in the upland areas.

DWMRT is a volunteer-run charity that provides 24/7, on-call emergency response services in upland areas in Dublin and Wicklow.

In 2020, the Roundwood based organisation had a record year with 117 callouts, representing 2,516 operational hours of search and rescue operations. A rise in interest in walking among the general public during Covid-19 has meant the service has never been busier. The team's main fundraising events were also impacted due to Covid.

Maurice Brady, DWMRT Team Leader, said that he has been delighted with the public support for the team, citing a recent bucket collection on Luggala Estate where responsible walkers contributed €500 to the appeal.

DWMRT currently conducts some of its training exercises on Luggala Estate. Last month Maurice's German Shepherd, Layla, qualified as a Level 3, Live Victim Man Trailing search dog during an assessment that took place on the estate.

Luggala is a private, working estate that provides responsible walking groups with access to walks on the grounds of the 1,800-hectare estate through a booking system.

Maurice thanked Luggala for their partnership and support for the team.

'We are very grateful to be allowed to train on the estate and we thank Luggala for arranging a collection on our behalf. Our volunteers provide 24/7 on-call assistance to the public with minimal state support.

'At a time when demand for our services is growing, now more than ever we sincerely appreciate the generosity of all the walkers who donated money to the Luggala DWMRT collection.'

Lorna Kelly, Luggala Estate's Executive Administrator, added: 'We were delighted to welcome the DWMRT team onto the estate last month to run their training exercises.

'Having seen the teams in action, we have such huge admiration for the services they provide and so we are delighted to lend our support to their fundraising efforts.'