Red alert as border collie joins Staffordshire rescue team
Search teams in Staffordshire can now dial Code Red in emergencies after a border collie and his handler passed their exams.
Dave Barley and his pet Red have met national standards to qualify as a search and rescue partnership and become the first dog team of the Staffordshire Search and Rescue charity.
The 49-year-old and his two-year-old dog have completed 18 months of training and can now join the emergency services to look for missing people.
They are qualified to negotiate varied terrain including high land, buildings and skips.
Postman Mr Barley, from Rugeley, has had Red since he was eight weeks old. The rigorous training programme included time in the Peak District and learning command techniques.
Father-of-two Dave, a search and rescue volunteer, said: "There are only approximately 200 dog handlers that are at the national standard and when you consider that is in a population of around 60 million it is not many."
