Former rescue dog praised for saving earthquake survivors
Davey successfully found three survivors of the earthquake in Turkey.
The work of a former rescue dog has been celebrated after he returned from his first international deployment as a search and rescue dog in Turkey following the recent earthquake.
Davey, a six-year-old springer spaniel, spent ten days working in the city of Antakya alongside his handler Lindsay Sielski with UK International Search and Rescue (UK ISAR).
Arriving within 72 hours of the earthquake, Davey searched through 40 buildings per day to locate survivors. He found one survivor on his first day and went on to locate two more.
Since returning to the UK, Davey has been celebrated for his achievements. He has even joined his handler on BBC Breakfast, where she talked about the work he did in very difficult conditions.
In his regular job, Davey serves as a member of the Lancashire fire and rescue team and also helps Lancashire police search for missing persons.
Although he is settled now, Davey had a difficult start in life. When he was just one years old, Davey’s owners at the time gave him to Dogs Trust Shoreham as they could no longer care for him. After a month in the care of the charity, he began training as a search dog in Lancashire.
Ms Sielski, who works as Lancashire fire and rescue canine team lead, said: “Davey is a very special search dog. He is so agile and his dexterity is phenomenal. He doesn’t get overly excited on searches, he doesn’t give wrong answers, he works effortlessly and methodically - it is beautiful to witness. He has the magical on-off switch. He comes home at the end of the working day with me as part of the family and is a different dog.
“Search dogs like Davey play such a vital role that not only protects the health and safety of all Fire and Rescue teams, but they also protect our mental health by searching in areas we can’t. Davey and the other three dogs deployed to Turkey carried out their work flawlessly.”
RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.
