VIP puppy Derek is the newest addition to a team of life-saving pooches.

The 15-week-old golden retriever will start training with Medical Detection Dogs, the charity which teaches clever canines to detect impending medical emergencies.

Volunteer Debbie Roberts, 55, will take Derek into her home for a year to get him used to social situations.

The Eynsham resident, who also runs Dog Stop in the village, said: “He has lived with me since he was eight weeks old.

“He comes to the shops, morris dancing, to church – he gets as many experiences as possible so he is used to every type of situation.

“He could end up training a child where he will be in school, or an adult where he will go into work. It’s my job to bring him up properly and get him as well socialised as possible.

“The relationship between the dog and their partner is crucial. They are their lifesavers.”

Derek rounded off a fantastic period for the Milton-Keynes based charity’s Oxfordshire group, who have had their best year of fundraising.

Heather Shute, from Milton-under-Wychwood, said: “We raised over £20,000 last year and gained several new volunteers.

“We now have a team of seven speakers who can give talks countywide and beyond.”

The group will be collecting in Witney on March 5 and April 29 and is planning a dog show for June 19.

Derek joins other lifesavers from the charity’s Oxfordshire arm, including Willow, who detects airborne traces of nuts, and Molly, who supports a 12-year-old boy with brittle type one diabetes.

Mrs Roberts has volunteered with the charity for six years.

She said: “I’ve always been passionate about dogs. You get very attached to them, you can’t help it. But you have to take a step back for the bigger picture and realise they will be going off to other people.”

Derek lives in her house with her three pet dogs – a golden retriever, a poodle and a yorkipoo – plus her husband and her mum.

Once he has been ‘socialised’, another trainer will teach him to detect specific warning signs before he is paired up with someone who needs him.