AFTER extensive training, a woman and her dog are going to join an Oxfordshire search team.

Jacqueline Stanley, a conveyor at Spratt Endicott’s Buckingham office, and her dog – a black and tan Coonhound called Ernie – have signed up to OxSAR, a volunteer Lowland Rescue team.

Ms Stanley is training to become a Search Technician while her dog is training to be a Trailing Search Dog.

OxSAR (Oxfordshire Lowland Search and Rescue) works with Thames Valley Police to find vulnerable missing people in the county.

OxSAR were handed an £11K grant last month to enhance the vital work they do across the county.

After noticing how well Ernie could find things, and learning about the organisation more, the 58-year-old decided to start training and join.

It comes as part of a new national initiative called Search Dog Heroes, run by Lowland Rescue, in partnership with the charity, Missing People.

Ms Stanley said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be undertaking my training. It’s been really inspiring to hear about the work that OxSAR do and I’m so excited to be joining and helping out myself.”

Police forces across the country rely upon Lowland Search and Rescue Teams to provide a reliable resource of unpaid but well-trained professionals to find missing people.

OxSAR is one of the busiest Search and Rescue units in the UK, receiving around 60 calls a year and the team are available all day, every day of the year.

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While Coonhounds have specific traits that help with searches, the dogs used by Lowland Rescue come from an array of breeds, with all sorts of dogs suited to the task.

Ms Stanley said: “It’s certainly worth the effort so far and Ernie is loving the challenge. His trainer comes over from France, and she’s tasked with training international rescue dogs – so you can appreciate the standard of the training involved.

“OxSAR, despite being a voluntary organisation, are trained to professional standards – and are prepared to search waterways, forests and even use drones to help find people.”

James Keatley of OxSAR, said: "We are very proud to be a part of Search Dogs Heroes and we are all looking forward to seeing Ernie's progress. Trailing dogs are another highly valuable asset we are delighted to be adding to our team".

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Search Dog Heroes is funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund, which is annually awarded to charities for collaborative and innovative projects to support people in the UK and abroad.

Ms Stanley said: “We’re so grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for this support. Training with OxSAR can be an expensive business due to the high standards that are required, so the funding really is invaluable in ensuring we get to cover off everything that’s needed.”