Rochelle Fidler, 28, of Ashley, and 14-month-old ridgeback-labrador cross Bounce are the country's newest and youngest operational dog-tracking team for Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR).
Rochelle was one of our students who studied our National Certificate in Dog Training back in 2000. She has also works as a vet nurse. I well remember her first dog, Smudge, who sadly died of cancer. Really pleased to hear that she is doing so well with Bounce as she has been involved in Search and Rescue from a very young age - as she says:
" Finding a missing person with a tracking dog was an "addiction", she said.
"That's why I still pursue search dogs. Once you have had that find, you just want to do it again and again."
Fidler and Bounce could be called on to search for someone anywhere in the country as there were so few teams, she said.
"I am the only one in Canterbury with an operational tracking search dog," Fidler said.
"When I first got operational I was the only female tracking dog-handler and the youngest at 20. Now I'm still the youngest at 28. It's quite amazing."
Well done Rochelle - and all the best with Bounce :) Some people are going to really appreciate meeting you working together! They just don't know it yet.
