Quarantined dog begins training

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/essex/8426692.stm

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A search dog impounded in Essex on her return from an earthquake zone has begun her training with the fire service during her quarantine.

Border collie Darcy, the only search and rescue dog with Essex fire service, was locked up for six months in October under UK quarantine laws.

She had been searching for survivors following an earthquake in Indonesia.

In November, the government agreed she could get daily training after a campaign was made for her release.

Detect survivors

The fire service, MPs and more than 10,800 supporters on Facebook argued Darcy should be exempt from quarantine laws because she has been inoculated and tested negative for rabies.

They also claimed Darcy's ability to detect survivors under rubble would prove crucial in the event of a terrorist attack in the UK.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hilary Benn agreed last month for a secure facility to be made at the fire service's base in Lexden, near Colchester.

It means Darcy can train there each day before returning to her kennels in Stanway in the afternoon.

The site simulates collapsed buildings, and allows staff to hide for Darcy to try to detect them.

Mr Ball is able to train with Darcy in a simulated disaster zone

Handler John Ball, who restarted Darcy's training on Tuesday, said: "She is a very playful dog, when we were only able to visit her for two hours a day at the kennels she would want to play constantly the whole time.

"She's not used to being confined in a kennel, she's got the run of the house when she's with us and spends all her time with me."

Darcy recently accompanied Mr Ball and his wife Helen on a holiday to France, where she behaved "like a puppy again" and trained with a French search team.

He said the week-long trip to Indonesia at the end of September had provided valuable training for him and Darcy, but the consequences had made him reluctant to take her out of the pet passport zone again.

"Being locked up for six months, it's a long time out of a dog's life," he said.

"You cannot simulate an environment like we experienced in Sumatra, but as to whether I would take her again, I don't know."