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    • Search dog Millie retires after 10 years of service
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    Search dog Millie retires after 10 years of service

    Umito Posted on

    A search dog who contributed to almost 150 jobs in 10 years has been retired.

    Eleven-year-old Millie was just a puppy when she went to live with her owner Darren Yeates and his family in 2013.

    Mr Yeates said she was “a natural” with her training and they had built an “incredibly strong relationship… something only a working dog handler can appreciate”.

    Millie has been involved in police searches in the Lowlands, including Wiltshire, Sussex, Dorset, Surrey and Kent.

    Millie, a brown and white Springer Spaniel, sitting in front of her owner Darren Yeates in a field. Darren wears a bright orange high visibility jacket with a walkie talkie attached.

    Mr Yeates and Millie carried out around 150 searches together (Darren Yeates)

    Describing their relationship, Mr Yeates, who lives in Worthing, said: “I can say what she wants and she can say where I want her to go.

    “If you’ve been watching us search, you might be surprised how little I say.”

    This is voluntary work that Mr Yeates does as part of his day job.

    He explained that plains rescue often involves finding people who don’t know they are lost, for example who may have dementia or who don’t want to be found.

    “To put it bluntly, we can search for dead people,” he said.

    He said in these cases it is very important that they can sometimes help bring closure to family members.

    Millie the dog lying in the woods with fall leaves all around her and a yellow tennis ball in her mouth.

    Mr Yeates said when searching a dense forest a dog is the best asset they have (Darren Yeates)

    They were recently called in to support a large multi-team search in Wiltshire, which he said was “humbling”.

    “You’re only a small part, but you’re an important actor,” Mr. Yeates said.

    “In this day and age of technology and drones, one dog equals 20-foot searchers…when you have a thick forest, drones are no good and a dog is the best asset we have.”

    Millie, a brown and white springer spaniel, with her owner Darren Yeates and a group of 16 other members of Sussex Search and Rescue. They are lined up in two rows, dressed in high-visibility yellow and orange coats, in front of a white van with the organization's name on the side.

    Millie and her owner Darren Yeates registered with Sussex Search Dogs in 2014 (Sussex Search and Rescue Team)

    Millie will live out her retirement with the family, although Mr Yeates said it would be difficult to go on research without her.

    “We can be called at any time of the day or night and she hears the alarm as much as I do.

    “Usually I would hear it and turn over in bed and there would be a pair of eyes looking at me and asking, ‘Are we going?'”

    Two brown and white Springer Spaniels standing on a shingle beach with a wooden breakwater in the background. The oldest dog, Millie, retires from research work. Koda, the youngest dog, is trained to do this.

    Searching for dog Millie with young dog Koda who is now trained to follow in her footsteps (Darren Yeates)

    Mr. Yeates’ next challenge is to train Koda, Millie’s successor, who is also a member of their family.

    “I’m trying to take everything out of Millie’s head and put it into Koda’s head, even though they’re very different dogs,” he said.

    He added that he was extremely proud to have worked with Millie.

    “She really cares and is very intuitive with a good idea of ​​what you are thinking and she has truly earned her retirement.”

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