CALDER Valley Search and Rescue Team has a new recruit in the shape of ten-week old border collie Wynn who is to start the training for mountain rescue search work shortly.

Her owner and handler David Warden has been a member of the search and rescue team for 20 years and Wynn is his third dog to be trained up.

The training is expected to take about two years and is done to the standards of the Search and Rescue Dog Association.

Once Wynn's training has been completed it is hoped that she will then join the team.

Search dogs have been a part of CVSRT since 1977 and currently the team have four air-scenting search dogs and handlers. Over the years there have been 15 dogs and 10 handlers assisting the team on searches. The dogs are trained to 'air scent' so they react to wind-borne human scent, rather than tracking the missing person.

As part of the training process, "dogsbodies" are used to hone the dogs’ senses, hiding out on the hills for the dogs to find on training and assessment courses.

On Friday the search and rescue team, which operates as a charity and needs to raise £35,000 a year to remain in operation, reached its 900th call out.

To find out more about the CVSRT search dogs to to volunteer to be a "dogsbody" to assist with training, visit cvsrt.org.uk.