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Search dog Millie retires after 10 years of service

Darren Yeates Millie the brown and white Springer Spaniel standing in water with her red search and rescue harness on.Darren Yeates
Millie has been a search dog for 10 years

A search dog who has helped with nearly 150 jobs over 10 years has been retired.

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

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

Millie has assisted with lowland searches for police forces including Wiltshire, Sussex, Dorset, Surrey and Kent.

Darren Yeates Millie, a brown and white Springer Spaniel, sitting in front of her handler Darren Yeates in a field. Darren is wearing a bright orange high viz jacket with walkie talkie attached.Darren Yeates
Mr Yeates and Millie have carried out about 150 searches together

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

"If you watched us search you may be surprised how little I say."

The work is voluntary, which Mr Yeates completes around his day job.

He said lowland rescue is often about finding people who do not know they are lost, for example who may have dementia, or who do not want to be found.

“To put it bluntly we can be looking for people who have died," he said.

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

Darren Yeates Millie the dog lying down in the woods with autumn leaves all around her and a yellow tennis ball in her mouth.Darren Yeates
Mr Yeates said when searching dense woodland a dog is the best asset they have

They were recently called to support a big multi-team search in Wiltshire which he said was "humbling".

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

“In the days of tech and drones, one dog is equal to 20 foot searchers... when you’ve got thick woodland, drones are no good and a dog is the best asset we’ve got."

Sussex Search and Rescue Team Brown and white springer spaniel Millie with her handler Darren Yeates and a group of 16 other members from the organisation Sussex Search and Rescue. They are lined up in two rows, in high viz yellow and orange coats, in front of a white van with the name of the organisation along its side.Sussex Search and Rescue Team
Millie and handler Darren Yeates signed up with Sussex Search Dogs in 2014

Millie will live out her retirement with the family, although Mr Yeates said it will be hard when he goes out on searches without her.

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

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

Darren Yeates Two brown and white Springer spaniels standing on a pebble beach with a wooden breakwater in the background. The older dog, Millie, is retiring from search work. Koda, the younger dog, is being trained to do it.Darren Yeates
Search dog Millie with younger dog Koda who is now being trained to follow in her footsteps

Mr Yeates' next challenge is training 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, although they are very different dogs,” he said.

He added that he is hugely proud to have worked with Millie.

“She genuinely cares and is very intuitive with a good sense of what you’re thinking and she’s really earned her retirement.”

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