Berkshire Search And Rescue Dogs | BSARD

Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs is a volunteer lowland rescue charity on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist Search & Rescue Teams, the Thames Valley Police and other Emergency Services. Our primary role is to assist in locating lost or missing vulnerable people within Berkshire and its surrounding areas. We were formed in 2002 and became a registered charity in the UK in March 2004. We are entirely reliant on sponsorship and donations to exist and carry out our work. The Team is made up of volunteers who together with their dogs, undergo constant training and must meet rigorous standards in order to obtain operational status. Most of our dog handlers and support staff fit this in around full time jobs. As of December 2023, we have 22 human and 25 K9 volunteers as full time members of the team, 14 of our dogs are operational search dogs. Whilst the majority of our dogs are working breeds, all types of dog breeds are considered on their merits and must pass an initial evaluation before being accepted into the team for training. Being a specialist dog team we are often called out to provide support to neighbouring counties as well as working closely with other local teams in Berkshire, Surrey, Kent, Sussex and Oxford. We are also official partners with Thames Valley Police with whom we work closely.