No. 1 Callout - 12th June 2026

During a recent training weekend in North Wales, SARDA Isle of Man handler Ben Scott and Search Dog Steve found themselves putting their skills to use for real when a callout was received late on Friday evening.

At approximately 22:00, North Wales Police requested the assistance of search dog teams in the Anglesey area. Ben and Steve, along with several SARDA Wales teams, responded to the rendezvous point near Penmon.

The search concerned a 31-year-old female who had been reported missing earlier that evening. Following a briefing, Ben and Steve were tasked with searching an area to the north and west of Penmon Point, accompanied by a local navigator from Anglesey Mountain Rescue who provided valuable knowledge of the terrain.

The area presented challenging search conditions, with dense scrub, steep banks, rocky ground and limited access away from established footpaths. Despite the difficult terrain, Steve searched confidently and methodically, covering almost six miles during nearly two hours of active search time. Particular attention was paid to areas of higher risk, including cliff edges, rocky outcrops and accessible sections of shoreline.

After completing their tasking, the team returned to the RV and reported the area covered before standing down in the early hours of the morning.

Sadly, at approximately 06:20 the following morning, the missing person was located deceased by HM Coastguard approximately 300 metres outside the area searched by Ben and Steve.

While the outcome was not the one anyone had hoped for, it was a privilege for our team to support SARDA Wales during the incident. Search and rescue is built upon cooperation between teams, organisations and volunteers, and opportunities to assist colleagues from across the water are an important part of that wider search and rescue community.

Our thoughts remain with the family, friends and all those affected by this tragic incident.