It’s a highly trained, highly skilled and hugely successful organisation that has been called upon to assist in searches across the world, after some of the biggest natural disasters in recent years.
Last year, they were called to Turkey to help the search for survivors after the country was rocked by a devastating earthquake.
With a dozen rescue and recovery dogs, with all the experience and expertise gained, K9 Search and Rescue have become known as specialists in the field.
Earlier this year the team, led by Ryan Gray and Kyle Murray, received the Spirit of Northern Ireland Award for bravery for their work in some of the most dangerous, most harrowing circumstances. They were honoured at Stormont and were even invited to a reception in London attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
But they are deemed not needed back home here in Northern Ireland.
That’s the decision of the Department of Justice, who have declined an application from the group to join a register of search and rescue organisations which can be called on by the PSNI to help.
That’s despite the fact the group is already active on the ground in Northern Ireland, with experience searching in coastal, urban, rural and disaster areas and is close at hand to react to situations when time can often be critical.
K9 Search and Rescue, which operates solely on donations from the public, is only too ready, willing and very much able to step in to provide what could be life-saving assistance when someone is reported missing to the authorities.
While the PSNI and emergency services will be tasked to help with searches, it’s only natural for those affected when someone goes missing to believe that those emergency services will involve everyone available.
The charity’s chairperson, Joanne Dorrian, knows all about the effects loss can have on a family. Her sister, Lisa, is still missing after being murdered in a North Down caravan park in 2005.
She has urged the Department of Justice to reconsider its decision.
Can the Department really afford to look a gift dog in the mouth, say thanks, but no thanks and decline what’s on offer saying, “it was determined that there are already established canine search and rescue services in place, and no service gap in this area was identified that would necessitate additional resources”?
Surely it’s better to have every tool at your disposal and not need them rather than find you need them but don’t have them?