Devon Gets Life-Saving Dog

Devon fire-fighters have got a valuable new addition to their team. It's Mickey the Spaniel.

Mickey's been specially trained to sniff out people who've become trapped in collapsed buildings, rock falls and other accidents.

He can go into areas which could be too dangerous for fire-fighters.  And he can check out an area, which would take a team of officers ages, in just a few minutes.

Recently, dogs like Mickey were used to check for signs of life in the Oldham gas explosion which left a 2 year old dead and a man seriously injured.

Our reporter Wendy Buckingham's been to see Mickey working at a demolition site in Newton Abbot.  Two men were deliberately hidden in sections of rubble. The spaniel found them within seconds and barked to mark their location.

Trainer Paul West from Urban Search and Rescue spoke to her about where Mickey would be most effective CLICK HERE