Meet Barra the underwater sniffer dog.

Meet Barra: Scotland's first underwater sniffer dog
Oct 21 2011 By Sam Walker

BARRA the underwater sniffer dog uses his very special skills to reunite grieving families with their lost loved-ones.
The 19-month-old springer spaniel is the only dog in Scotland trained to find bodies in water.
And handler Iain Marshall says his work brings solace to families at times of tragedy.
Coastguard volunteer Iain, 44, said: "We get calls from police and coastguards all over the country to help in the search for missing people.
"Not knowing where someone's body is can be really horrendous for their families.
"Before Barra, we had to wait for bodies to float to the top, which could take months.
"Barra is a great dog. He lives with me and my family and we love him to bits."
Iain, based at Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, spent a year training Barra using pigs' meat.
Barra now finds human remains by standing at the front of Iain's boat and sniffing the air.
When he smells something, he barks, scratches the deck and sits down. He stands again if the boat goes out of range of the scent.
Barra found his first missing person while still in training, and was passed for active duty last month.

Maggie wrote:Meet Barra: Scotland's first underwater sniffer dog
Oct 21 2011 By Sam Walker

BARRA the underwater sniffer dog uses his very special skills to reunite grieving families with their lost loved-ones.
The 19-month-old springer spaniel is the only dog in Scotland trained to find bodies in water.
And handler Iain Marshall says his work brings solace to families at times of tragedy.
Coastguard volunteer Iain, 44, said: "We get calls from police and coastguards all over the country to help in the search for missing people.
"Not knowing where someone's body is can be really horrendous for their families.
"Before Barra, we had to wait for bodies to float to the top, which could take months.
"Barra is a great dog. He lives with me and my family and we love him to bits."
Iain, based at Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, spent a year training Barra using pigs' meat.
Barra now finds human remains by standing at the front of Iain's boat and sniffing the air.
When he smells something, he barks, scratches the deck and sits down. He stands again if the boat goes out of range of the scent.
Barra found his first missing person while still in training, and was passed for active duty last month.

Brillient!!! Another dog for Sandra to talk to!

bad news for some people, I wonder who will be the first to discredit this clever dog.

Can it talk? Scots?

mara thon wrote:bad news for some people, I wonder who will be the first to discredit this clever dog.

I can imagine a certain well known cardiologist and canine entrepreneur remarking that, "It may be able to find a body in water Sandra but, what if the body isn't in water?"

What an extraordinary dog!

These springer spaniels take the biscuit don't they - I just love them to bits. If I ever decide to have a dog it will be a springer spaniel they are so intelligent.

I expect a certain someone will be thinking this is one dog too many!