Millie had a successful run in her career as a search dog in lowlands. Now, she’s ready to retire and get all the belly rubs.
Search dogs like Millie are always present where the action is. They assist humans in the most difficult times, find people in the wilderness, and join other local response efforts. It’s not easy to be a search dog, but Millie was a natural, according to her handler. And as with anyone else who had a long career, the time to retire will eventually come. As Millie starts a new journey and live a more relaxed life, let’s look back on the wonderful service she offered in many areas of South East England.
Millie, now 11 years old, was a search dog in England for 10 years. She has completed lots of jobs, 150 to be exact, which demonstrated her great tracking and obedience skills. Throughout her career, she has provided assistance to police forces in Dorset, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Wiltshire. Millie lives with her handler Darren Yeates and his family. As per Darren, Millie was only a puppy when she joined the family in 2013, and during her training, it seemed like she’s a natural search dog. Over the years, they have built an incredible bond and unlocked career milestones together, including joining a multi-team search in Wiltshire.
Millie at Work
After carrying out over a hundred searches together, Darren shared that he can tell what Millie wants and Millie can tell where he wants her to go. It’s surprising how little he says to Millie during search operations, he added. Millie was part of lowland rescue efforts and it usually involved finding people who don’t know they’re lost. An example would be someone who has dementia or people who may have died. In these cases, it’s crucial for Darren and Millie to help bring closure to family members.
During the recent search operations they took part in, Darren said they were humbled. They were an important part of the search despite being just a small part of it. Darren also said that in dense woodland, the best asset they had was Millie. Tech and drones wouldn’t work in this kind of area, and Millie could equal to 20-foot searchers.
The lowland rescue work that Darren and Millie did together was voluntary. While Millie was always ready to jump into action, Darren had to do it around his day job.
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What’s Next for Millie?
Millie will be spending her golden years with Darren and his family, enjoying a well-deserved rest. However, according to Darren, it will be difficult when he joins search operations without her. They both hear the callout alarms, and it can happen any time of the day or night. When Darren hears the alarm, he usually sees Millie looking at him, seemingly asking if they are going.
Darren is now training Koda, another furry member of their family, to follow in the footsteps of Millie. Although they’re different, he’s trying to teach Koda everything he has taught Millie. While reminiscing about the journeys they had together, Darren also shared that Millie has truly earned her retirement. She really cared for others and has always been an intuitive search dog, he added.
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From The Club
Salute to all the search dogs out there, including Millie! It’s amazing how dedicated these dogs are when it comes to work; day or night, they’re ready to lend a helping paw. I also admire Darren for being such a great handler. He’s also been instrumental in making sure Millie had a colorful and impactful career as a search dog. I hope all retiring work dogs will have a loving family to take care of them, just like Millie.
