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An honoured search dog, who was once praised for being the UK’s longest-serving mountain rescue dog, is getting just reward for her years of devoted service. Border collie Skye worked in the Lake District for an amazing eleven years before turning fourteen in 2020. Her outstanding efforts to find and rescue are now being recognised with the esteemed PDSA Order of Merit, sometimes known as a “animal OBE.”
Over her remarkable career, Skye and her handler John Leadbetter carried out an astounding 200 searches in all kinds of weather. Her road to become a fully trained search dog started when she was a young puppy with the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team. Skye then carried on with her goal with the Duddon and Furness MRT, obtaining her search dog qualification before moving on to the Langdale and Ambleside MRT and, finally, the Kendal MRT.
Skye is a treasured lifetime friend as well as a devoted business partner for John Leadbetter. He said of his close relationship with Skye, “We’re lifelong partners and she’s my best friend on the fells. She means everything to me.”
Mr. Leadbetter is quite humbled and moved by Skye’s achievements being acknowledged with the PDSA Order of Merit. It is a touching tribute to the commitment and labour of love search dogs and their teams have put into guaranteeing mountain safety.
Skye’s remarkable career goes beyond rescuing lives. She has also been a key ambassador, raising money and bringing attention to the important work that Mountain Rescue teams do.
Skye becomes the 36th member of the PDSA Order of Merit, an accolade created in 2014 to recognise animals for their outstanding contributions to society. The PDSA director-general, Jan McLoughlin, was quite proud to give Skye this award and acknowledged her exceptional abilities and steadfast dedication that go much beyond simple friendship. It pays appropriate honour to her lifetime commitment and laborious efforts.
Over the past 11 years, Mountain Majesty, a magnificent rescue dog, has saved lives and come to represent bravery and optimism in the tough Rocky Mountains. Mountain Majesty’s history, with more than 200 lifesaving missions under her belt, is evidence of the incredible powers of search and rescue dogs as well as the unwavering relationship between people and their dogs.
Just a pup, Mountain Majesty, a Border Collie-German Shepherd mix, started her path as a rescue dog. Under the direction of her committed handler, Sarah Thompson, Mountain Majesty showed remarkable aptitude for search and rescue missions. Her quickness, strong sense of smell, and unwavering drive made her a great value to the Rocky Mountain Rescue Team.
Mountain Majesty travelled on a range of missions over her tenure, from helping with disaster relief to finding missing hikers and avalanche victims. Her classmates respected her because of her relentless concentration in high-stress events and her skill in negotiating difficult terrain. Many of those she rescued owe their life to her relentless work and sharp senses.
One of her most well-known trips took place in 2018 when an unplanned snowfall caught a group of hikers on a far-off mountain track. Mountain Majesty guided the rescue team—cold, terrified, and confused—to the hikers amid strong gusts and deep snow. Her fast and forceful measures helped all the hikers to be securely returned to base camp.
Sarah muses over their path together with much pride and thanks as Mountain Majesty approaches retirement. “She’s my friend and buddy, not only a rescue dog,” Sarah explains.
The Rocky Mountain Rescue Team organised a unique event to honour Mountain Majesty’s remarkable career, commemorating her many life influences. Mountain Majesty will remain living with Sarah, loving, playful, and relaxed as she moves towards a well-earned retirement.
Mountains Majesty’s legacy will be a lighthouse of hope and a reminder of the amazing relationship between people and dogs. Her narrative reminds next generations of search and rescue teams of the great influence one amazing canine can have on the planet.
At over sixteen years old now, Skye is spending a well-earned retirement with Mr. Leadbetter and his family. She may be a little slower now, but she still enjoys the chance to explore the fells and hills and enjoy the well-earned peace of retirement.