Northern Ireland charity, K9 Search and Rescue wins 999 Hero award thanks to bravery shown by local handlers and rescue dogs

The Spirit of NI Awards is well known for honouring inspirational people from across Northern Ireland but this year the list of winners also included heroes with four legs.

The 999 Hero category, sponsored by Northern Ireland’s accident management company, Shield Accident Management, was awarded to K9 Search and Rescue NI for the bravery shown by handlers and rescue dogs.

“The incredible work undertaken by K9 Search and Rescue should not be underestimated,” said Monica Hughes, director of Shield Accident Management.

“The bravery of the dogs and handlers, often in the face of devastating circumstances, is inspirational and can mean the difference between life and death for many people.”

K9 Search and Rescue NI is a professional all-volunteer canine search and rescue team which specialises in providing certified area search and victim recovery canines for coastal, urban, rural and disaster response.

Monica continued: “When you consider that K9 Search and Rescue workers, humans and dogs alike, are volunteers, the respect levels just increase. They are very worthy winners and the whole team at Shield would like to congratulate the dogs and the volunteers on taking home the win.”

Many famous faces including Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, singer Tony Christie, Hollywood actor, Ciaran Hindes, entertainers Christopher Biggins, Linda Robson, Debbie McGee, plus Oscar winner James Martin and Emmerdale stars Natalie Ann Jamieson, Dominic Brunt cheered as K9 Search and Rescue picked up their award.

Ryan Gray, team leader, K9 Search and Rescue, said: “We are so happy to receive this award sponsored by Shield Accident Management. We were named 999 Heroes due to the work we do in Northern Ireland, the UK and across the world, including in the aftermath of the earthquake in Turkey earlier this year.

“During our time in Turkey we worked 24 hours a day to try and locate people who were still alive in the rubble. Max, one of our star rescue dogs, managed to find two women in collapsed buildings so you can imagine how that felt for them and their families. Not all heroes wear capes.”

The K9 Search and Rescue dogs themselves have been rescued from animal shelters, continued Ryan: “Max, who is a black Labrador, is a rescue from Assisi Animal Sanctuary but we also have a German wire-haired pointer, springer spaniels, and various mixed breeds who help us rescue people. K9 Search and Rescue is a charity and we are volunteers so we rely on the kindness of donors, sponsors and the people of Northern Ireland to keep us going and we’d like to thank everyone who supports us.”

Shield Accident Management was formed to take away the stress and hassle associated with being involved in a road traffic collision with one single phone call. At no financial cost to the driver, motorists can access Shield’s full suite of services, which includes vehicle recovery, storage and repair, replacement vehicles and the handling of all necessary insurance or legal affairs with medical assistance if required.