Pet food brand The Lakes Collection has launched a long-term partnership with the Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs Association (LDMRSDA), which operates specialist dog teams across the region to search for people missing on the fells.
As part of the five-year sponsorship deal, the search dogs will get free food from the Lakes Collection range, and there will be additional benefits for operational team members and support with the charity’s fundraising activities.
The Lakes Collection is part of the WCF family of businesses, which includes retailer WCF Pet & Equestrian. The group operates eight stores across the North of England and South-west Scotland and has long-standing links with Cumbria and the Lake District.
WCF Pet & Equestrian general manager Jade Earley said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the Association to support the essential lifesaving work they do in the Lake District and beyond.
“The Lakes Collection range is inspired by our roots in Cumbria and the Lake District, which date back more than 100 years, so linking up with the Association is a perfect fit for us. The search dogs are true Lake District heroes, and we hope through our partnership we can give something back in recognition of the brilliant work they do.”
The LDMRSDA is made up of eight teams of graded search dogs and their handlers, with four more dog teams currently in training. All handlers are members of Cumbrian mountain rescue teams and are deployed with their dogs when their specialist search skills are required. The Association, based in Keswick, Cumbria, is made up entirely of volunteers and costs around £60,000 per year to run.
Rob Grange, chair of LDMRSDA, said: “The work we do is crucial in situations where someone is lost on the fells and needs to be found quickly. A search dog can cover the same area that it would take around 40 people to cover.
“The costs associated with training and deploying search dogs can be significant and, as a charity which relies entirely on donations, securing this partnership is a huge boost for us in terms of support and in raising the awareness of what we do.
“Working with a local company which shares our love of dogs and the Lake District is the perfect combination for us.”
