A team of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) staff put on an unusual dog display at the 2011 Eastbourne Dog Show.
New Display for the 2011 Show
The staff, who are all based at Eastbourne Ambulance Station have set up the Ambulance Dogs display team in their own time. The dogs, which are named after the dogs which worked before and for the first few weeks of the First World War, are trained by the team in search and rescue skills.
The original idea to use dogs came from the Red Cross who wanted to use ambulance dogs on the western front. However, the idea was deemed unsuccessful early into the war and the French in fact banned the use of ambulance dogs within a few weeks of the war beginning.
About the Ambulance Dogs Team
The team is made up of Patient Transport Service (PTS) Team Leader Bill Pike and his dog Nala, Ambulance Technician Mat Crossland and Charles, PTS staff member Vernon Weston and Milly, and Student Paramedic Sarah Dumelow and Winston.
Wife and daughter of local community first responder Kevin Longhurst, Sue and Lily, complete the team and perform the role of hiding from the dogs.
Bill says: "We all meet up once a week in our spare time to train the dogs but we all also train our own dogs every day. Some of the dogs have only been training for three months. It’s just a bit of fun at the moment but we hope to expand and invite other members of staff from SECAmb to join us. We really want people to come along and support us."
More Attractions at the 2011 Show
Show Guide Leaflet and Publicity Poster
You can download the Show Guide leaflet and publicity poster in PDF format below. Printed supplies are available on request.
