PDSA give hero dog top honour

A dog has been honoured by a charity for rescuing an injured woman in a blizzard.

Vet charity PDSA honoured three-year-old Labrador Rauour for his part in the his part in a rescue operation in January 2015 near Innerleithen.

Rauour, who works with the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team, and his handler, John Romanes, were dispatched to search an area on Leithen Water for a critically injured woman.

Unconscious and suffering advanced hypothermia, a Royal Navy helicopter was called to the hillside to airlift the injured woman to hospital after the dog discovered her in white-out conditions.

He was presented with the honour by his handler at the mountain rescue charity’s Melrose base.

"His role as an air scenting search dog was more effective than a 20-strong team performing a line search on the ground,” said Romanes.

"Without him finding the casualty when he did, the outcome could have been very grave indeed."

The PDSA's John Faulkner said Rauour's story epitomised the "value that animals bring to our lives".

“The work of search and rescue dogs across the country is absolutely vital - their skills are priceless and Rauour's story serves as a reminder of just how lucky we are to have these dogs here to help us," he said.