"The inspiring story of one man and a mountain rescue search dog. "
Through the rigorous process of becoming a dog handler for a Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) in the Peak District, Paul Besley and his dog, Scout, navigate the trials and joys of life together. The relationship between collie and master is unconditional and unwavering. Although the heart of the book details their training, assessments, graduation, and eventual call-outs, the earlier and later chapters frame this transition with themes of hope and loss.
The author is an incredible person, but of course, the most impressive people don’t always see themselves that way. His has been a difficult life—violence at home, educational opportunities snuffed out, factory hours punctuated by drinking blackouts, and failed relationships. The turning point was his own fall and subsequent rescue from the foot of a crag. Paul Besley, having taken so little from the world, still wanted to give something back. Enter Scout.
Dog lovers will not be disappointed by the details and touches that mark the co-dependence of this search team of two. The gazes, the kisses, the treats, and the cuddles are in abundance—not just from Paul but from everyone Scout comes into contact with. Search dogs receive a particular kind of attention, for their work is heroic. It is fascinating to follow man and dog training together, the workload required to achieve a pass and become part of the MRT, and the bond that grows with every completed task and test.
The remit of the MRT dog handler is much wider than I knew. Of course, there are plenty of shivering and benighted walkers out there who need bringing down, but there are also the “despondents,” those with mental health problems, who may be seeking to end their lives in the wilderness—or even on the fringes of industrial estates, where trained dogs like Scout can also do their work. Paul’s peak years with the MRT coincide with Covid, when the public had an unusual and unpredictable relationship with wild places.
In The Search, the lines between rescuer and rescued are blurred. Paul and Scout have found each other and are learning to live as one. Paul’s partner, Alison, is a rock through this period of his life, but their relationship is not straightforward, and his steel-town youth keeps turning up to haunt him, refusing to melt away. It is easy to be fooled by the author’s self-deprecation—that his is an existence held together by others—but in the end, it can be read between the lines that Paul Besley is the inspiration for the loving souls by his side, on hill and at home.
