ADORABLE pictures show a rescue dog trained to wear goggles so it can fly on helicopter rescue missions.
Jib accompanies human rescuers on perilous rescue missions in the Scottish mountains, sometimes deploying by helicopter.
But the border collie’s eyes need to be protected from debris blasted about by the powerful downwash of the chopper’s rotors.
So the 18-month-old pooch has been equipped with her own pair of protective googles which she is only too happy to wear.
Jib is the newest recruit to Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team and recently passed her Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) novice search dog assessment.
And on Saturday, (MAR 14) she got in her first helicopter flight to the peak of The Devil’s Point – a 3,294 ft (1,004m) high munro in the Cairngorms.
The fearless canine was photographed looking poised and ready for her first training exercise – with a set of red lined goggles and a safety harness to protect her.
Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team shared photographs of Jib’s first adventure on their Facebook page with the caption: “Yesterday we properly welcomed ‘Jib’ our newest team member into the team by way of a heli- exercise.
“Jib recently passed her SARDA Scotland novice search dog assessment and she did really well on her first flight.
“Many thanks to yesterdays crew of 951 Maritime and Coastguard Agency.”
“Good training day in some pretty heavy snow at times.”
The photographs show Jib poised and ready for action with the rest of her team, as a helicopter lands in the background.
The group also took some snaps of the dog up Devil’s Point, still wearing her goggles and staying close to her owner Brian Callaghan.
Scott Stevens, Aberdeen MRT’s Team Leader, said today: “We all wear goggles, and it’s good practice to put them on the dog too. It’s to stop debris like grass and dirt, which gets pulled up by the helicopter and sometimes in high speed winds, from flying into her eyes.
“Her nose is sensitive too, and the smells can be very intense for her. Jib has been in training pretty much since Brian got her when she was a puppy, and she’s now passed her SARDA.
“I think she’ll be about a year and a half old now, you can’t take dogs up onto the mountains when they’re puppies so this was her first proper training trip.
“She did really well, she wasn’t phased by the helicopter at all.”
And, Jib is set to have an exciting but dangerous future career. Scott added: “Her role will be to help find missing people, she can cover a lot more ground than us and her sense of smell can pick up traces of people we wouldn’t be able to, and sometimes she might come out with us while we do avalanche reports.”
On social media, Jillian Hunter said: “Thats a dog with a sense of duty. Look at the pose.”
Alison Ellis added: “Well done. Love the doggy goggles.”
Shelley Finlay commented: “This dog is amazing.”
While Donna Taylor said: “Sitting there so nicely in her goggles.”
