The special bond between a search and rescue handler and their dog
Hi neighbours,
Emma Milburn and Dart have been a search and rescue tag team for nearly a decade.
But as bearded border collie Dart, 13, gets older, she soon faces retirement, bringing an end to the special career shared between her and her handler.
The pair have been through a lot together. Milburn did all of Dart’s search and rescue training herself, pretty much everyday for eight years straight. The time and dedication it took to train a dog to be operational in search and rescue tasks was often overlooked, Milburn said.
Please click 'Read more' below for the full story.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
-
89.1% Yes, it's fair
-
10.3% No, it's unreasonable
-
0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).