The border collie-labrador cross had been a Christmas gift but when winter came no-one wanted to walk her. At the dog shelter at this time of year, it is a common story.

Thankfully for Milo, Brenda, a dog shelter officer, took a shine to the dog and two months ago Milo became one of only three registered Urban Search and Rescue dogs in New Zealand. Six months earlier, she passed the Police assessment to become a Land Search and Rescue dog.

The qualifications mean Brenda and Milo are now on call around the clock, seven-days-a-week to help search for missing people and could be asked to help in any major disaster in Australasia.

"There are only about five Urban Search and Rescue dogs in Australasia, so she's very special," Brenda says.

The same could be said about Brenda, who puts in many hours of voluntary search and rescue work. "ECan (the regional council) provides us with a vehicle, petrol and radios for searches but the rest is up to me," she says.

Milo's career in search and rescue started with training through the Red Cross. A year later she and Brenda joined Christchurch's specialist Civil Defence team, The Rats, to which they still belong. Brenda says dogs like Milo differ from police tracking dogs in that they are passive searchers.

"If you're out looking for an elderly person in the bush, you can't have animals charging at them. These dogs will bark and wag their tails when they find someone. Milo is so friendly that the (Council's) animal education team take her out to schools with them."

Following in Milo's footsteps is another of the Woolley's dogs, Easy. This 14-month-old border collie-curly coat retriever cross arrived at the shelter with a broken leg. He will be given a Police Urban Search and Rescue assessment in October.

Brenda and her husband Rex Woolley, a dog shelter officer, live at the dog shelter and have four dogs of their own.

They also have a parrot, two ponies, chickens and a goat - most of which had been passed into the shelter for destruction.