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| Dave McKinley and Tussock/Simba | Dave McKinley and Tussock/Simba
Dave McKinley is a full time Mountain and Ski guide (IFMGA) based out of Twizel, close to Aoraki/Mt Cook in the Southern Alps. Along with his wife Kiersten they enjoy living and playing in the Mackenzie Basin with their three kids and three dogs. Dave has been involved in Search and Rescue for over 15 years, beginning as a general volunteer then getting involved with the Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue team in the early nineties before his involvement with Search Dogs. With a father who was a team leader of the R.A.F. Mountain Rescue Team in the 50’s; it may well be inherited. When he got his first dog “Rocky” in the mid nineties he was always taking him on back-country skiing/ice-climbing trips and felt it might be a good idea to teach him some skills to help him and his friends in case of an avalanche situation. Dave approached local ski patroller and guide Matt Wilkinson (whose dog “Mitch” was a fixture of the Queenstown ski hills) for advice. He put him onto the NZ Alpine Search Dogs team and their training courses out of Cardrona with Robert Gibson and other senior handlers. First comment was “well your dog seems to be well in control of you!” |
 With a fair bit of determination and retraining of both of them Rocky & Dave went on to get Operational status in Avalanche and Bush & Wilderness air scenting. This partnership continued for over ten years until just recently when Rocky sadly died, but he is survived by Simba a Lab/Spaniel cross and her progeny Tussock who are keeping up the good work. Dave continues to gain more and more enjoyment from working with dogs, his own and seeing other’s progressing, learning all the time. He also remains an advocate for the continued support and development of strong, skilled SAR teams throughout NZ. |
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