'We can reunite families': first fully-trained female dog handler joins Civil Defence

Karen Kelly with search dog Rossi (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

The first fully-trained female dog handler for the Civil Defence has said she was “stalking the K9 unit for years” before finally picking up her qualification.

Meath volunteer handler Karen Kelly and her victim-recovery dog Rossi recently qualified after a year-long training programme which included 150 hours of guided training.