Dogs with Jobs

Bloodhounds have such an extraordinary nose, that they can distinguish - and track - the scent of individual human beings. 

The Wessex Bloodhounds hunt “the clean boot” - which means that a pack of hounds hunt the scent of human runners, who set off with 20 minutes’ head start across the fields. The hounds hunt (track) the runners, and the riders follow the hounds. It's all the hue and cry of a traditional hunt, but none of the controversy.

Senior Master, Sam Heighes (daughter of the highly respected bloodhound expert, Jeremy Whaley) and Jack Jennings, Master and Huntsman discuss the pack with Dogs with Jobs presenter, Kate Fairweather, and introduce star bloodhound, Romance.

At a training meet in South Harting the next day, we witness the gentle start to the season.  Known as “tub” hunts, because everyone’s a little tubby from the summer holidays, these training meets feature short hunts and are very relaxed. The riders, horses, hounds and the human quarries start to get their fitness up in readiness for the proper season ahead. 

You can find out more about the bloodhounds at wessexbloodhounds.com. 

Connected episodes about sporting dogs:

• Ratting with the West Sussex Warreners rat pack (February 2026)
• Meet the Sealyham terrier rat pack , recorded at the Game Fair (August 2023)
• Who’s winning at the South of England Hound Show? (August 2023)
• Meet the South Down Bloodhounds (November 2022) 
• Meet the Beagles! (October 2022)
• Debit and Dervish, the hunting hound pups (November 2021)
• An insight into the breeding of hounds (November 2021)

Do you work your dog or dogs?  Kate is deeply obsessed and would love to hear from you - the more varied the better!   Get in touch via [email protected] . If you search Dogs with Jobs on your podcast app, you can hear almost 100 episodes - which cover assistance dogs, police dogs, gun dogs, conservation dogs and more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the Flyball Buccaneers, a Flyball team that we met at Dogs Day Out 2026 in May this year.

Although you can see flyball at Crufts every year, this emerging, wildly exciting relay race over obstacles is not as well known as it deserves to be in the UK.

It's a lovely introduction to the exciting team sport that is flyball. Enjoy! 

Find the Farnham based Buccaneers Flyball Club on Facebook at @Buccaneersflyballclub. 

Connected Episodes

• The Odyssey Flyball Club at Goodwoof 2024 

Do you work your dog or dogs? 

If you know a dog with an interesting job, Kate would love to hear from you!  Find me at [email protected] or [email protected].  

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2026

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dogs with Jobs is taking a break over the summer. Back in September. 

In the meantime, keep the introductions coming - we are always delighted to hear about dogs doing interesting jobs! 

Get in touch via [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine year old collie, Peggy Sue, is on her last agility season this year. 

Owner, Rachel Williams took some time out from organising the Agility trials at Dogs Day Out in Hampshire to talk about the sport in general and Peggy Sue's career. 

Rachel is interesting on the working urge in collies - Peggy Sue will retire from agility, but she has no plans to stop. She's also bringing on her younger puppy, Brie, whose parents are both working farm dogs.

She also explains why this sport - seen at the highest levels at Crufts and international competitions - remains highly accessible to any dog and handler with a close relationship and a liking for activity. 

It's accessible to all - from kids to really quite old (!), and all breeds can participate from toy poodles to malinois.

Recorded at Dogs Day Out, 2026 in East Worldham, Hampshire.

Photo by Sean Cameron. 

Find out more about agility:

• Kennel Club website - list of approved trainers (positive reinforcement only)
• Agility4all.co.uk - UK based agility shows for all dogs (with diary)
• Agilitynet on Facebook for meet ups and classes near you

Do you work your dog or dogs? 

Please get in touch with Kate at [email protected] if you'd like to introduce a working dog to the show! 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tweed, the springer spaniel has the distinction of being the UK's first digital asset detection dog. 

Martin King of the Devon and Cornwall Police Dog Section tells the origin story of this vitally important search discipline in the UK.

Known as electronic storage detection, digital asset detection and various other names, Tweed's skillset is firmly established as a key discipline for evidentiary purposes within the police.

Back in 2015, a trainer in his force read an article about such detection work going on in Connecticut, U.S.A. The trainer, Graham Atwood, visited and brought back the knowhow to train the UK's first two dogs.

Tweed won Service Dog of the Year 2025 and was shortlisted for Crufts Hero Dog of the Year 2026.

Many thanks to Martin King for talking to us - it's a delight to have a little piece of working dog history on the show.

Kate Fairweather interviewed Martin at Crufts 2026.

Connected episodes: 

• The UK's National Police Dog Trials 2025
• P.D. Viper the firearms support dog
• P.D. Chase and the career arc of a general purpose police dog
• P.D. Meika, who searches for London criminals' cash, drugs and firearms 
• P.D. Ted, the explosives detection dog with the West Midlands Police
• P.D. Jax the victim recovery dog with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary

• Mika, the well being and trauma support dog in the Metropolitan Police
• Champ, the engagement dog working in child protection in the Victoria police

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the origin story of the charity, Service Dogs UK, which supports veterans of the military and blue light services in training their own PTSD assistance dogs. 

Hear its founder and operations director, Garry Botterill, on the various training models, and how his own lived experience in the military and police has informed the training model and contributed to the approach taken by Service Dogs UK.

Find out more about assistance dogs supporting veterans

Garry mentions all these organisations in this episode. As we say in the episode, there are many other organisations and charities - these are just some of them!

• Service Dogs UK and the Dogs Making a Difference Awards 2026
• Paws for Purple Hearts (U.S.)
• Paws and Stripes (New Mexico, U.S.)
• Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS) (South Carolina, U.S.)
• Warrior Canine Connection (Maryland, U.S.)

Connected Dogs with Jobs episodes on assistance dogs

• Duke, the PTSD service dog, (also trained by Service Dogs UK) 
• Mika, the well being and trauma support dog in the Metropolitan Police 
• By your side: navigating life with a guide dog over time
• Ralph, the owner-trained, multi-tasking assistance dog - perfect for a Rogate teenager
• Darcey, the Canine Partner: an assistance dog relationship in full bloom
• Benjy, the trainee guide dog's first five weeks on the job
• Daisy, the autism assistance dog - practical, psychological and emotional support

Do you work your dog?

Or perhaps you know someone else who does and might like to come on the show?  I love to hear about all and any working dogs - the more varied, the better! 

Get in touch with me, Kate, via [email protected].

Find more dogs with interesting jobs. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rey is a rescue dog who supports his human partner, Jack, with the challenges of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

What is striking is the reciprocity that defines this partnership, in which each is helping the other. 

There are many practical tasks that a PTSD service dog is trained to help its owner with day to day life However, it's the psychological impact that we explore in this episode.

Owner Jack Billington says that of all the therapies and help he has accessed for his PTSD, Rey has been by far the most effective. He shares some of the nuances of the partnership with Kate Fairweather. 

A big thank you to Jack for coming onto the show and his openness in explaining the emotional and social aspects of his life, to which Rey has made such a difference.

If you would like to know more about PTSD assistance dogs, Service Dogs UK is a great place to start. 

Connected episodes on assistance dogs

• Duke, the PTSD service dog, (also trained by Service Dogs UK) 
• Mika, the well being and trauma support dog in the Metropolitan Police 
• By your side: navigating life with a guide dog over time
• Ralph, the owner-trained, multi-tasking assistance dog - perfect for a Rogate teenager
• Darcey, the Canine Partner: an assistance dog relationship in full bloom
• Benjy, the trainee guide dog's first five weeks on the job
• Daisy, the autism assistance dog - practical, psychological and emotional support

Do you work your dog?

Or perhaps you know someone else who does and might like to come on the show?  I love to hear about all and any working dogs - the more varied, the better! 

Get in touch with me, Kate, via [email protected].

Find more dogs with interesting jobs. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bonus edition of Dogs with Jobs.

We're sharing a wonderful interview created by the International Guide Dog Federation to celebrate International Guide Dog Day 2026.

It features four very different human/guide dog partnerships from all over the world. The interviews go beyond the mechanics of guiding and training, and explore the emotional and social aspects of the relationship.

You may recognise the voice of the host, John Welsman, who co-produces Dogs with Jobs, from our Christmas episode.

We also hear from Jason Denton from Brisbane, Australia; Kirsten French from Washington state, USA, Pauline Eliers from Brussels, Belgium; and Nathan Foy from the UK.

Huge thanks to the International Guide Dog Federation for sharing the interviews with Dogs with Jobs.

Happy International Guide Dog Day for the 29th April, 2026!

 Other episodes on guide dogs and assistance dogs

• Navigating life over decades with a guide dog at your side
• Benjy, the trainee guide dog‘s first five weeks on the job
• Breck, the retired guide dog
• Ralph, the owner-trained, multi-tasking assistance dog – perfect for a Rogate teenager
• Darcey, the Canine Partner: an assistance dog relationship in full bloom
• Daisy, the autism assistance dog – practical, psychological and emotional support

 

About the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)

IGDF is the global charity responsible for defining and maintaining international standards for the training of guide dogs. Throughthis work, IGDF helps to ensure the quality, safety, and consistency of guide dog services worldwide for people who are blind or have low vision. Founded in 1987 by representatives from 15 guide dog organisations across 10 countries, IGDF has grown substantially. Today, it comprises 100 member organisations in 33 countries. Collectively, these organisations support more than 20,000 people who are blind or have low vision to travel safely and independently with the support of a guide dog.

Find IDGF online: @IDGFSocial; Facebook: LinkedIn.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Kate is generally obsessed with working dogs and loves to hear about them – the more varied the better!  Keep the introductions coming! 

If you, or someone you know works their dog or dogs, and would consider being interviewed on Dogs with Jobs, please get in touch with Kate via [email protected].

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

River, a little black spaniel in a bright orange vest is searching river bank in a Hampshire nature reserve. On this occasion, it's a demonstration only.

River is unique: the only conservation dog in the UK trained to find signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), an American invasive species that was farmed as a delicacy in the UK in the 1960s and escaped into the wild.

The signal crayfish is a well equipped predator and will eat vegetation, small invertebrates and fish, including junior native crayfish. If they're hungry, they will turn on each other. They grow up to 18cm and burrow up to two metres deep into waterway banks, damaging habitat and leaving canals vulnerable to collapse. 

As if this weren't enough, they also carry "crayfish plague", a fungal disease, which is fatal to the UK's  native white-clawed crayfish. The native crayfish has declined drastically to the point of extinction. (The situation is akin to that of the invasive grey and native red squirrel).

River's handler, Lucy Wilde explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter, Kate Fairweather, how River has ended up with this specialised role, and what her working life looks like.

More info: 

• Follow Lucy on IG @wildeecologydogs 
• As mentioned in the podcast: The Ecology Detection Dog Working Group

Other conservation dog episodes: 

• Reid, the bio security dog - update a year on
• Reid the bio security dog - the original interview;
• Skye, the stoat detection dog working to keep Orkney free from predators;
• A team of five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for ground nesting storm petrels;
• Barley the conservation dog and his international projects;
• Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs

Do you work your dog or dogs? 

Get in touch with Kate at [email protected] with suggestions or introductions to working dogs to feature on the show - she's always interested to hear about dogs with interesting jobs.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spirits are high as 18 dogs and their owners brave the rain to clear rats from an area of cover crop on a shooting estate in Hampshire.

It’s a “bobbery” pack of different breeds, from a sizeable lurcher to a mini sausage dog, along with terriers and hounds. Host Kate Fairweather marvels at how the different breeds instinctively apply their skills to the jobs that suit them best - marking the rat holes, digging or standing by to chase any rats that slip past the terriers. 

After months spent gorging on grain left for the pheasants, the rats have multiplied in the area around the grain bins and ‘cover crop’. Poison is the only alternative to dogs, with the attendant risks to wildlife, so the gamekeeper welcomes the rat pack as the most effective and humane option.

It’s noisy, it’s muddy, it’s exciting and it’s certainly quick - a hard bite to the neck, combined with a shake kills the rats instantly, and the dogs move on to the next, cheered on by their owners. 

Kate Fairweather was guest of the West Sussex Warreners. Feel free to get in contact with the West Sussex Warreners if you have a farm or a shoot with a rat problem in Hampshire, Sussex or Surrey. They are fully insured and all their dogs are broken to livestock.

Connected Episodes

Dogs with Jobs features the full range of working dogs, therapy dogs, military and service dogs, assistance dogs, bio detection dogs, sporting dogs and other more unusual occupations such as truffle hunting, modelling and conservation detection work.

If you enjoyed this, you may also like other episodes that feature sporting dogs and hunting hounds:

• Meet the Sealyham terrier rat pack , recorded at the Game Fair (August 2023)
• Who’s winning at the South of England Hound Show? (August 2023)
• Meet the South Down Bloodhounds (November 2022)
• Meet the Beagles! (October 2022)
• Debit and Dervish, the hunting hound pups (November 2021)
• An insight into the breeding of hounds (November 2021)

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Kate is generally obsessed with working dogs and loves to hear about them – the more varied the better!  Keep the introductions coming! 

If you, or someone you know works their dog or dogs, and would consider being interviewed on Dogs with Jobs, please get in touch with Kate via [email protected].

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.