Tributes have been paid to search and rescue dog Ruby, who has sadly passed away at the age of nine.

Ruby was a big part of the Search and Rescue Dogs Association IoM (SARDA), and was owned by volunteer Jim Macgregor.

The German Wirehaired Pointer had lived with epilepsy since the age of four, and was struck by a large seizure on Wednesday.

A spokesperson from SARDA said: ‘Since qualifying, Ruby responded to around 60 callouts, successfully finding several missing people and giving critical indications that helped other services locate those in need.

‘Her contribution to searches across both the Isle of Man and the UK was immense.

‘Ruby made a huge impact on everyone who met her with her infectious love of people.

‘The island has lost a valuable and incredible search dog, but more importantly, Jim has lost a loyal companion, teammate, and friend.

‘She gave everything she had to the job and will be deeply missed by her handler Jim, his family, and all of us at SARDA IOM.

‘Ruby now sleeps soundly with Mr Foxy, her favourite toy.’

SARDA was founded in 2002, providing externally-qualified search and rescue dogs to the Isle of Man since 2004.

It has consistently provided coverage to the police to search for and give medical assistance to those in need.

The dogs are assessed to a national standard in the British Isles, through rigorous assessment.

Talking back in 2021, Jim said: ‘It takes a while to train the dogs as different dogs like different things.

‘You’ve got to find what a dog enjoys and give them it as a reward, which is usually toys. You build it up and it’s all a big game for them.’

To find out more about SARDA, you can visit www.sardaiom.im, facebook.com/sardaiom or email [email protected]