HE was one of the most dedicated—and loveable— members of the Bolton Mountain Rescue team.

Now his colleagues are devastated by the death of search and rescue dog Chi.

The 14-year-old cross-breed collie, also the youngest member of the team, died on Saturday after suffering from an illness.

Chi went on more than 100 searches with his owner, Dave Marsh since qualifying to use air scenting to find people in 1999.

The average search and rescue dog finds only one person during its career, but Chi has found three.

Because of his skills, he was drafted in to the high profile search for two missing schoolgirls who died when they were washed away by a river during a school trip to Stainforth Beck, near Settle.

Mr Marsh, a retired dog handler for the rescue team, loved Chi so much that he once spent his silver wedding anniversary with him on a search, rather than at home with his wife, Gill — a decision he is still reminded of, he says.

He said: “He was cuddly and a woman-magnet on four legs with an outrageous sense of smell.”

The family pet was no stranger to accidents himself, and Chi was once caught up in his own emergency.

Chi, named after the Chinese word for energy, caught his leg in a strimming machine six years ago.

The accident happened when the dog ran to Dave, a landscape maintenance man, while he was cutting three-foot high grass in his garden.

Chi needed surgery to save his front left leg after it was almost severed above the ankle by the machine.

Although he made a full recovery, his injury caused him to take early retirement.

Bolton Mountain Rescue team leader Garry Rhodes said: “The entire team membership expresses its sincere condolences to Dave and his family on their sad loss.”