A fascinating and rare glimpse into the world of fox red Labrador Jax, a police victim recovery dog.

There are fewer than 40 dogs working in this highly specialised field within the police in the UK.  Victim recovery dogs - also known as cadaver dogs or human remains dogs - search for human remains, blood or tissue as well as shallow graves or blood spattered evidence such as clothing or weapons.

The stakes are high. On the one hand, the work of Jax and dogs like him is key to identifying forensic evidence, which can be definitive in prosecuting violent crimes. But there's a very human side too: in a search for a missing person who is presumed dead, the location of a body can bring much needed closure to family and loved ones. 

It's not an everyday sort of job, and Jax is often deployed as part of a large missing person search, travelling from home and dropping into unfamiliar sites. His steadiness, sociability and love of the hunt means that he and his handler are a highly effective part of the wider search teams.

Police Constable Felicity Thomas of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary talks training, rewards and the thrill of the search with Dogs with Jobs presenter, Kate Fairweather.

Browse more dogs with interesting jobs.

• Hear about the astonishing work of Medical Detection Dogs Florin, Iggy and Asher
• Keo the Oscar Kilo (OK9) wellbeing dog in the police
• Meet Mabel, emotional support worker in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Service, from her owner, the Chief Fire Officer.
• Hear about Didi the Police Dog

Do you work your dog or dogs? If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024