Canine Poirot! Countryfile viewers call for rescue dog ‘SuperTed’ to get his own show after clever pet sniffs out ‘lost’ presenter Adam Henson in remote woods
- Black-and-white sheepdog has extraordinary ability to sniff out chemicals on humans who are stationary in remote areas and has been on 35 missions
- Life-saving dog, dubbed ‘SuperTed’, impressed viewers of the BBC nature show with his ability to find lost people – including dementia patients – in remote areas
- Owner Ian Horton said Ted taps his legs to say: ‘I’ve got someone Dad follow me.’
- Search and rescue dog found Countryfile host Adam Henson in remote woodland leaving viewers to nickname him ‘Canine Poirot’
A life-saving search and rescue dog dubbed ‘SuperTed’ for his extraordinary ability to follow human scent trails impressed Countryfile viewers after managing to track down ‘lost’ host Adam Henson.
The latest episode of the BBC nature show, which aired on Sunday night, saw the sheepdog showing off his incredible nasal skills by easily finding the show’s presenter after he hid in remote woodland.
Viewers took to Twitter to praise the ‘clever’ dog, calling him a canine version of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes after his owner Ian Horton, a volunteer with the Northamptonshire Search and Rescue, revealed how his pet has been on 35 missions since he was trained 18 months ago.
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Black-and-white sheepdog Ted appeared on Sunday’s episode of Countryfile, showing off his extraordinary ability to sniff out chemicals on humans who are stationary in remote areas – including lost dementia patients
Life-saving dog, dubbed ‘SuperTed’, impressed viewers of the BBC nature show
Tasked with finding ‘lost’ host Adam Henson, far right, in remote woodland, the black-and-white sheepdog left viewers amazed with his ability to track down chemicals on human skin. Pictured: Ian Horton, Ted’s owner, with Countryfile host Adam Henson
He told Henson that their work in rural Northamptonshire had saved lives and that it was clear that Ted was too useful to just round up animals on Ian’s farm after he realised just how strong his nose was.
Ted is now trained to detect chemicals released in human skin cells when a person is stationary. He’ll ignore cyclists and walkers but focus instead on people who aren’t moving, and are more likely to need help.
When out on a mission in the local countryside, which is prone to flooding, Ted will loop constantly around Ian and can circle up to 500 metres away when he detects a scent.
Horton explained: The level of what he could pick up on was far beyond anything I’d ever seen.
‘When he picks something up on the wind, his tail will start looping, his nose will drop, his body language tells me that he’s off and he’ll run back and jump at my legs, which tells me: “I’ve got someone Dad, you need to follow me.”‘
On Twitter, the admiration for the black-and-white dog came quickly after his Sunday night television appearance.
Ownere Ian Horton explained how Ted can ignore cyclists and walkers but focus instead on people who aren’t moving, ie those who are more likely to be in trouble
On the hunt: Ted is trained to detect chemicals released in human skin cells when a person is stationary, which are different to those produced when someone is moving
The programme made a comparison with 80s television series SuperTed, bemusing some viewers
@Erasmo2058 quipped: ‘Ted Poirot canine detective’ while @dylan6roberts wrote: ‘Was about to cringe but tbh would probably watch that Superted the Dog series.’
@NickRH14 agreed this pooch was TV gold, saying: ‘The #Countryfile adventures of superted the rescue dog – coming soon to BBC daytime.’
@bsgorrie wrote: ‘Ted the search dog on #countryfile, what a clever and beautiful lad.’
@Megannibyniaeth added: ‘Not me, almost crying at the amazing search and rescue dog on #countryfile’
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