Renowned as one of the most skilled search dog handlers on both land and sea, Mick McCarthy has over twenty years experience of searching for missing persons. He has experienced first-hand the dangers, thrills, tragedies and triumphs of search and rescue operations carried out on flood-swollen rivers, raging seas, through woodland, bog land and on treacherous mountains, often in the dead of night. McCarthy's captivating story provides a deeply personal account of how a boy who loved the company of dogs grew up to become a man obsessed with dogs and their training, ultimately leading to the idea of qualifying his dog for voluntary search and rescue work, regardless of the cost, even to his personal life. Based on his abiding philosophy that 'perfect practice makes perfect', he paints a vivid picture of the characters and dogs behind search and rescue operations, the painstaking demands of training and the rigorous requirements for qualification.