MEET Byron, Hamp-shire's top rescue dog.

The 22-month-old border collie has just qualified to be sent to the scene of major disasters anywhere in the world.

He will sniff out casualties trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service dog has also been taught to find injured people who have wandered off from the scene of accidents.

After 14 months of training, Byron scored top marks in his national grading for urban search and rescue (USAR) dog teams.

His trainer, station manager Robin Furniss, said: "The assessment was an arduous test over 36 hours where we had to carry out eight searches both in daylight and darkness.

"On some of the searches there were no casualties and on others there were up to five. It was pretty nerve-racking when you reached the end of the search and found nothing."

Byron never missed a casualty.

The dog and Mr Furniss now join an elite group of dog teams on standby to help out anywhere in the UK and abroad in disasters such as the South Asian tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake of 2005, and the Birmingham tornado.

Yet for fun-loving Byron, it's all just a game.

Mr Furniss said: "Byron has been with me since he was a puppy, we live together and work together.

"These dogs have a very high play drive and that's what we use to find casualties. When they discover a casualty the dogs are rewarded by being played with and that can make Byron a real handful at times."

Hampshire Fire Service has three USAR dogs. Byron was the first to pass the national grading.