WHEN three women lost their mother in the 2016 floods, little did they realise that something positive would come from the pain and grief.

Brenda Scriven was washed away on Glen Anil Street after she stepped out of her car during the heavy rain.

Her daughters, Lindy Swales, Kirsty and Tami Scriven, established this after CCTV camera footage emerged.

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“Prior to that we had no idea what had happened to our mom as all that remained was her car. A few days after she was washed away, we watched the footage that showed her getting out of her car and being swept away,” said Swales.

For two weeks, Swales and her sisters spent days with search and rescue teams and their canines searching for their mom. It was during this time that they grew to love the canines.

“If you asked us what our thoughts were on police dogs prior to that, it would be the total opposite of how we feel now. We realised just how crucial canines are to finding loved ones who have been lost and that their handlers are special human beings who treat them like their own,” said Swales.

That same year, the trio formed Brenda’s Canine Fund, an organisation that solely supports search-and-rescue dogs.

“Over the years, we have learnt so much about these beautiful animals and have grown to love them so much. In this past month alone, we have grown so close to the dogs at Virginia Airport. There currently is a shortage of canines in the country, but we believe that the issue is being addressed. There is protocol to follow, and with the Covid-19 pandemic, the process had been a lot slower,” she said.

Swales added that she and her sisters would like to see more canines being trained in the government sector as not everyone who requires search-and-rescue services, is able to afford it in their private capacity.