On The Repair Shop, guest Neil Powell shared the touching story of his late border collie rescue dog, Pepper. During the BBC show, which first broadcast last year, experts Dominic Chinea and Suzie Fletcher spoke to Neil, who brought in an old dog collar and a tattered rescue jacket to be restored in tribute to 'one of the best' dogs he'd had.
Pepper's Search and Rescue Career
Explaining more about Pepper, Neil shared that he qualified to become a search and rescue dog at 18 months and was involved in helping to find a young German boy who was missing in bad weather conditions for 36 hours. However, one of the more poignant searches Neil and Pepper were involved with was the 1988 Lockerbie Pan Am disaster, where they were called in to try and find survivors.
Recalling the 'dreadful' smell of the aviation fuel, Neil highlighted that Pepper had discovered a suitcase during their time there, which was significant as it had scorch marks on, suggesting that the plane crash had been a bomb. During the horrific tragedy, 270 perished in the Lockerbie bombing, amongst them 11 residents of the Scottish town.
Pepper's Death and the Restoration
Sadly, Pepper, along with the other dogs involved, developed tumours in their noses and windpipes while in the crater searching for human remains. Admitting they weren't sure it was caused by the aviation fuel, Neil confessed to being heartbroken over Pepper's death, adding, 'it was really awful.' While Dom issued an apology over the loss of his cherished companion, Neil emphasised how significant the jacket was to him that he wore during mountain rescues.
One touching moment during the restoration saw textile conservator Rebecca Bissonnet make an unexpected discovery: Pepper's name on the jacket, which had been hidden for years. Calling her find 'really moving', Rebecca recreated her name to make it a permanent fixture on the jacket. Ultimately, the duo succeeded in restoring both the jacket and the collar as they mounted it to a wooden board.
Neil's Emotional Reaction
When Neil returned to the barn to witness the final result, he became visibly emotional as he fought back tears, calling it 'perfect' before praising the 'talented people' in the barn. Spotting Pepper's name, he confessed to being 'overwhelmed' by the sweet gesture before sharing that the display would go up at the base of their Mountain Rescue Centre.
