InFocus: Rod Stoddart, Clova, and Mia

Rod Stoddart on the life-changing work that he and his two dogs, Clova and Mia, have been carrying out over the past ten years, serving students and locals in St Andrews and beyond.

“It’s about bringing people together. It’s about reducing isolation and stress,” said Rod Stoddart when asked to describe his work alongside his two therapy and search & rescue dogs, Clova and Mia.

Stoddart’s journey can be traced back to when he joined the Royal Air Force aged only sixteen, before moving on to work for the Ministry of Defense. In an interview with The Saint, he described that his interest in working with dogs did not stem from his childhood, but rather a day in 1977 when a search dog handler showed him the ropes whilst out in the mountains. Since then, his desire to learn more only accelerated, and in 1980 he got his first dog to train for the Search & Rescue Dog Association (Scotland). 48 years on from this initial spark of interest, Stoddart is now part of Specialist Search Dogs, a charitable organisation offering 24-hour call-out support for missing person scenarios, through means of search dogs.

As a volunteer, Stoddart works tirelessly with his two dogs Clova (aged eleven) and Mia (aged ten) to carry out this work. Clova has spent her whole life with Stoddart, whereas Mia was rescued by him at the age of two. Both have the unique trait of having been trained as both therapy and search & rescue dogs. Stoddart shared the very special relationship he has with both of them: “We’re very, very close, [...] we’ve got a good rapport, [...] a very, very close bond which you expect to have.”

The trio provide therapy, and have proved themselves integral to the St Andrews community since they started ten years ago. Often at the most critical of times, they provide support to students and locals both within St Andrews and beyond. Stoddart emphasises that, above all, he could relate to the uncertainties and stresses that university life could bring to students, sharing that he felt the same when starting with the RAF: “People coming from home for the first time […] making new friends, a strange area to live in [...] all that can be stressful and I realised that therapy dogs were the way forward in reducing stress.” One example is that Clova can sense when individuals have PTSD, autism, or are experiencing general stress. She goes up to people, “licking the backs of their hands [...] and by her action, [she changes] the endorphins under the skin layers and reduc[es] that stress.”

When asked if their work was associated with the University, he replied: “It’s associated with the town, the local community; [...] it’s associated with everybody that needs help, so I’m all over the place.” The rich diversity and breadth of their work allow the three of them to work with people of all ages and walks of life. Stoddart continued, “[his] dogs go in amongst every different type of person that there is: the young, the elderly, those who are suffering illnesses.”

By moving away from the student community, Stoddart describes that much of their day-to-day work is centred around working with the elderly in care homes. Amongst many examples, Stoddart outlines the vital role Clova has played over the years in waking up people with dementia. He also highlights the challenges that come with working in a care home with vulnerable people, such as keeping the dogs “at certain levels so they don’t injure the residents”. Moreover, he expresses that the obedience of dogs working in such an environment must be quite high as they are not allowed food in these places. To tie this all together, Stoddart reflected on the unique and very special relationship that he shares with both Clova and Mia, saying, “If you get a good bond with the dog, as I have with both of them, then they will do exactly as I want, but they also know what to do, as they’re experienced enough now.”

Given the nature of the job, especially the callouts, Stoddart explains: “We rest when we can [...] some of the days can be 14 hours.” Similarly, he expressed that the hours vary each day, but, “That’s been my life since 1977, so I’m quite used to it now.”

Stoddart has been recognised with several honours for his relentless voluntary dedication to serving the community and going the extra mile. Within the military, he received the Chief Constable’s Commendation and went on to receive a similar award within Fife. Most notably, in July 2010, he was presented with an MBE at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for his services to mountain rescue and search & rescue within Tayside. Recently, to thank him for the work he did during the COVID-19 pandemic — including helping the elderly with their shopping, medical runs, and taking their dogs for a walk — Stoddart received commendations from the local council.

Likewise, in June 2022, the Students Association awarded an honorary field membership to Clova for her work in enhancing the student experience. The award was all the more prestigious given she was the first dog to ever receive it. In response to this, Stoddart described feeling “very proud of that [...] and she’s got the certificate and the folder that you guys get on graduation [...] so that’s amazing.”

Looking to the future, describing that he will be reaching his milestone 70th birthday in May, Stoddart hopes to continue his work with Clova and Mia for as long as he possibly can. The story of Rod Stoddart, Clova, and Mia portrays the sheer power that volunteering and small acts of kindness have in uplifting a community through difficult times.

Image provided by Rod Stoddart