Meet Bailey the Labrador - Essex Fire and Rescue Service's newest search dog

Once he is fully trained, Bailey will be one of only 20 dogs used to help find and rescue trapped or lost people in the UK

Stray labrador Bailey was once described as being "untrainable, unsociable, rude and stubborn".

But now he has found a brand new career with Essex Fire Service after been discovered to be an amazing search dog!

The Dogs Trust rehoming centre in Loughborough put out a plea asking if anyone was able to take Bailey home as they were worried there might be no hope for the two-year-old dog because of his difficult character.

But Essex Fire Service dog handler Graham Currie came to the rescue, and Bailey soon proved everybody wrong by demonstrating his natural talents.

In fact, Bailey is so good, the fire service said that he could be on duty as early as April next year - even though it can take up to three years to train a search dog!

What happened?

Graham said he had been looking for a while for a new dog to train when he heard about Bailey.

"After testing Bailey's drive for a tennis ball and checking he had no aggression towards other dogs or people, I offered to take him on a six-week trial," he said.

Bailey was put to the test by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and within days he was recruited to the team!

Graham says that Bailey is "one of the most natural search dogs" he'd ever seen and that "nothing fazes him, he has no fears".

Louise Crawford, from the Dogs Trust, said: "He is doing an amazing job and he is really loved by Graham and is truly part of his family. We are delighted and super proud."

Once he is fully trained, Bailey will be one of only 20 dogs used to help find and rescue trapped or lost people in the UK, and he will also attending disaster zones across the globe.

What a good boy!

What do you think of Bailey's new job? Let us know in the comments below..