After three years of intensive training, the energetic border bearded collie huntaway cross becomes the fourth fully qualified LandSAR airscent search dog, also known as a wilderness search dog, to be based in Dunedin.
Dart and her handler, Emma Milburn, successfully passed an assessment at Boyle River in the Lewis Pass last weekend, which Ms Milburn described as ''the most stressful thing I have done in my whole life''.
Ms Milburn said she decided to become an operational handler after combining her interests in search and rescue and dogs.
Fellow handler Dermot Mayock said it was an enormous achievement by Ms Milburn and Dart, who would now be assessed annually, alongside other South Island-based dogs and handlers.
The volunteers were often called early on to help in a search for a missing person.
A qualified airscent dog was able to detect human scent in heavy bush, along beaches, lake shores, farmland and parks, day or night, and regardless of weather conditions, he said.
The dogs were good at locating missing children and those with Alzheimer's, as ''those people don't always respond when shouted at by searchers''.
The other Dunedin-based dog handlers are Nicholas Sleeman (with Gus) and Barry Dougherty (with Yip).
