UK Police Dog history

This blogsite was produced in answer to the numerous requests by other researchers, over the years, to supply further documents, photographs etc that had been used in my research. It also provides a little nostalgia for those individual Officers I trained with and whos' company I enjoyed during my career, retiring in 1996. I have not reproduced all the pages from my book as hopefully this site will encourage further sales of those copies still in the cellar at Scarthin Books.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Re-homing of retired Police Dogs

I have been asked my views of the re-homing of retired Police Dogs.

There is no problem with Police Dogs retiring to the care and comfort of the home of the handler. When this does happen, ownership, rights and responsibilities are transferred. However to re-home such dogs in to a pet environment with another family is, in my opinion, fraught with ‘danger’. These highly trained dogs, without proper supervision, can instinctively react to circumstances that would make them highly dangerous to the public. There can be no litigation or blame held against the manner of training or the previous Police ownership.
It would be no defence to say they are a ‘retired Police Dog’, more an admission of having a dog ‘out of control’.

Sadly euthanasia is quite often necessary and justifiable.