Retired police dog captain to get lifetime achievement award

London: A former West Midlands Police dog forced into retirement through injury is to receive a lifetime achievement award from a charity that supports retired police dogs.

German Shepherd Captain, who ruptured a cruciate ligament in 2021 and retired in 2022, is being recognised by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation four years after leaving the force.

Captain later developed a degenerative spinal condition and underwent major spinal reconstruction surgery costing £30,000, funded by the charity.”His resilience as a serving dog and in retirement is why he’s being celebrated this year as our Lifetime Achievement winner,” said Kieran Stanbridge, who founded the charity in 2020.

The annual Thin Blue Paw Awards, now in their sixth year, honour former police dogs for their service and their bond with handlers in retirement. This year’s ceremony will be held on Tuesday at the Royal Kennel Club in London.”Dogs are on this planet for a very short time and it’s only right they’re celebrated for the work they do for us. They don’t get paid like a police officer, so we think that these awards are a great way to shine a spotlight on these incredible animals,” Stanbridge said.

Since its foundation, the charity has supported more than 220 former police dogs and covered veterinary care costing over £460,000.

Captain’s owner, PC Marcus Cottrell from Solihull, who also handled him during his police career, has stayed by his side through treatment, including sleeping on the sofa as he recovered. The pair qualified in 2018 and won the police chief’s certificate of achievement.

“Captain is fearsome but also extremely sociable. He detained countless criminals – including a suspect who’d stabbed two people – and used his nose to find people on the run, as well as weapons used in incidents,” Cottrell said. “Captain is so special, he’s my best mate and is always with me. He was my partner at work and now he’s my partner in retirement.”

Other dogs being honoured this year include Boss from Kent Police, who helped arrest more than 150 suspects; Jasper, a victim recovery dog from Cleveland Police trained to find deceased people; and Frankie from Surrey Police, recognised after confronting a violent offender carrying a knife.

There are more than 2,500 police dogs working across UK forces.Stanbridge said the awards highlight that there is no pension for retired police dogs, leaving owners to face huge vet bills.”Ultimately, these dogs are serving their country every day for as little as a pat on the head. Handlers were being left in situations where they have to either remortgage their house, or they’d have to say goodbye to their best friend prematurely,” he said.