Latest news with #policedog
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Stray puppy found roaming streets recruited to police force
A police force has gained a new four-legged recruit after it adopted a stray an eight-week-old Belgian Malinois, was found running around the streets of Hartlepool last week before he was taken in by animal charity Stray Aid, Durham Police seeing the young pup's potential, the organisation contacted the force's Dog Support Unit to see if there was a job for him.A Durham Police spokesperson said Jager was now officially a police dog in training - and is "already a pro at tug of war". "All going well, he will become a licensed general purpose dog in 12 to 18 months," the spokesperson said."Welcome to the team Jager." General purpose police dogs are used to chase down suspects and help find missing people during Shepherds are the most common breed used as general purpose dogs, but police forces also use other breeds such as Dutch Herders and Belgian Malinois. Earlier this month, Durham Police welcomed three new explosive detection dogs to its spaniels Gracie, Angus and Teddy passed their final assessment following a rigorous six-week course, the force Gracie was recruited from the Northern English Springer Spaniel Rescue, PD Angus progressed through the force's puppy development programme, while PD Teddy was donated by a member of the are now able to detect a number of explosive substances and will be used by the force to identify potential threats."Not only will the trio be covering County Durham and Darlington but will also offer assistance all around the UK with policing high-profile events to keep the public safe," the force said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Retired police dog looks after former handler's ill wife
A retired police dog has taken on a new role as a guardian and companion for her former handler's wife, who lives with multiple chronic health a seven-year-old German Shepherd, served with the Ministry of Defence Police for three and a half years. She also supported operations with police forces in Hampshire and the Thames she was diagnosed with degenerative spinal condition spondylosis and was adopted by her former handler, PC Ash Collins, and his wife Heidi, who suffers with endometriosis, fibromyalgia and polycystic ovary Collins, 40, said Donja - affectionately nicknamed "Donna Kebab" - instinctively sensed when she was unwell. "She won't leave my side and insists on following me, keeping a close eye on me, and laying by my side when I'm feeling unwell," said Mrs Collins, who lives in Wiltshire. "It's difficult for her to jump up onto the bed due to her back problems but, when I'm in pain and stuck in bed, she knows and will hop up to snuggle with me."After recent surgery, Donja stayed close to her, offering comfort and emotional support. "She knows how to cheer me up and when I need a smile she'll bring me a toy or nuzzle in for a cuddle," she said. Donja, who patrolled military sites including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, is supported by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity that rehabilitates and protects serving and retired police pays for Donja's regular medication and provides her with free food through the charity's partnership with Barking chairman Kieran Stanbridge said: "After everything Donja has done, it's only fair that she gets to enjoy her retirement pain-free." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BreakingNews.ie
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Italy outraged at killing of heroic police dog ‘given food laced with nails'
The killing of a police bloodhound who helped find nine people over the course of his sniffer-dog rescue career has outraged Italians and sparked a criminal investigation to find his killers. Bruno, a seven-year-old, 88-kilogram (195-pound) bloodhound, was found dead on Friday morning in his shed in southern Taranto. Advertisement His trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he had been fed bits of dog food laced with nails. Bits of dog food laced with nails that were fed to a police dog Bruno, killing him, his trainer Arcangelo Caressa said (Arcangelo Caressa/AP) In an interview on Tuesday, Mr Caressa said he suspected the killing was revenge against him — not Bruno — for his volunteer animal rescue work. 'It was deliberately a horrific act to cause the dog intense suffering, because feeding him bites filled with nails means tearing apart his insides, tearing apart his esophagus and internal organs and causing excruciating pain,' Mr Caressa told The Associated Press. Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, said that his slaughter was 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable'. Advertisement Legislator Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a long-time animal rights activist, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped push through stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal. The editor of the Il Giornale daily, Vittorio Feltri, voiced outrage, saying Bruno had done more civic good in Italy than most Italian citizens. Mr Caressa said that he had told prosecutors that he suspected that he was the ultimate target of Bruno's killers, and that Bruno was killed 'to get to me'. Mr Caressa runs a volunteer public animal rescue organisation, Endas, that among other things rescues dogs from illegal dogfights. Advertisement He said the service used to be run by for-profit firms and said he suspected that his competitors were behind Bruno's killing. 'In recent months, we have received threats, acts of persecution, defamation and slander from certain individuals who have already been investigated in the past and are known to the judicial authorities, who have been trying in every way to take over this rescue service by despicable means,' Mr Caressa told The Associated Press. Dog trainer Arcangelo Caressa holding his seven-year-old bloodhound Bruno (Claudia Aloisio/AP) The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, went into effect on July 1 and calls for up to four years in prison and a 60,000-euro (around £51,000) fine, with the stiffest penalties applied if the mistreatment is committed in front of children or is filmed and disseminated online. Mr Feltri said that the penalty should be even greater than four years, saying animals must be respected 'especially when they behave heroically' as Bruno had. Advertisement Mr Caressa said that Bruno might have appeared clumsy and overweight, but was powerful, strong and dedicated to his job. 'He was a giant,' said Mr Caressa. 'When he went out on a search and you put his harness on, there was no one else like him. 'He would set off, smell the person we were looking for and run like a train until we found them.' Officially, his record stands at nine people found – five people who were alive and four whose bodies were recovered, he said. Advertisement 'But the motto for us rescuers is always the same: Bring the missing person home in any case, because there is always someone among their relatives who is looking for that missing person,' he said.
CTV News
07-07-2025
- CTV News
Suspect fled police by doing backstroke across canal: Abbotsford PD
A man swims on his back in a body of water in this photo. (Image credit: Shutterstock) A man who fled the scene of a single-vehicle rollover in Abbotsford Sunday was apprehended after a unique but unsuccessful getaway attempt, according to authorities. Officers were called to the crash scene at the intersection of North Parallel Road and Number 3 Road around 7 p.m. Sunday, the Abbotsford Police Department said in a social media post. 'The driver fled the scene on foot, jumped into the Sumas Canal, and attempted to swim away,' a department spokesperson wrote in a roundup of notable weekend incidents. 'With the assistance of a police dog and drone unit, the individual was observed doing the backstroke across the canal and was arrested upon reaching the opposite bank.' The driver is now facing a licence suspension for impaired driving, police added. The incident was one of 316 attended by Abbotsford police over the weekend, including a shooting at a residence and a theft of $14,000 in goods from a retail store.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Loo-dicrous hideout: Moment police dog sniffs out suspected offenders hiding in toilet cubicle
This is the moment police dog Lando finds two men hiding in a toilet cubicle inside a closed garden centre after a car was in collision with a police vehicle and failed to stop in Crays Hill, Essex, on Saturday 21 June. Click to watch the moment above.
