Sussex and Surrey police dog 'lucky to be alive' after illness

Eleven-year-old retired police dog (RPD) Polly served with Sussex and Surrey Police for six years, four of those alongside her partner and ‘best friend’ PC Claire Harrison.

When she retired in 2022, she went to live with Claire and her family, where she’d been in good health until Claire noticed a ‘tiny’ cut on her leg.

Claire said: “In the space of 24 hours my whole world came crashing down.

"Having already seen a vet and on a treatment plan, things took a turn for the worst, and Polly’s leg ballooned, swelling up to three times its normal size.

“I rushed her to the emergency vet and the prognosis was not good. She was extremely poorly and they said the next 48 hours would be critical.

"What was most worrying was that the infection had come out of nowhere; we had no idea what was causing it so, therefore, it wasn’t clear what the best treatment would be.

“Polly has been my best friend for almost 10 years; working alongside me policing the front line for a large part of this, and keeping me – and the public – safe; always making sure I returned home to my family.

“I owe her so much, including the retirement she so rightly deserves, so when the unthinkable happened and I knew the costs would go into thousands of pounds my heart sank because, without insurance, I didn’t know how I’d pay the bill.”

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity that supports retired police dogs with the costs of veterinary treatment and rehabilitation, stepped in to help cover the costs, with the bill coming to more than £4,000.

Founder Kieran Stanbridge said: “Polly’s paws pounded the pavements of Surrey and Sussex alongside Claire and the other police officers, doing her bit every day to fight crime and keep the public safe.

"But when she retired, she wasn’t afforded a pension.

“So the cost of her care fell to Claire and, with an ageing dog and no insurance, that can be a huge financial responsibility.

“We started the Foundation to ensure there would be someone there to support these heroic dogs – and their owners – in their times of need.

"We don’t want an owner to ever be in a situation where they have to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to their best friend just because of the cost of the treatment they need.”

Claire added: “The Thin Blue Paw instantly relieved so much of the burden I was feeling.

"No words can describe what their support has meant to me and Polly because, without it, I may have had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life, coupled with the guilt that financially I couldn’t help my best friend."

Polly is thankfully now back at home recovering.

Looking back on their career together, Claire said: “I always felt safe deployed with Polly; I knew she’d have my back.

“During one incident involving a knifeman, Polly detained a suspect and managed to pin him to the floor so he couldn’t get to me with the weapon.

"She definitely had my back that day.

“She is a proper character and very intelligent. She is very resilient and I’m sure that’s got her through.

"She’s lucky to be alive.”

The Thin Blue Paw supports hundreds of retired police dogs across the UK, and has paid out almost £500,000 in grants to the owners of dogs for veterinary treatment, medication and rehabilitation therapies.

The Foundation has launched a campaign calling on the Government to fund pensions for police dogs, to help owners struggling to find insurance for their dogs to cover veterinary costs, especially as many of their health problems are as a result of their careers.

To sign the charity’s petition calling for financial support for police dogs when they retire, visit: www.thinbluepaw.org.uk/pensions-for-police-dogs.

To donate to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation’s day-to-day work, visit: donate.thinbluepaw.org.uk.