RETIRED POLICE DOG BLADE

During his four-year career with Cambridgeshire Constabulary, from 2016 to 2020, German Shepherd PD Blade helped control crowds at public events, led officers to missing people, and tracked criminals.

The hero general purpose police dog even received a commendation in 2019 when he traced a number of members of a gang following a ram-raid incident, leading to their arrests.

His handler, Paul Rogers, said: “I had the pleasure of working Blade for four years and he was always a very balanced and biddable dog, but fearsome when needed. In training, he regularly took my colleagues off their feet when practising bite work, he was so strong! 

“We had many successes operationally and the highlight was when he received a Chief Constable’s commendation for tracking a man who’d been involved in a series of cash point thefts. He’d run from police into woods and the police helicopter had been unable to locate him but Blade tracked him quickly and found him hiding in the bushes.”

When the six-year-old was forced to retire last summer due to a spine condition that caused him to limp, Paul knew he couldn’t keep him. But his partner’s daughter, Holly Steels, was keen to help; despite the fact that Blade ‘hated’ her. 

Holly said: “He had lived with Paul and my mum for years and initially hated me! But, with Paul’s help, we slowly spent time together and he began to trust me. Now, I’m his whole world; quite the turnaround! He was quite aggressive when we got him, due to his training, but now he’s completely transformed and is such a wonderful pet who enjoys life on our farm.”

“He generally has good health and, looking at him, you wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with him but he does require regular pain relief to help manage his condition. When he isn’t taking his medication he will limp but with it he charges around like a puppy! The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has helped us by funding Blade’s ongoing medication and covering the costs of his vet consultations. We’re incredibly grateful to the charity for helping us to manage these ongoing costs.”

Many ex-police dogs, like Blade, have old injuries or ongoing health problems caused by their years of service and new owners are often unable to insure their new pets due to their working pasts.

“He certainly deserves the best in life. Obviously we think the world of him, but he’s a hero too,” Holly added. “The least we can do is ensure he has a long, happy and comfortable retirement.”

For Paul – who now works his new police dog, Luther – it's been tough to say goodbye to his previous partner. He added: “I miss living and working with Blade, but I’m very grateful to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation for supporting him and making his retirement much more comfortable.”

You can help us support retired police dogs like Blade by making a one-off or monthly donation today!