TERMS AND CONDITIONS

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

RETIRED POLICE DOG MEMBERSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

• Membership to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation is open to all retired police dogs who have served for a minimum of 12 months operationally from date of initial licence, with one of the 43 home office police forces, or alternatively Police Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ministry of Defence Police, or the Royal Air Force Police.
• Retired police dogs must reside in the United Kingdom upon retirement to be eligible for membership with the foundation, except for retired Royal Air Force or Ministry of Defence police dogs, which may live abroad if their handler is deployed overseas.
• Retired police dogs who have been medically retired and therefore unable to complete a minimum of 12 months operational service from date of initial licence, are eligible for membership. In such circumstances the foundation requires a veterinary report which outlines the medical diagnosis and confirmation of medical retirement. 
• A monthly membership fee of £25 per retired police dog is a condition of membership. Additional retired police dogs who are owned by the same individual are charged at £15 per retired police dog, as part of our multi-dog household membership discount. 
• The foundation operates a grace period of two months for unpaid or defaulted membership fees, with the retired police dog’s membership becoming inactive until such arrears are paid for in full. During the grace period, members are unable to access membership benefits until such arrears are cleared.
• The foundation reserves the right to cancel the membership of a retired police dog if unpaid or defaulted membership fees exceed two months. If such arrears are cleared, the foundation can reinstate the retired police dog’s membership in full. 
• Owners of retired police dogs are required to provide the foundation with three months’ notice to terminate their retired police dog’s membership. The foundation reserves the right to request payment of any outstanding membership fees.
• No cancellation notice is required in the sad event of the passing of the retired police dog, as their membership will cease upon their death. It is the responsibility of the owner to inform the foundation of their retired police dog’s death, and to cancel any direct debits in relation to their membership fee, directly with their bank or building society. 
• The foundation’s board of trustees reserve the right to waiver or reduce the monthly membership fee for a retired police dog in extenuating circumstances.
• Membership to the foundation is not an insurance policy, and all applications for financial support are awarded based on available funds and in line with the foundation’s financial assistance terms and conditions, which can be viewed below.
• Your retired police dog is not required to have an insurance policy to become a member of the Thin Blue Paw Foundation. However, should you wish to explore insurance available for your retired police dog, our partners Animal Friends Pet Insurance do offer a policy for retired police dogs. Full information on the insurance policies available to your retired police dog can be found on their website, alternatively, other pet insurance providers may be available. 
• As a member of the foundation your retired police dog will be given access to exclusive membership discounts and opportunities which are for the exclusive and sole use of the registered retired police dog. Any unauthorised use of membership benefits for pet dogs or sharing of membership benefits to those not registered with the foundation, will result in the termination of your retired police dog’s membership to the foundation. 
• Owners of retired police dogs who are in receipt of means tested state benefits are eligible for a discounted retired police dog monthly membership fee. The foundation will require proof of such benefits in order to apply the discounted monthly membership fee, and owners are required to inform the foundation at the earliest opportunity if there are changes to their circumstances which would make them ineligible to receive this dispensation.
• Membership fees will be reviewed on an annual basis in November, with any changes being implemented from the following 1st of January. 
• The foundation’s board of trustees reserve the right to reject applications for membership to the foundation without providing reason or rationale of their decision.
• The foundation’s board of trustees reserve the right to cancel the membership of a retired police dog at any time, without providing reason or rationale of their decision, and without notice.

RETIRED POLICE DOG FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATIONS TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

• Financial assistance applications can only be submitted by owners of retired police dogs who have an active membership with the Thin Blue Paw Foundation.
• Veterinary and rehabilitation treatment will need to be paid for in full, prior to applying for financial assistance, unless otherwise agreed with the foundation such an in the case of emergency lifesaving surgery.
• Veterinary medication will need to be paid for in full, prior to applying for financial assistance.
• Applications for financial assistance need to be submitted to the foundation within two weeks of the date of the treatment or purchase of medication. Applications which fall outside of two week window will automatically be rejected by the board of trustees.
• Applications for financial assistance will be assessed on an individual treatment basis, including those submitted for recurring treatment or medication.
• The foundation’s board of trustees may approve to cover the full cost of treatment, or provide a contribution towards the treatment, based on available charitable funds.
• The foundation’s board of trustees reserve the right to reject any applications for financial assistance, without providing reason or rationale of their decision.

EMERGENCY LIFESAVING TREATMENT:

• If your retired police dog required lifesaving treatment, such as gastric torsion, please contact the foundation’s emergency contact, available 24/7 on 07802 412058 to inform us of the treatment which your retired police dog in undergoing, and any support you may require from the foundation. 
• In cases of emergency lifesaving treatment, the foundation may be able to provide pre-authorisation for an application for financial assistance, meaning that you will have peace of mind knowing that the treatment will be covered in full, or a percentage contribution covered by the foundation.
• In cases of emergency lifesaving treatment needing to be undertaken to save your retired police dog’s life, the foundation can approve to pay the veterinary provider directly in full, or a percentage contribution of the treatment. 

PRE-PLANNED OPERATION, PROCEDURE OR ON-GOING TREATMENT OVER £1,000:

• If your retired police dog requires a pre-planned operation, procedure or on-going treatment which is likely to cost over £1,000 please do reach out and inform the foundation at the earliest opportunity. In special cases like these, we may need to set up a dedicated fundraising appeal to support your retired police dog’s treatment.
• If your retired police dog requires a pre-planned operation, procedure or on-going treatment which is likely to cost over £1,000, the foundation reserves the right to request a secondary veterinary opinion to establish the most cost effective and appropriate treatment pathway for your retired police dog. In certain situations, this may mean that the foundation will only approve your application for financial assistance, if the treatment is undertaken at an alternative treatment provider, approved by us. This is to ensure that charitable funds are allocated fairly and proportional against the demands of the foundation. 

REPEAT MEDICATION:

• If your retired police dog requires monthly medication, it must be purchased through an online veterinary medicine website (for example: Pet Drugs Online, VioVet or Animed) after the initial consultation with your veterinarian. It’s simple: just request a prescription from your veterinarian, provide it to the veterinary medicine website, and they will dispense it directly to you by post.
• The foundation will only accept applications for financial assistance for repeat medications purchased from online veterinary medicine websites. This restriction does not apply to medications that need to be administered by your veterinarian via injection, or for one-time medications prescribed by your veterinarian to treat a reactive condition for less than seven days.
• The foundation will only reimburse the costs for prescription medication in two-month periods. Therefore, please do not order your retired police dog’s full prescription in one order if it will exceed a two-month supply.

HYDROTHERAPY & ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES:

• We value the positive impact that hydrotherapy or alternative therapies play in a multimodal treatment pathway for retired police dogs with a variety of health conditions. As part of this approach, the foundation requires retired police dogs to have a clear and comprehensive veterinary treatment plan for a diagnosed condition, which includes hydrotherapy or alternative therapies as a treatment requirement, for an application for financial assistance to be submitted to the foundation. 
  As part of the veterinary treatment plan, retired police dogs need to be reviewed by a veterinarian on a 3-month basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment pathway, and evidence provided to the foundation of such reviews. 
  We limit application for financial assistance for hydrotherapy or alternative therapies sessions to bi-weekly, thus meaning a total of 6 sessions be claimed within a 3-month period. Over the course of a 12-month period, a maximum of 24 sessions can be submitted to the foundation for consideration of support.

EXCLUSIONS:

• The foundation is unable to accept applications for financial assistance for the following:
• General care costs: food, treats, toys, annual vaccinations, flea and worm treatment. 
• Prescription food and diets. 
• Dental hygiene treatment: scale and polish.
• Veterinary administration fees: prescription fees, insurance processing fees, etc.
• Neutering: castration of males, or spaying of females.  
• Costs associated with the passing of your retired police dog: euthanasia, cremation, burial, etc. 
• Treatment or medication required because of a preventable accident, such as your retired police dog eating chocolate.
• Treatment or medication required due to a dog attack, such as another dog causing injury to your retired police dog, or your retired police dog causing injury to another person or animal. Costs for treatment as a result of an attack on your retired police dog are claimable against the other involved party and must be reported to the Police. 
• Treatment or medication covered in full by an insurance policy or monthly insurance payments.
• Treatment or medication which has been partly, or fully funded by another organisation, such as a charity. 
• Treatment or medication which took place prior to your retired police dog’s membership with the foundation.

PLEASE NOTE THE ABOVE LIST OF EXCLUSIONS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE, UPON APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. LAST UPDATED JANUARY 2025.

 COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE:

• If you’d like to appeal the decision of the trustees in relation to your retired police dog’s application for financial assistance, this must be done within 28 working days from receipt of your initial outcome. Appeals must be submitted in writing and posted to the attention of Kieran Stanbridge, Chairman, Thin Blue Paw Foundation, Harpenden Hall, Southdown Rd, Harpenden AL5 1TE. 
• Your appeal will then be reviewed within 28 working days, with an outcome provided to you which will be the foundation’s final decision.