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Posted: 3rd December 2024

Retired police dog finds missing man
Bear now works as a wellbeing and trauma support dog.
The German shepherd was out for his first walk post-surgery.

A retired police dog has helped find a missing vulnerable person while on a walk.

Bear, a German shepherd, was celebrating his 12th birthday on 28 November
with his first proper walk since an operation to remove two benign tumours.

He had previously served with Sussex Police until four years ago. After retirement, he was adopted by Julia Pope and her husband, both former police officers based in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Ms Pope described what happened on the walk: “Bear went into work mode, he suddenly stopped and started indicating towards an area of dense undergrowth - and then dragged us to it, where he located and alerted us to a vulnerable man.

“The man was confused, wet, cold and had fallen over, and was unable to get up unaided.

“I’m not sure he would have survived the night as it was extremely cold and almost dark at that point with no-one else in the vicinity. The area was off the beaten track and would be very easy to get lost in, especially in the dark.”

It turned out that the man was a missing person who police officers had been searching for. Ms Pope and her husband assisted the man to an area where they could coordinate with the officers and the man was reunited with his family.

Ms Pope added: “It’s an amazing stroke of luck really that we were in the right place at the right time; two former police officers and a retired police dog!”

As well as having recently undergone surgery for two tumours, Bear also underwent an emergency MRI and surgery last summer to treat four herniated discs in his spine. After the operation, he needed hydrotherapy and physiotherapy to recover.

It is believed the spinal injury may have been caused by the strenuous work he undertook as a police dog.

During his retirement, Bear and his owners have been supported by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity set up to help look after retired police dogs in the UK.

Thin Blue Paw trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: “RPD Bear is a true hero – his training and instinct kicked in and he managed to lead his owners, who are former police officers themselves, to this vulnerable man who needed urgent help.
 
“Thanks to Bear, the man received the help he needed from local officers; even in his retirement, he’s still saving lives.”

Image © Thin Blue Paw Foundation



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