A charity that supports police dogs when they retire has launched a campaign calling for pensions for all police service animals when they retire from service.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has launched a petition calling for the Government to introduce mandatory financial assistance for police dogs once they retire so that new owners are not left to face large vet bills for dogs who often come with health and medical conditions due to their strenuous working lives.
The foundation supports retired police dogs across the UK and has, since launching in August 2020, provided grants totalling more than £380,000 for surgery, medication and regular therapy for retired police dogs.
There are an estimated 1,700 serving police dogs operating across the UK’s 45 police forces, with an average of around 100 retiring every year. According to the foundation, arthritis is the most common condition for a retired police dog, and it costs an average of £200 each month for pain-relief medication.
The petition is urging the public to get behind the campaign, which would see the Government ringfencing budget to ensure a basic level of support to the retired dogs’ new owners.
Thin Blue Paw chairman Kieran Stanbridge said: “Police dogs lead physically demanding lives and, when they retire – whether due to injury or age – they often have health problems as a result of their career, which can require expensive medication, therapy and management throughout their retirement.
“We need to ensure that there is support in place for these heroic police dogs so that people aren’t put off the idea of rehoming them when they retire and so that owners are never faced with the heartbreaking decision of having them put to sleep because they can’t afford their treatment.
“We believe that the Home Office who allocate funding to police forces nationally have an ethical and moral obligation to these dogs and shouldn’t turn their backs on them when it’s time to pay them back for everything they’ve done.”
