Karen

Police Puppy Walking My personal Experience of the whole process

(This experience was originally published in September 2011 in a series of separate posts. I have now amalgamated them into this one feature post and re published as a whole story in 2017)

When our one and only dog, Tara (a German Shepherd)  passed away at the age of 12,  we did not get another dog, as both Steve and I worked full time and didn’t think it would be fair on the dog to leave it on its own.  Nineteen years passed, and as we now work from home with our silver business, we did talk about having another dog.

Steve however was not too keen, as he didn’t want the tie and commitment for the next 10 years or so.  However one day in our local paper there as advertisement with a photograph of a German Shepherd puppy with a police hat on, with a plea for volunteers to be police dog puppy walkers for a scheme run by the Devon & Cornwall Police.

They were appealing for dog lovers  to take on a puppy to give them a good, caring home for up to 12 months, before the pups go on to start their police training.

As this was only for 12 months, it might be just the push that Steve and I needed to then get a dog of our own.   How could I resist, although Steve wasn’t sure that this would be a good idea, as a) the dog would not be ours and b) he was worried how I would cope when the time came to hand it back to the police.

I assured him that I would be fine (famous last words!!!).

I submitted my application and waited, and waited, but about 12 months passed before I got the phonecall to ask if I was still interested.

Well of course I was, and was visited by a dog handler who came and had a chat and to check that the house and garden would be suitable.  He tried his hardest to put me off, but I think he knew he was hitting his head against a brick wall, as I had made up my mind and nothing was going to stop me. [Read more…] about Police Puppy Walking My personal Experience of the whole process