Unwanted puppy handed in to Dogs Trust Leeds starts new life as specially trained police dog

Charlie was given up when he was five months old after his owners realised they weren’t ready for a dog.

Just a few weeks after arriving at the rehoming centre in Leeds, he was spotted by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police Dog Unit who saw his potential to be a Drugs, Cash and Weapons (DCW) dog.

They unit adopted Charlie and started training him and now he has passed his six week course and started working with his police handler, whom he lives with at home when they are not on duty going along to crime scenes to help sniff out drugs, cash and weapons.

Inspector Iain Clark from the BCH Dog Unit said: “Charlie is a very happy and busy dog who just loves to play. The DCW training is all based on play and reward, so as soon as Charlie finds what he is looking for and let’s us know, he gets a treat – to play with his favourite toy. Technically Charlie is working for us, but to him it’s all playtime and he thrives on it.

"The life of a police dog is very different to what many people imagine. Dogs like Charlie live and work with the same handler day in, day out, and all our handlers are dog-lovers first and foremost. It’s really a very good life, where the dogs get to play and be with someone all day, while also doing an important job on behalf of the police.”

Amanda Sands, rehoming centre manager at Dogs Trust Leeds said: “We are delighted to see that Charlie’s energy and enthusiasm is being put to good use and that we have been able to change his tale from unwanted puppy to specialist police dog. Charlie is a lovely dog who likes to keep busy, so this role with the police really suits him down to the ground. And with a loving family to go back to at night too, it sounds like he’s really landed on his paws.”

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