A nine-month old former rescue dog has landed on her paws after qualifying as a police sniffer dog.
English Springer Spaniel Ruby was being looked after by the team at Dogs Trust Manchester, when her potential for a career with the police was spotted by police dog handler PC Mark West from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Dog Unit.
PC West made the 200-mile trip from Luton to meet Ruby and quickly realised the lively youngster had all the right attributes to join the police force. Two months after heading off to begin her new life with PC West, Ruby graduated, and this week begins her new working life as a drugs cash and weapons search dog.
Mark says: “She has been an absolute superstar and has passed with flying colours! I’m very proud. She gets on brilliantly with my other dog Dexter and she completes our team. Dexter is a firearms support dog, so he is alongside officers at firearms warrants. Once we have entered a property Ruby will then go in to do the searching side of things. She is brilliant.”
Ruby arrived at Dogs Trust Manchester after a change in her family’s circumstances meant she couldn’t stay with them. She had only been at the Denton-based rehoming centre a matter of days when Mark asked to meet her.
Carol Margieson, Dogs Trust Manchester Deputy Manager, says: “We were absolutely delighted when we found out that Ruby had graduated. She had so much potential and we have had our fingers crossed waiting to hear is she passed. Mark is thrilled with her and we’re Confident that she’ll have a happy and fulfilled working life and a wondaful home life too with Mark, his family and Dexter.”
