A charity has launched an emergency fundraising appeal for a retired police dog’s spinal surgery.
German Shepherd Captain retired from West Midlands Police in 2022 – following a three-year career – after rupturing his cruciate ligament in September 2021. He had surgery but was sadly forced to retire early from his role as a general purpose dog following the injury.
Unfortunately, the strenuous working life has also affected Captain’s spine and the seven-year-old now needs major spinal surgery to correct damage caused to his spine during this career.
Captain needs an operation that could cost between £5,000 and £7,500.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has launched the fundraising appeal to help cover the costs of Captain’s treatment and has already paid around £4,500 for Captain’s treatment and tests so far.
Charity trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: “The Foundation has supported Captain since his retirement and we’ve helped his owner, Marcus, with the costs of his veterinary care. We have helped with the cost of his regular hydrotherapy sessions, but this surgery comes at a huge cost so we’re asking our supporters and the public to help us give Captain this lifeline.
“Unfortunately, the wear and tear from Captain’s working life has left its mark on his body, and he’s been struggling on his rear legs for some time. Tests have shown that he’s got severe damage to his spine which needs surgery so he can continue to have a quality of life.
“Captain gave years of his life to working as a police dog and now he deserves to have a long and happy, comfortable retirement, so we want to give him the very best chance at that.”
PC Marcus Cottrell and Captain qualified in December 2018 and had a successful partnership, winning the Police Chief’s Certificate of Achievement.
Marcus, from Solihull, added: “Captain is fearsome but also extremely sociable; he detained countless criminals – including a suspect who’d stabbed two people – and used his nose to find people on the run, as well as weapons used in incidents.
“He’s also taken part in visits to schools and community groups to introduce the public to the work of police dog teams.
“In 2021, Captain and I were deployed to Cornwall to support security at the G7 Conference in St Ives. Since he retired, we’ve returned to Cornwall so he could enjoy a holiday.”
Captain’s police handler, PC Marcus Cottrell, didn’t want to part with him when he retired so he adopted him as his pet.
Marcus added: “Captain has remained with me and my other German Shepherd and they spend hours playing every day in the garden and enjoying long walks.
“Without the support of the Thin Blue Paw Foundation I would have had a very difficult decision to make when the heart breaking decision was made, by others, to retire Captain. The support that the Foundation provides to Captain with this has made a huge difference to his life post-retirement.”
