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Retirement hasn’t stopped a retired police dog from finding and rescuing a missing person during his first walk after major surgery in East Sussex, England.
The German shepherd named Bear was reportedly being walked by his owner, Julia Pope, a former police officer, on November 28 when he spotted a man in the woods. guardian reveal.
What made the rescue so special was that Bear, who was taking his first walk two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove two benign tumors, was also celebrating his 12th birthday on the same day.
However, despite such celebrations, the bear did not stop finding a man in the house and alerting the owner. “Dense undergrowth” during their walk.
The Shin Blue Paw Foundation, a national charity supporting police dog services and retired police dogs across the UK, said in a Facebook post: “Unbeknownst to RPD Bear, the man was a vulnerable missing person, and officers searched without success.”
Pope told the Guardian that the bear was quick to tell. “I’m in work mode” After detecting a missing person.
Recalling the incident, the Pope explains: “[He] Then he dragged us there, where he found a weak man and warned us. We don’t know if he survived the night because it was very cold at that point and there was no one around. ”
The dog’s owner added that the bear took the lead and helped the man coordinate with local police officers to return to the area where he could be reunited with his loved ones.
The Pope describes the whole encounter this way: “Amazing good fortune”.
“RPD Bear, you are a true hero. You showed us that even in retirement you can save lives.” The Thin Blue Paw Foundation writes:
Bear spent seven years with the Sussex Police Dog Unit and was adopted by Pope in 2020 after his retirement.
In 2023, this retired police dog suffered four herniated discs in his back and had to undergo emergency surgery after collapsing. For this, he received support from the Thin Blue Paw Foundation.
