bicycle
06-08-2009, 01:18 PM
Pensions are not just for people, it seems - police dogs can now look forward to a comfortable retirement thanks to the promise of their very own package of benefits to see them into their twilight years. The News reports.
DOG food, vaccinations, worming, vet bills and even complementary therapy are among the perks of the "pension" scheme brought in by Cambridgeshire police for hounds who have given years of hard work and loyalty to the force.
More than 20 dogs currently perform different roles for the region's police - with some trained to chase criminals, detect drugs, weapons and cash and locate explosives.
It is a serious business being a police dog - many start their training when they are between 12 and 24 months old and will work until the age of 8 or 9.
When dog handler Pc Tony Herson retires later this year he will begin drawing a pension which recognises years of loyal service.
Retiring with him will be his two trusty partners: Jake the German shepherd and Lennie the labrador, his explosives search dog.
Thanks to the new scheme which aims to care for retired police dogs, the pair will also receive a "pension" for their efforts.
Steve Krawczyk, dog unit sergeant, said: "Previously when a dog retired the officer would sign a disclaimer taking full responsibility for the dog's actions and medical care.
"However, they serve us for seven or eight years as good police dogs and often only have two years of retirement on average so it's only right to provide for them during this time. So we put together a package for the dogs."
Some dogs at the unit have even had the good fortune of enjoying some "complementary therapy" at the unit - and the concept will soon be rolled out to all of them.
Steve said: "The pension covers the retired dog's food, vaccinations and worming, vet bills as well as complementary therapy. They can also be kennelled back here when their handler's on holiday."
Tony's dogs, Jake and Lennie, will be part of this new generation of dogs to receive a welfare package.
Max, Tony's previous dog who recently died, enjoyed an extra 12 months of life thanks to complementary therapy - so Tony has certainly seen the benefits.
He said: "Max was so bad that at one stage he cried when he stood up in the mornings and I had to consider putting him down.
"But after he went on the therapy he was fine. He could stand easily and would wag his tail."
The idea of complementary therapy came about after a couple of dogs developed problems.
Steve said: "We had Rocky, who was 6, not an old dog, but he just wasn't keen to do the job one day. We had him X-rayed and they couldn't find anything wrong, but we thought he had a spine problem.
"We also took him to a vet at Newmarket and the findings were inconclusive but the problem was confirmed as spine-based.
"He was on Rimadyl, a painkiller which is fine in the short term but not for long term. He was on some high doses of that so we started looking at complementary therapy.
"We tried devil's claw, which comes from South Africa, to aid digestive problems and arthritis. He's also on glucosamine, which when combined with devil's claw helps the ligaments and tendons."
Steve said: "We began a six-month trial with Rocky, another dog called Yeoman and Tony's previous dog called Max.
"Yeoman is a very good working dog and we were a bit concerned, because of his health, that we might lose him."
Rocky is now retired but his condition hasn't got any worse. And Yeoman has become fully operational again.
Animals on the honours list
Other animals to receive benefits normally attributed to humans include:
■ Penguin Nils Olav, previously made a Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army, was knighted at Edinburgh Zoo.
■ Alpacas, guinea pigs, llamas, donkeys and other animals have received blessings at an annual ceremony at Ely Cathedral as part of a 22-year tradition.
■ The Dickin Medal, the animal version of the Victoria Cross, was instituted in 1943 to honour the work of animals in war. Winkie, who flew 120 miles from a crashed bomber to deliver an SOS, was the first pigeon to be awarded the medal, while in 2007 Sadie the labrador received one for sniffing out a bomb in Afghanistan, saving hundreds of lives.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=439184
DOG food, vaccinations, worming, vet bills and even complementary therapy are among the perks of the "pension" scheme brought in by Cambridgeshire police for hounds who have given years of hard work and loyalty to the force.
More than 20 dogs currently perform different roles for the region's police - with some trained to chase criminals, detect drugs, weapons and cash and locate explosives.
It is a serious business being a police dog - many start their training when they are between 12 and 24 months old and will work until the age of 8 or 9.
When dog handler Pc Tony Herson retires later this year he will begin drawing a pension which recognises years of loyal service.
Retiring with him will be his two trusty partners: Jake the German shepherd and Lennie the labrador, his explosives search dog.
Thanks to the new scheme which aims to care for retired police dogs, the pair will also receive a "pension" for their efforts.
Steve Krawczyk, dog unit sergeant, said: "Previously when a dog retired the officer would sign a disclaimer taking full responsibility for the dog's actions and medical care.
"However, they serve us for seven or eight years as good police dogs and often only have two years of retirement on average so it's only right to provide for them during this time. So we put together a package for the dogs."
Some dogs at the unit have even had the good fortune of enjoying some "complementary therapy" at the unit - and the concept will soon be rolled out to all of them.
Steve said: "The pension covers the retired dog's food, vaccinations and worming, vet bills as well as complementary therapy. They can also be kennelled back here when their handler's on holiday."
Tony's dogs, Jake and Lennie, will be part of this new generation of dogs to receive a welfare package.
Max, Tony's previous dog who recently died, enjoyed an extra 12 months of life thanks to complementary therapy - so Tony has certainly seen the benefits.
He said: "Max was so bad that at one stage he cried when he stood up in the mornings and I had to consider putting him down.
"But after he went on the therapy he was fine. He could stand easily and would wag his tail."
The idea of complementary therapy came about after a couple of dogs developed problems.
Steve said: "We had Rocky, who was 6, not an old dog, but he just wasn't keen to do the job one day. We had him X-rayed and they couldn't find anything wrong, but we thought he had a spine problem.
"We also took him to a vet at Newmarket and the findings were inconclusive but the problem was confirmed as spine-based.
"He was on Rimadyl, a painkiller which is fine in the short term but not for long term. He was on some high doses of that so we started looking at complementary therapy.
"We tried devil's claw, which comes from South Africa, to aid digestive problems and arthritis. He's also on glucosamine, which when combined with devil's claw helps the ligaments and tendons."
Steve said: "We began a six-month trial with Rocky, another dog called Yeoman and Tony's previous dog called Max.
"Yeoman is a very good working dog and we were a bit concerned, because of his health, that we might lose him."
Rocky is now retired but his condition hasn't got any worse. And Yeoman has become fully operational again.
Animals on the honours list
Other animals to receive benefits normally attributed to humans include:
■ Penguin Nils Olav, previously made a Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army, was knighted at Edinburgh Zoo.
■ Alpacas, guinea pigs, llamas, donkeys and other animals have received blessings at an annual ceremony at Ely Cathedral as part of a 22-year tradition.
■ The Dickin Medal, the animal version of the Victoria Cross, was instituted in 1943 to honour the work of animals in war. Winkie, who flew 120 miles from a crashed bomber to deliver an SOS, was the first pigeon to be awarded the medal, while in 2007 Sadie the labrador received one for sniffing out a bomb in Afghanistan, saving hundreds of lives.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=439184