K9 dogs are true heroes who are an invaluable part of any police department. They perform essential tasks from taking down criminals to locating missing people.
And even after they retire from the force, those heroic instincts never quite go away. Recently, one 12-year-old former K9 went out for a walk and ended up saving a man’s life 😮🙏
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a UK-based nonprofit charity that helps retired police dogs, shared the unbelievable story about how a retired police German shepherd named Bear unexpectedly saved a life.
Bear, who served with Sussex Police before retirement, celebrated his 12th birthday last week by going on a nice long walk. But Bear’s old police instincts suddenly kicked in when he noticed a man laying in a dense undergrowth.
Bear alerted his owners and they found the man, who was wet, confused and unable to get up. It turned out the man was a vulnerable missing person who police had been searching for without success. It’s possible that the man would have never been found at all had the smart dog not been there to save the day.
“I’m not sure he would have survived the night as it was extremely cold and almost dark at that point with no one else in the vicinity,” owner Julia Pope, who adopted Bear in 2020 after his retirement, told The Guardian, calling the rescue an “amazing stroke of luck.”
“The area was dark and very cold, but thanks to RPD Bear, the man received the help he needed from local officers,” Thin Blue Paw wrote on social media. “RPD Bear, you’re a true hero, showing us that even in retirement, you can still save lives.”
Bear has kept busy in his retirement, working as a wellbeing and trauma support dog for police staff, according to The Guardian. While he’s had some health issues recently — he underwent an emergency MRI and surgery last summer for four herniated discs — it’s clear this old dog hasn’t lost his step.
“RPD Bear is a true hero – his training and instinct kicked in and he managed to lead his owners, who are former police officers themselves, to this vulnerable man who needed urgent help,” said Thin Blue Paw trustee Kieran Stanbridge.
Please share Bear’s story to celebrate his heroic rescue and honor the amazing work of retired K9s! 🐕❤️
READ MORE:
- Police officers line up to salute K9 with terminal cancer on her final walkout
- Licorice flunked out of service dog training — but ended up with a career in the police department
