Charity’s police dog vet bill plea to Defra

A welfare charity has called for more government support to help the owners of retired police dogs meet their veterinary care needs.

The plea came after calls to set up a national support scheme for retired service animals were rejected, despite tens of thousands of people backing the idea.

Defra officials have claimed the current agenda for reforms to the sector, including legislative change, will help to address campaigners’ concerns.

‘Heartbreaking’

However, Thin Blue Paw Foundation founder Kieran Stanbridge warned that the response risked leaving owners in “heartbreaking” positions where they were unable to pay for treatment.

He said: “We believe this is a duty of care that the Government should be taking on.”

Around 55,000 people have so far supported the campaign on the UK Parliament’s petition website, which calls for government provision of “lifelong veterinary care and financial assistance” for groups including police dogs and horses, plus military service dogs.

The petition said: “Service animals protect the public and support the emergency services and armed forces. Many retire with injuries or health conditions linked to their service.

“Ongoing care costs often fall to former handlers, adopters or charities.”

‘No plans’

In its published response, Defra said the Government had “no plans” to introduce such an initiative, but insisted it was “actively reviewing options to improve price transparency and knowledge of options available for pet owners, including those who take on responsibility for retired service animals”.

The department highlighted both its recent white paper on new legislation and its support for the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) reform proposals. It added: “The Government will continue to consider the evidence from this work and any relevant recommendations as it develops its approach to veterinary sector reform.”

But the foundation, which estimates it has supported more than 220 retired police dogs with care costing more than £460,000, believes greater commitment is needed in recognition of police dogs’ contribution to the fight against crime and the protection of public safety.

‘Health problems’

Mr Stanbridge said: “The very least police dogs deserve after giving years of their lives to serving is financial support for veterinary care in their retirements – particularly as many face health problems which are a direct result of the physical demands of the jobs they undertook.

“With vet costs rising and many families feeling the strain, we fear that the owners of retired police dogs – who often don’t qualify for insurance – could be left in heartbreaking positions because they can’t afford treatment for their beloved dogs.”

The charity said it had also attracted around 25,000 supporters to its campaign for the provision of pensions for police dogs, which it believes should be funded from the recovered proceeds of crime.

It argued that such monies were often recovered through the work of police dog units.