16 Mar 2023
A London veterinary group is working with a charity that helps care for former emergency service dogs in their retirement.
Allister Webb
Job Title
From left: Goddard Veterinary Group’s Adam Thoms with Rusty the retired police search dog and Rusty’s owner, Duncan.
A London veterinary group has joined forces with a charity to help a former four-legged public servant live his best life in retirement.
Rusty spent six years as a search dog with the Metropolitan Police, working on operations including the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Now, he is receiving care for an ongoing skin condition at the Goddard Veterinary Group’s South Woodford practice, due to its partnership with the London Retired Police Dogs Trust (LRPD).
The group – which has 44 practices and three hospitals around Greater London – provides discounted care through the LRPD, which supports dogs that worked for the Metropolitan and City of London police forces, plus the London Fire Brigade.
Vet Adam Thoms said: “Rusty came in to see us because he had a recurring sore patch in the corner of one eye, which was causing him a bit of discomfort.
“We carried out tests, which revealed he suffers from a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Rusty’s case is quite unusual because while Labradors sometimes have this condition around their nose, I’ve not seen it around the eye before.”
Dr Thoms added: “He is a lovely, calm and friendly dog who has done an incredible service for people living in London, so being able to help him has been very rewarding.”
Emma Dignam, LRPD’s co-founder and a serving police officer, added: “We are delighted to be working with Goddard Veterinary Group and hope that through our partnership, we can help many more service dogs like Rusty enjoy a happy and healthy retirement.”
More information about LRPD can be found via its website.
