Harpenden-based charity raises £125,000 for retired police dogs

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation was founded in 2020, and supports working dogs when they retire to ensure they have access to veterinary care and treatments, no matter the cost or their owner’s financial situations.

Less than three years after the charity's creation, it has more than 300 dogs registered and has paid out £125,000 to cover bills for life-saving surgeries, preventative treatments and therapies, and expensive medication.

Among the dogs Thin Blue Paw has supported is nine-year-old Belgian Malinois Miko, who spent eight years at Norfolk Constabulary as a general purpose dog until his retirement in 2021.

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Forensic nurse Jodi, who worked with the force, adopted him, but he needed hydrotherapy for pain in his legs and approached the charity for support.

"Miko has improved so much," she said. 

"He’s happier in himself and has a much better quality of life now. I wouldn’t have been able to financially support this treatment so the Thin Blue Paw has enabled him to have a better quality of life. I can’t thank the charity enough."

Another Belgian Malinois, Max, served at the Ministry of Defence Police base HMNB Devonport in Plymouth for almost three years before retiring in September 2022.

The five-year-old needed treatment for damage to his legs and now has hydrotherapy for arthritis.

Belgian Malinois Max during one of his hydrotherapy sessions. (Image: Thin Blue Paw Foundation)

"Max has regular hydrotherapy sessions which is really helping, and the Thin Blue Paw Foundation has kindly funded a course of these sessions," said his former handler Natalie, who adopted him on his retirement.

"My finances have taken a knock recently and things have been difficult so this has been a huge help."

Thin Blue Paw Foundation founder and trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: "There are wide areas across the UK where there is no support in place for these canine heroes once they leave work.

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"This means that the financial responsibility falls to their new owners – often their previous handler – and could bring with it large veterinary bills. 

"We wanted to ensure that no dogs or owners would find themselves struggling because they fell into an area without any help so we launched the Thin Blue Paw Foundation which would offer support to retired police and prison dogs across the UK."