Thin Blue Paw Foundation has launched an emergency appeal.

A charity which supports former police dogs in the UK has launched an emergency fundraising appeal after experiencing the busiest month in its history.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation helped 21 dogs in September. The number of claims, which totalled 23, means it was also the most expensive the charity has ever experienced.

The foundation paid out £45,000 in September. This compares to £32,000 in 2021 and £41,000 in 2022.

One of the dogs helped by the charity this month was eleven-year-old Fiji, a Belgian Malinois, who served for six years with Surrey and Sussex Police.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has supported Fiji for years, helping to pay for injections to manage her itchy skin and investigations into her hip dysplasia. Specialists believe that she might have degenerative myelopathy. Last month, the charity provided £3,150 to help with the costs of her care.

Trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: “Unfortunately, taking on a retired police dog comes with added costs because most of these dogs have wear and tear from their strenuous working lives and are also uninsurable.”

Neeko, an eight-year-old German Shepherd who lives with Nicole Ollett and her family in Norfolk, is another dog the charity helped in September. He had served with Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies’ Joint Dog Section for seven years before retiring in February of this year and was twice named Police Dog of the Year.

On 16 September, Ms Ollett came downstairs to find Neeko in distress and unable to stand up.

Ms Ollett said: “It was absolutely awful when we found him unable to stand; he couldn’t get up and we had to carry him to the car while he was crying.”

He was taken to a local veterinary practice where it was revealed that he had a damaged disc in his neck which was putting pressure on his spinal column. On Monday, 25 September he underwent surgery and is now recovering at home.

Mr Standbridge added: “With 390 dogs registered with us, we have no idea what could be around the corner or what claims might come in over the next week; that’s why we really need the public’s help to ensure that we can always be there for a dog in need.

“Our nation’s police dogs loyally and bravely keep our streets safe and fight crime, putting their lives on the line every time they respond to a call. The least these dogs deserve, when they retire, is a long and happy life with access to the very best veterinary treatment.”

Donations to the charity can be made on the fundraising appeal's JustGiving page.

Image (C) Thin Blue Paw Foundation