I am a retired Police Dog Handler having served 30 years with the Essex Police, 19 years of which I served with the Police Dog Section, before retiring in 2015. During my Police career, I had the pleasure of working four German Shepherd Dogs as well as a Bloodhound who was trialled as a specialist tracking dog, taking me all over the country to work alongside other Police forces in many high profile crime and missing person cases.
I competed in many Police Dog Trials, winning the Essex Police Obedience Trophy in 2009 with Police Dog “Gus”, and in 2013, I won both the overall competition and Tracking Trophy with Police Dog ‘Rapha’, who at only 2 years of age, was the youngest Police dog ever to win the Essex Police Dog Trials! I also qualified twice for the Regional Police Dog Trials, as well as qualifying for the National Police Dog Trials.
During my time in the Essex Police Dog Section, I mentored three Police Dog Handlers who also gained qualification to both Regional and National Police Dog Trials with their dogs.