Puppy Found Abandoned In A Bucket Becomes A Police Sniffer Dog

Police at the Surrey and Sussex Dog Unit have shown that they do more than use dogs, they love dogs. After all, when was the last time you heard about a dog being found abandoned in a bucket and eventually becoming a “crime-fighting hero”?

Four cocker spaniels were found last summer in RedHill after being abandoned. They were suffering because they didn’t have enough to eat and were dealing with some chronic infections.

After being found, the kind folks at the Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham provided treatment and TLC to get them back on all 4 paws again.

One of the people who cared for them at the center, Jo Douglas, said that they were in a “real state,” according to ITV. In order to help them, they needed four types of eyedrops, two eardrops, and they had to be administered four times every day. That isn’t even to mention the medicated baths for their skin.

The puppies, named Dustin, El, Lucas, and Mike (think Stranger Things), received weeks of treatment and were eventually sent to loving homes.

As ITV shared, Joe said:

“Dustin was always on the go and needed constant stimulation and he was just too much for his adopters so he came back to us.

We kept him busy by hiding tennis balls around the centre and playing scent games with him. He absolutely loved it – and was really good at following his nose and finding them so we contacted the police to see if they’d be interested in taking him on as a new recruit!”

Dustin was eventually renamed “Badger.” Six months ago, he got the opportunity to join the police department in the dog training program and became a sniffer dog.

Badger is only 20 weeks old but he is now on the street, using his nose to find bad guys and what they left behind, such as drugs, cash, and weapons. PC Steph Barrett with Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit has the privilege of working with this pooch.

PC Barrett said, according to ITV, “I was saddened to hear how Badger had been dumped on the side of the road but, thanks to the RSPCA, he’s been given a second chance.”

Although it took some time, Badger was able to regain his trust in people and now he is living the life. They admit he is still mischievous, he is a good boy.