New pups for `quality police dog' project

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner


The second litter of pups bred by West Yorkshire Police has been born.

The six healthy German Shepherd pups are part of the force's new breeding programme.

Their five-year-old mum, Becky, has been living with a member of police staff in Leeds.

She will now live with her new brood in the dog section at the Carr Gate police complex in Wakefield until they are old enough to be separated.

The pups mark the second phase of the growing in-house Breeding and Whelping Unit which hopes to deliver 80% of the force's police dogs over the next three years.

The first litter of eleven pups was born in October.

Dog handler and trainer Richard Ellis is working to establish a long-term programme for the force and hopes to produce three or four litters a year.

He said: "They arrived a little ahead of schedule, but both mum and the pups are doing well.

"From the first litter we kept two of the dogs and a bitch for further breeding. The dogs are already living with force dog handlers and are enjoying the gentle early stages of their training.

"Two dogs also went to Greater Manchester Police and we found good homes with members of the public for the remaining ones."

The in-house breeding scheme will save money and produce quality police dogs. They are also less likely to have genetic problems.

While German Shepherds are the focus for development at this stage, there are plans to introduce Springer Spaniels in the future.