Avon and Somerset Police are calling on dog lovers in Bristol, Bath and Somerset to make their homes a permanent one for a would-be police dog.
Dixie, a bitch, and her brother Dante were born at the end of December and are now 9 months old. Corrie, also a bitch, was born in June of 2011 and is now a year and four months old. All three puppies were bred as part of Avon and Somerset Constabulary's successful breeding programme and are looking for new homes. The breeding programme was set up to breed and train dogs in-house in 2009. The 'A' litter were born on the 21st January 2010 at the unit's base at Bower Ashton and has produced award-winning dogs, including Aden who, with his handler PC Nick Dalrymple, wowed judges and won second place the National Police Dog Championships held in Surrey this year. All potential police dog puppies are assessed during the initial stages of police training and sadly Dixie, Dante and Corrie are not suitable to continue as police dogs. They will make better family pets than police dogs. All three puppies have been with puppy walkers from eight weeks of age and undergone obedience training. All are inoculated, wormed, micro chipped and Kennel Club registered. They have all had basic obedience training, are very well behaved, travel well in vehicles and through their initial police training, are used to being in all sorts of different environments and situations. Dave McIver, who is in charge of the puppy breeding programme, said: "They are really lovely dogs and we really want to find them the right homes. Each of them will make a really great pet. They require daily exercise and would suit an environment with plenty of space and suitable exercise area to keep them happy and settled. "Corrie is a loveable girl who likes lots of fuss and company. She doesn't have any bad habits. Dixie is also lovely and great with people but at the moment she can be a little defensive when she's around dogs she doesn't know, although she settles down quickly and is fine. I think this will stop with a little work and she will become sociable around all dogs. "Dante is a lovely boy. He had a bit of a problem with his elbow so he can't be a working dog but it's not troubling him now and he's fully recovered. He enjoys exercise and doesn't have any physical sign of his impediment but he might get arthritis in that joint when he's older." If you are interested in making Dixie, Dante or Corrie a new addition to your home or family, then call David McIver on 07785 500172 or 01179 455404. You can also e-mail him at david.mciver@avonandsomerset.police.uk Please note that any potential owners will have a home visit from Dave or one of his team.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHAq6tnm59jwqx7waugrKyfocCwucSrqp6sX6OyuL%2BOpaacmZxktbC5xKxkp52VmbKlec%2Boo6KblWKxsLPSaA%3D%3D