Nottinghamshire: Latest re-homed police dog begins life on the beat

PD Chaos, a 12-month old Belgian Malinois-cross, was recruited earlier this year after he was offered to the force by his previous owner.

After initial assessment by expert trainers at Nottinghamshire Police, he was selected for enhanced training and paired with experienced handler PC Mark Hayward.

Over the last 13 weeks the pair have been drilled in all the core disciplines of dogs policing – from searching for people and property to detaining criminal suspects.

On Tuesday, September 9, they completed a stringent series of tests overseen by an independent examiner, and are now licenced to protect and serve the public.

PD Chaos, named by his previous owner, is the latest in a line of animals to be secured free-of-charge by Dog Section.

From rescue animals abandoned by their previous owners to unmanageable animals sourced directly from family homes, ten such dogs are now working with Nottinghamshire Police.

They include PD Seth, who has detained multiple criminal suspects over the last year, and PD Russo, a stray found wandering around the perimeter of Heathrow airport before he was rescued by a local charity.

Sergeant Nicolas Dachtler, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Working animals can be sourced in many ways, including from specialist breeders from around the country and even from Europe.

“Sadly there is no guarantee that any dog will stand up to the rigours of police training, so it makes a lot of sense for us to identify dogs like this in need of a new lease of life.

“When we travel to assess them we are looking for many of the things a normal owner would struggle to cope with – including a very high play drive and a strong desire to work.

“Chaos had all the attributes we were looking for and – with the encouragement of an experienced handler – has performed well throughout his training.

“I am hopeful he we will be a great addition to the wider team and look forward to watching his progress in the weeks and months ahead.”