Police Springer Spaniel awardedd posthomous 'OBE'

Police Sniffer Dog Awarded Posthumous 'OBE'

Jake, who died weeks before he was due to be honoured, once delayed a music festival by finding cannabis on a tour bus



02:12, UK,
Wednesday 29 April 2015





Jake on the job and with handler PC Andy Crouch

A police dog that sniffed out more than £5m worth of cash, firearms and drugs, has been posthumously presented with the animal equivalent of the OBE.


Jake was due to receive the PDSA Order of Merit alongside his handler, but the 13-year-old Springer Spaniel died suddenly just weeks before the presentation.

Over a 10-year career, the animal made more than 500 operational finds including assault rifles, shotguns, hand guns, over £650,000 worth of banknotes and £4.5 million in illegal drugs.

At one music festival the dog found more than £2,000 worth of well-concealed cannabis on a tour bus, resulting in the delay of the headline act.

On another occasion he intercepted a car on its way into a festival, leaping through an open window to uncover £1,000 worth of cocaine.

The award was collected on his behalf by his "girlfriend", a police dog called Gwen, at a ceremony in London hosted by Sky News presenter Kay Burley.




Jake after collecting a previous award for his work

Handler PC Andy Crouch said his family had been devastated by the dog's death: "Jake worked tirelessly and performed thousands of searches.

"Even after his retirement, he loved playing and we would often set up 'finds' for him to seek out, to keep him stimulated.

"Jake would have carried on working, given half the chance, but it was important for him to take some time out.

"He was a joy to work with and I doubt that many handlers will find a dog so willing to work and to please. My family and I are devastated to lose Jake, especially so close to this award being presented.

"But I am very proud to be here with Gwen, to accept the award on his behalf. Jake's award will take pride of place in our home, along with his Police Commendation and his Force tag, which he wore every day for ten years."

The PDSA says its Order of Merit is awarded to animals which merit recognition for exceptional acts of devotion and represents outstanding examples of the special relationship that exists between animals and humans.

It is only the second ever presentation of the award, the first being for the Metropolitan Police dogs and horses that served during the London riots of 2011.

Police dog's girlfriend collects posthumous PDSA award


6 hours ago

From the section Coventry & Warwickshire


Jake with handler PC Andy Crouch

Jake died in March, just weeks before picking up the award

A police dog who sniffed out firearms, cash and drugs worth some £5m is to be given a posthumous award.

Springer Spaniel Jake died aged 13, just weeks before picking up the PDSA Order of Merit, sometimes referred to as the animal equivalent of the OBE.

The Order of Merit is to be collected by Jake's "girlfriend", a police dog called Gwen, at a ceremony in London on Wednesday evening.

Jake was Warwickshire Police's longest serving dog when he retired in August.

Handler PC Andy Crouch said the whole family had been "devastated" by Jake's death in March and the award would "take pride of place".




Jake was teamed up with PC Crouch soon after the dog joined the Warwickshire force aged 18 months.

Tour bus drugs bust

"Even after his retirement, he loved playing and we would often set up finds for him to seek out, to keep him stimulated," PC Crouch said.

"Jake would have carried on working, given half the chance, but it was important for him to take some time out. He was a joy to work with and I doubt that many handlers will find a dog so willing to work and to please."

During a 10-year career, he made more than 500 finds, including assault rifles, hand guns and ammunition, as well as drugs with an estimated street value of £4.5m.

He also served with West Mercia Police and was brought in to support nine other forces, including policing events such as the London Olympics, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Glastonbury Festival.

The PDSA said at one music festival Jake found cannabis worth more than £2,000 concealed on a tour bus, resulting in the delay of a major act.

The Order of Merit is awarded to any animal which "merited recognition for exceptional acts of devotion and represents outstanding examples of the special relationship that exists between animals and humans".

The PDSA said the first presentation of the award was to the Metropolitan Police dogs and horses that served during the London riots of 2011.

This is the second ceremony in the award's history, the charity said.

We had a police dog growing up - a German shepherd called Saxon. (My dad was the village Bobby). A real hero and I loved him very much. He was very protective of us and incredibly clever. Saved the day many times, including pinning a perp to the ground who had pulled a knife on my dad, inside our little police house. I hope he and Jake are both getting lots of treats in doggy heaven.

Constablekid wrote:We had a police dog growing up - a German shepherd called Saxon. (My dad was the village Bobby). A real hero and I loved him very much. He was very protective of us and incredibly clever. Saved the day many times, including pinning a perp to the ground who had pulled a knife on my dad, inside our little police house. I hope he and Jake are both getting lots of treats in doggy heaven.

Maybe they give them perps to chase ... 

The British 'team' in Nepal have TWO 'sniffer' dogs with them

Ha ha I like your thinking lj

Constablekid wrote:Ha ha I like your thinking lj

 I know quite a few law enforcement dogs and man do they like to chase them!