The Fraserburgh Herald
Scottish police dog handler Phil Duncan has taken on a sporting challenge to raise funds for the benefit of the country’s police dogs, especially those who have retired. His initiative was so popular that 10 colleagues decided to join him.
If Phil Duncan has been a police officer for 21 years, his specialization as a dog handler in law enforcement is relatively recent. He had, in fact, started his training for this purpose in August 2019. 2 months later, he was entrusted with Hörbi , a female Belgian Shepherd Malinois trained in particular in tracking and now 3 years old.
Since then, this inhabitant of Fraserburgh , in the north-east of Scotland, and his partner have been inseparable. The police officer and the dog carry out their daily patrols on foot or in vehicles, and stay together on their days off. The duo take advantage of their free time to strengthen their bond, but also to improve their performance through exercises.
Phil Duncan , 40, loves Hörbi and can’t imagine his life without her. He is proud of the work they do together and the progress she continues to make. “ I see improvements in her every day and I’ve learned a lot about myself as well, ” he tells the Fraserburgh Herald .
The Fraserburgh Herald
More than 200 police dogs retired every year in the UK
The latter supports and honors canines who serve or have served in law enforcement in the United Kingdom. The country has around 1,500 police dogs on duty, and between 200 and 300 of them leave the various dog units each year to return to civilian life. These retired quadrupeds then join their handler or are adopted by other families.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation intervenes in particular by helping their owners on the financial level, to cover the costs related to the care of the dogs.
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12 hours of running and cycling to support the police dogs
So on August 14th, Phil Duncan will strive to run and pedal as far as possible for 12 hours to encourage people to donate to the association. However, he will not be alone in this challenge, since 10 of his colleagues, seduced by the project, have decided to participate.
“As a dog handler, I know dogs that the Foundation has helped and I wanted to try to raise awareness and raise funds for the association. After all, Hörbi might need their help one day, ”concludes Phil Duncan , who will thus combine business with pleasure. The man says, in fact, to be a sports fan, regularly practicing running and cycling. In less than 2 months, he will be doing it for a good cause. </p
