Retired police dog ‘lucky to be alive’ after mysterious infection

Eleven-year-old retired police dog (RPD) Polly served with Sussex and Surrey Police for six years, four of those alongside her partner and ‘best friend’ PC Claire Harrison.

When she retired, in 2022, she went to live in Sussex with Claire and her family. She’d been in good health until Claire noticed a tiny cut on her leg at the end of July.

Claire said: “In the space of 24 hours my whole world came crashing down. Having already seen a vet and on a treatment plan, things took a turn for the worst, and Polly’s leg ballooned, swelling up to three times its normal size.

“I rushed her to the emergency vet and the prognosis was not good. She was extremely poorly and they said the next 48 hours would be critical. What was most worrying was that the infection had come out of nowhere; we had no idea what was causing it so, therefore, it wasn’t clear what the best treatment would be.

“Polly has been my best friend for almost 10 years; working alongside me policing the front line for a large part of this, and keeping me – and the public – safe; always making sure I returned home to my family.

“I owe her so much, including the retirement she so rightly deserves, so when the unthinkable happened and I knew the costs would go into thousands of pounds my heart sank because, without insurance, I didn’t know how I’d pay the bill.”

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity that supports retired police dogs with the costs of veterinary treatment and rehabilitation, stepped in to help cover the costs of Polly’s life-saving treatment, with the bill coming to more than £4,000.