A former police dog, out for its first walk since major surgery, found a man in danger in the woods and saved him.
Bear was being walked by his owner, Julia Pope, who used to be a police officer, in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex when it picked up on the man who was missing and being looked for by police.
On November 28, the day of the event, the dog, which was 12 years old, led Ms. Pope to the lost man.
“This was his first real walk since his surgery, and we thought it would be a calm stroll, but it turned out to be quite dramatic,” Ms. Pope said.
“Bear went into work mode. All of a sudden, he stopped and started pointing to an area of thick undergrowth. He then dragged us to that area, where he found a man who was vulnerable and told us about him.”
“The man was lost, wet, and cold, and he had fallen and couldn’t get back up on his own.” It was very cold, almost dark, and there was no one else around. I don’t think he would have made it through the night.
“The area wasn’t very well known, and it would be easy to get lost there, especially at night.”
“We didn’t know it, but the man was a vulnerable missing person that police had been looking for without success.”
“Bear led the way back, and we were able to help the man get to a place where we could work with the police officers who had been looking for him and reunite him with his family.”
“Being in the right place at the right time with two retired police officers and a retired police dog was a huge stroke of luck.”
After Bear’s keeper couldn’t keep him after he retired in 2020, Ms. Pope took him in.
The retired police dog still helps police officers deal with stress and grief, and the Thin Blue Paw Foundation helps pay for this.
The charity helps police dogs get better, stay safe, and get help when they need it. They helped Bear and his owners last summer when Bear lost the use of his back legs and was having trouble walking.
Four compressed discs in his spine needed to be treated right away with an MRI and surgery. This was likely caused by his years of hard work as a police dog.
After two harmless tumors were found in a scan two weeks ago, Bear had surgery.
A trustee for Thin Blue Paw named Kieran Stanbridge said, “Bear is a true hero. His training and instincts kicked in, and he was able to lead his owners, who are both former police officers, to this vulnerable man who needed help right away.”
“Bear helped the man get the help he needed from the local police. He’s still saving lives even though he’s retired.”