A young Labrador who started life in ‘horrific’ conditions on a Welsh puppy farm has made an incredible transformation and is now helping to fight crime in Gloucestershire.
A total of 21 dogs were removed from the address, as part of a warrant executed by South Wales Police. The dogs were found to be underweight, suffering from skin conditions, and were living in unhygienic and hazardous conditions.
Some of the dogs seized were signed over – including Bonnie – so they could be rehomed. Bonnie was taken in by the RSPCA’s West Hatch Animal Centre, in Somerset, where staff – who have a history of successfully rehoming more than 20 rescue dogs of all breeds to police forces – quickly identified her potential.
She and fellow RSPCA rescue dog spaniel, Marshall joined Gloucestershire Constabulary. Both were fostered by experienced dog handler PC Claire Todd and joined her veteran police dog (also an RSPCA rescue), PD Stella the Staffie.
Bonnie started her training in November 2021, qualifying as a proactive cash, drugs and firearms search dog in December before hitting the streets in the New Year, as one of four new recruits in the unit, all of whom were rescue dogs.
RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper, who rescued Bonnie and investigated her case, said:
I was horrified by the animals’ overall health condition and the environments in which they were being kept. It also appeared that a small-scale puppy farm was being run from this location.
The dogs were being kept in filthy makeshift kennels and runs, some in shipping containers, and many without appropriate bedding, food or water.
The conditions they were kept in were not acceptable and the owners were failing to meet their needs. One pen for example – which had eight dogs in – had no space for them to get away from each other, had no comfortable area for them to rest and was full of urine and faeces.
When bringing the dogs out of the first two pens none of them knew how to walk on a lead and they were all terrified of the outside world. It was clear from their reactions that they were not properly socialised and spent the majority of their time locked up in these pens and away from life.
Bonnie’s previous owners – a man and woman from South Wales – were taken to court and given suspended prison sentences, community orders, fines and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years, after pleading guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act* on 11 February.
While sentencing, the District Judge referred to there being a commercial element on what appeared to be a puppy farm.
PD Bonnie’s handler PC Rich Hunt – who is also the Gloucestershire Constabulary dog training instructor – said:
Bonnie joined the fire service and was being tested as a recovery dog to go into fire-hit buildings and rubble to search for people.
Unfortunately she didn’t like going into dark, confined areas so she failed. It doesn’t surprise me knowing where she had been rescued from and what her early-life experiences were.
We had contacts in the fire training programme who asked if we’d be interested in trialling her for the police and she was brilliant!
PD Bonnie now lives and works with PC Hunt and his general purpose dog, German Shepherd PD Django, who she loves.
PC Hunt said:
“Bonnie is so loving and friendly, it’s amazing when you think about the awful start she had, but she’s so happy now,”
“She’s great at her job because she loves a tennis ball and her drive for play means she has a great drive for work; it’s a big, fun game to her!
“She has a wonderful work ethic because she loves it. Soon we’ll be busy doing drug searches, warrants and supporting the police in their work.”
To help us continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please donate online or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.
*causing unnecessary suffering to 12 dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their skin diseases, failing to meet the needs of 21 dogs by failing their need for a suitable living environment, and failing to provide 10 dogs with a suitable diet including continuous access to an adequate supply of clean, fresh drinking water.
