Cheshire Police know we’re all suckers when it comes to cute animals so tweeted a ‘Shameless puppy post’ to enlist the public’s help in finding a name for their newest recruit.
This eight-week-old ‘little fella’ prompted paws for thought with countless suggestions that were whittled down to a choice of just two: Ted or Bolt.
By a woof guess 1,378 people retweeted ‘Ted’ and a howling great 7,504 favourited ‘Bolt’ - making Bolt the canine, nine, nine name of choice.
Bolt may have had the edge because a dog of that name was the star of Disney’s 2008 animated road-comedy-adventure film Bolt featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus.
Shortlist
Sergeant Andy Burrage, from the Cheshire Police Dog Unit, said: “A request went out for name suggestions and the dog unit chose two from the list and then put the two names back out there for the public to decide. Apparently there’s a dog called Bolt in a cartoon.”
He explained that Bolt, a German shepherd, would be a general purpose dog who would eventually be assigned to a permanent handler and live in their home as a family pet.
General purpose dogs undertake a 13-week initial training course to equip them with the skills needed to serve as police dogs. This is regularly refreshed with training exercises that replicate real-life situations.
Their main jobs are:
- Searching for people, including criminals and missing people.
- Providing a reassuring presence at public events, such as football matches.
- Tracking people using scents from scenes of crime.
- Chasing fleeing criminals
New recruits
Cheshire Constabulary’s dogs unit is also hoping the public can help in identifying new canine recruits with the potential to become specialist search dogs. The Force is appealing for pet owners to donate dogs who are loved but no longer able to stay with their families for whatever reason. This is in addition to sourcing canine recruits from dogs’ homes and rescue centres.
In particular, Cheshire is looking for dogs who are Labradors/Springer Spaniels or a cross of the two; 12-18 months old; confident around people and of new experiences and environments and who enjoy searching for items such as a tennis ball or a hidden toy.
Sgt Burrage added: “Dogs offered will be an given an initial assessment by one of the unit’s instructors before any decision is made whether to take them. Staff on the unit would be happy to have an initial discussion with anyone who is contemplating donating.”
Anyone interested can call the Cheshire Police kennels on 01606 362681 or 01606 362682 and ask to speak to PC Greg Taylor, Richie Land or Al Friday. Should there be no one available on that number, they can contact Sgt Burrage on 07824 609056.
