Charity steps in to save retired police dog

Belgian Malinois RPD Fiji spent six years working with the Surrey and Sussex Joint Dog Unit

A charity has stepped in to fund emergency surgery for a retired police dog who helped save lives across Surrey and Sussex.

Belgian Malinois Fiji joined Surrey Police as a puppy and spent six years working in the Surrey and Sussex Joint Dog Unit.

Handler and now owner Claire Bird kept her after injury cut short a distinguished career in which Fiji received a commendation for saving a high-risk missing person's life.

Fiji, now 12, was rushed into emergency surgery on Monday after a "panic-stricken" Claire noticed she wasn't well.

Fiji was rushed into emergency surgery after former handler and now owner Claire Bird noticed she wasn't well

She said: "I'd given the dogs a bit of leftover roast lamb and Fiji was being sick in the garden.

"I went to check on her and I noticed her stomach was getting bigger and rushed her to the vet."

Claire was alarmed when the vet called during surgery to inform her that Fiji would need her spleen removed.

"I was terrified, but thankfully she pulled through," she said, praising the Thin Blue Paw Foundation for stepping in to pay the £4,300 bill.

The national dog welfare charity, which supports serving and retired police dogs from across the UK, has given Fiji almost £10,000 worth of support over the years.

Alongside funding a monthly £300 injection to help manage a skin issue, the foundation supported Fiji in October 2023 when she fell seriously ill with a bacterial infection in her uterus.

Claire said she felt "so lucky" to have been paired with Fiji, who is now home and on the mend.

"I'm so incredibly thankful to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation – and everyone who donates to them – for helping to save Fiji's life," she added.

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