Police dog and handler bonds 'unbreakable'

PC Carl Woodall will be missed by the dog unit, police say

A retiring police dog handler whose canine partners helped him detain hundreds of suspects has described the bonds he formed with his dogs as "unbreakable".

PC Carl Woodall began working for West Midlands Police's dog unit in 2002 and has since handled 10 dogs.

Over the years he and his partners have policed events ranging from Nato summits to the Olympics, found suspects hiding in trees, and even tracked down a missing wedding ring.

"When you're partnered up with a police dog, you know they have your back and you have theirs," he said. "The bond is unbreakable."

Mr Woodall, who is retiring after a total of 28 years in the force, was first partnered with police dog Riggs.

Together, they became one of the first handler and dog duos to attain their firearms support license in the force.

Another partner, Blitz, helped him discover 11 people hiding in a factory where scrap metal was being stolen, including one hiding in a tree.

He was on night patrol with a third dog, Odin, in 2020 when he spotted two men with torches acting suspiciously.

It transpired the men were searching for a lost ring, which the crime-fighting duo retrieved within minutes.

The dog handler and his canine partners have detained hundreds of suspects over the years

In 2023, the officer and another dog, Swift, were awarded a Chief Constable's commendation for their work after violence flared before an Aston Villa game against Legia Warsaw.

West Midlands Police described the Belgian Malinois and his handler as "fantastic partners", who detained dozens of suspects, including a suspected car thief following a pursuit on foot.

Ch Insp Dan Lowe, from the force's Operations Unit, said: "PC Woodall and the police dogs he has had over the years have been involved in detaining hundreds of offenders and have supported many high-profile events.

"The unit will really miss him."