Officer adopts dog found while on patrol

Officers and staff from Walsall Council raised money to help cover vet bill costs

A dog has been adopted by the same police officer who found it in need of a home while on duty.

PC Courtney Tongue, from West Midlands Police, was on patrol in Walsall town centre when she was handed a carrier bag, with a Cocker Spaniel puppy inside, by a woman who said she could no longer look after the dog.

PC Tongue said the month-old puppy instantly melted her heart and she fell in love as soon as she laid eyes on her.

"She was tiny, underweight and hadn’t had a good start in life - I decided there and then that I would look after her," she explained.

Officers at Walsall Council’s Civic Centre, where the Walsall division of the force is based, voted to name the pup Bella.

“Bella is doing great. She has put on a lot of weight. She is so loving and very quick to learn," PC Tongue said.

"She already knows 'sit, lay down, stay' and some very simple agility ground work."

Officers and council staff raised money to pay for Bella's vet bills and to get her micro-chipped.

She now had "bundles of energy", said PC Tongue.

“She loves to roll around in the water and loves to dig a hole. She loves her toys and is never really without one.

"Bella got off to a difficult start in life but now I am doing all I can to ensure the rest of her life is simply a dog’s life,” PC Tongue explained.