written by Mel.
Ci was a young dog who had a lot to live up to after Blitz.
He trained well and although on the nervous side in the beginning he soon developed confidence and by the end of the course I was confident that he could do all that was asked of him on the streets. It takes time for dogs to gain practical experience but working in Nottingham City gave us plenty of opportunity to gain that experience. It wasn't long before he was making his first arrests.
I had great hopes that here was a dog I could take to dog trials. He was obedient, agile, a good nose worker, and in man work, aggressive but in a controlled manner. However, it was not to be, for in a training accident he broke a fore leg. This had to be pinned, hence the bucket over the head for a few weeks whilst it mended. But mend it did and after a while with gentle exercise it gained strength and over the following months he regained all his previous ability. I was certainly fit, having walked and run with him for miles to build up his strength.
At last the decision had to be made. Was he fit for operational duty? He certainly passed all the exercises. But unfortunately the broken leg wasn't quite straight and it was decided he couldn't be seen walking down the street as it could offend public opinion.
As I still had Blitz, the retired dog, it just wasn't possible to keep him as well as have another working dog. So unfortunately I had to let him go.