It’s a sad reality that not every dog gets the start in life they deserve. And Chester the Cocker Spaniel was one such canine. The RSPCA rescued him, along with six other puppies, after they were found abandoned in a metal cage.
But the clever canine has worked hard over the course of the year and is now a police sniffer dog, reports the Evening Standard.
From RSPCA Rescue to Sniffer Dog
In January, a member of the public found four-month-old Chester in the village of Hersden in Kent. He was in a metal box with three other Cocker Spaniels and two Terrier mix puppies.
“It’s very possible these puppies were abandoned by a breeder,” explained RSPCA inspector Clive Hopwood. “We believe these puppies may have failed to sell so they were abandoned having passed their ‘cute’ stage when they’re most marketable and most valuable.”
It proved difficult for the RSPCA to find Chester a forever home, due to his high energy levels. But then, his foster carers saw that he enjoyed searching and sniffing for things.
Foster carer Sarah Piggott, who works for the RSPCA, said, “No amount of walking or enrichment seemed to exhaust him. I realized he had a real drive for searching and sniffing things out when he’d easily find other dogs’ lost tennis balls on walks and kept bringing them to me.”
Written in the Stars
Tara Luxford adopted Bertie, Chester’s brother, and said that he was “destined” to become a sniffer dog with the police. “I remember one day we were walking them together and Bertie had lost his new toy in a bush and we couldn’t reach it,” she said. “We told Chester to ‘find it’ and he went straight into the bush and got it back for Bertie.”
In March, Surrey Police took Chester in and began training him to become a sniffer dog. According to Sarah, Chester has since caught up to the puppies who started their training before him.
“I’m so proud of him and I’m thrilled that he’s found a home where he can do what he loves every day while being well looked after.”
PD Chester became a licensed sniffer dog in October after coming to the end of a six-week intensive training course. He’s now been deployed around Surrey and Sussex alongside his handler PC Kim Hackett.
