Paws on Patrol! Two Puppies Join North Wales Police’s Dog Section

Two new puppies have been welcomed to North Wales Police’s Dog Section.

Eight-week-old Labrador Luna and 10-week-old Malinois, Diesel are now settling in with their new handlers, PC Gareth Wedley and PC Sonia Stobbart.

Bred in Scotland specifically for police work, Luna – named after a character in the Harry Potter books, lives with PC Wedley and she joins the North Wales Police Dog Section which currently has 17 dogs.

Luna’s handler, PC Wedley has been a police officer with North Wales Police for 16 years but has spent half of his service with the Dog Section. He currently has another working dog, two-year-old general purpose dog called Axe.

Speaking about the arrival of the newest addition to the family, PC Wedley said: “Luna is doing really well at the moment – she’s already displaying a desire to chase and find a ball and bring it back to me, when she wants to give it back that is. This is something which I haven’t seen in a puppy I’ve had of her age before.

“She’s currently undergoing some training and we are also trying to introduce her to various environments. Eraly socialisation and introducing the dog to a wide range of people, animals and experiences is essential to ensure a sociable, well-adjusted and balanced dog which is suitable for police work.

“Her current training regime is done in a relaxed and gentle way to ensure she develops at her own pace. At the moment the signs are good – she’s adjusted really well and is embracing her new role. That said she’s one of the most demanding puppies I’ve had and is really inquisitive. This in itself brings a whole host of additional dog care and help from the family is very much appreciated!”

Diesel was also bred in Scotland specifically for police work and comes from the same breeding lines as PC Wedley’s Malinois, Axe.

Diesel has been with his handler PC Sonia Stobbart for the past two weeks and has settled into life as a police puppy very well. His name was chosen by fans of the North Wales Police K9 Cops Facebook page and has been named after the police dog who died during the recent terror attacks in Paris.

Diesel’s handler PC Stobbart has been working for North Wales Police for 13 years and has spent the last five years as a dog handler. She has another working dog, PD Zak who is a six year old Malinois and has previously handled retired specialist dog Albi – a springer spaniel.

PC Stobbart said: “Having another puppy is hard work, there’s plenty of sleepless nights and hours of your own time spent with them. It’s all worth it to know that you have a dog that you have put everything into yourself because I will spend the next eight years working with him, he will be my protector and best friend.”

“We’ve spent the first two weeks creating a bond and laying down some ground rules, he’s learnt so much already. He’s had his jabs now so we will be able to start socialising him to make him environmentally sound.”

The role of the Dog Section is to provide police dog and handler teams to support their colleagues across North Wales and to respond to emergency calls where their unique skills can be used to help make the region safer.

They are always on the look-out for new venues and different environments to train the dogs. Anybody who may be able to assist should contact the Dog Section via 101.

You can also follow the team for up-to-date news and photos of the four-legged team on their popular Facebook Page.