A retired police dog has rescued a vulnerable missing person in East Sussex on his first walk since having major surgery.
The German shepherd, named Bear, found the man in dense undergrowth while being walked by his owner, Julia Pope, a former police officer.
Pope said the dog, who was celebrating his 12th birthday on the day of the discovery in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex, immediately “went into work mode” after sensing the lost individual and “started indicating towards an area of dense undergrowth”.
“[He] then dragged us to it, where he located and alerted us to a vulnerable man,” Pope said. “The man was confused, wet, cold and had fallen over, and was unable to get up unaided. I’m not sure he would have survived the night as it was extremely cold and almost dark at that point with no one else in the vicinity.
“Unbeknownst to us, the man was a vulnerable missing person who officers had been searching for without any success.”
Pope added that with Bear leading the way they helped the man back to an area where he could coordinate with local officers and be reunited with his family.
She described last Thursday’s rescue as an “amazing stroke of luck”.
Pope adopted the canine in 2020 after he retired from Sussex police. The German shepherd keeps busy in retirement by working as a wellbeing and trauma support dog for police staff.
Last summer, Bear needed an emergency MRI and surgery to treat four herniated discs in his spine after he lost the use of his rear legs. He was supported by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a national charity that supports former police dogs.
The dog had further surgery to remove two benign tumours two weeks before locating the vulnerable man on his first walk since the operation.
Kieran Stanbridge, a Thin Blue Paw trustee, said: “RPD Bear is a true hero – his training and instinct kicked in and he managed to lead his owners, who are former police officers themselves, to this vulnerable man who needed urgent help.
“Thanks to Bear, the man received the help he needed from local officers; even in his retirement, he’s still saving lives.”
