Dutch Barn Day Care for Dogs

15/05/2026

08/04/2026

So funny😂🤣😂🐾🐶🐾

26/03/2026

Interesting read

The London Metropolitan Police's first ever police dogs in 1938, using Black Labradors...

UK police forces first started using trained police dogs operationally in 1908. This marked the beginning of organised canine units in British policing, rather than informal or experimental use of the previous century.

Earliest Informal Mentions:

Parish constables (early local law enforcement) sometimes took their own pet dogs on night patrols as far back as the 15th century. These were not specially trained “police dogs” in the modern sense—just personal animals for companionship or basic deterrence.

First Official Experiment (1888):

The Metropolitan Police (London) tested two bloodhounds in 1888 during the hunt for Jack the Ripper. Commissioner Charles Warren hoped they could track the killer, but the trial failed badly—the dogs bit the commissioner and ran off, requiring police to search for them. This was a one-off experiment, not the start of a unit.

First Proper Police Dog Section (1908):

The North Eastern Railway Police (a recognised force covering docks and railways, later part of British Transport Police) launched the UK’s first official dog section in early 1908 at Hull Docks.

Superintendent J. Dobie was inspired by successful police dogs in Ghent, Belgium (after a 1907 visit).

The first four dogs were Airedale terriers: Jim, Vic, Mick, and Whisk (sometimes listed as Ben).

They patrolled to deter theft from docks, protect officers at night, track suspects, and attack anyone not in uniform. Handlers used whistles, leads, and muzzles; the dogs lived in kennels and achieved early arrests (e.g., burglars and trespassers).

This is widely recognised as the first organised use of police dogs anywhere in the United Kingdom. The section quickly expanded to other docks (Hartlepool, Tyne, Middlesbrough) and later influenced other forces.

Later Developments:

1910: Glasgow Police became one of the first city forces to adopt dogs (also Airedales).

1930s–1940s: The Metropolitan Police finally introduced its own dogs (Labradors in 1938, with a full Dog Section by 1946). German Shepherds (Alsatians) became the dominant breed after World War I.

By the 1950s, most UK forces had dog units, and numbers grew significantly. Today there are over 2,500 police dogs across UK forces, used for patrol, tracking, search-and-rescue, and detection work.

While there were earlier one-offs, 1908 is the year UK policing properly began using dogs as a formal tool—starting with the railway police at Hull Docks. This predates widespread adoption by major city forces like the Met by decades.

02/03/2026

Clients today! A64 closed near Malton, bad traffic accident this morning. I will see you when you manage to get here! Xx

01/03/2026

Useful information

Many don’t know this information! Remember every second matters during a choking incident.
1. Place the dog on their back. Brace the back against the floor. Straddle the dog while adjusting yourself based on the size of the dog. Position the head in “in-line position” with the airway parallel to the floor.
2. Make an open diamond shape with your hands. Place your thumbs on either side of the trachea below the ball or object. Grip the “V” of the jaw using lip/cheek to protect fingers.
3. Push with a J-stroke down and out against the ball until it ejects from the mouth.
Both this method and the Heimlich method has been proven to work in these scenarios so don’t hesitate to save your dog.

25/02/2026

We have enjoyed the sunshine today! 🐾🩷

28/12/2025

In case I caused any confusion with a previous post, we reopen after New Year on Monday the 5th of January! 😊🐾

12/11/2025

27/10/2025

This good boy of mine in the Museum Gardens, ghost hunting 👻

24/10/2025

Lilly's undercover trying to get some cheese...

14/10/2025

Anyone? I think I might go with Seth. Let me know if anyone else fancies going

https://buytickets.at/popandbark/1908211