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Local fund for retired police dogs joins national charity
Lady Bathurst with the chief constable of West Midlands Police.
The merger will allow continued support for West Midlands police dogs.

The Retired West Midlands Police Dog Benevolent Fund (RWMPD Benevolent Fund) has merged with the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA) to help ensure that continued support is offered to retired service dogs in the area.

Founded in 2014, the RWMPD Benevolent Fund has been run by a small group of volunteers, raising money to support the veterinary costs of retired police dogs via a membership subscription scheme as well as through sales and donations.

The owners of dogs and horses which have retired after working for the police, fire and rescue services, the prison service, Border Force, or the National Crime Agency can find it difficult to get insurance for the animal. They currently receive no financial support towards veterinary bills and other costs from the government.

Since it was launched in 2022 by Lady Bathurst, the NFRSA has provided more than £50,000 in financial grants. There are an estimated 3,500 retired service animals in the UK and demand for financial support has risen in recent times owing to the cost-of-living crisis.

Terry Grove, the former treasurer of the RWMPD Benevolent Fund, said: “The establishment and the success of the NFRSA provides an opportunity to transition the Benevolent Fund into the NFRSA which will ensure that retired West Midlands Police Dogs can continue to be afforded the support they have benefited from over the past 10 years.”

In a statement, the NFRSA said: “We are deeply honoured that a local charity such as the RWMPD Benevolent Fund has decided to join our family.

“The trustees, and in particular, Terry Grove, have worked over the last ten years to ensure their retired police dogs are taken care of and we will continue that legacy as a national charity going forward.”

Image © National Foundation for Retired Service Animals

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
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Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.