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Fundraiser honours police dog who died on duty
PD Zyla's legacy will support the retirement of other police dogs.
PD Zyla died serving Leicestershire Police.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has launched a fundraiser in memory of a German shepherd which died while in service with the police.

Donations will support the UK-based charity for working and retired police dogs, which celebrates the work of service dogs and provides grants to support them when they retire.

PD Zyla was in pursuit of a suspect, wanted in connection with attempted murder, when she became submerged in water. Found unresponsive, she was taken to a veterinary practice where she later died.

The suspect was arrested under the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019, which is also known as Finn’s Law.

Finn’s Law was introduced after a campaign by former police dog handler David Wardell, after his police dog Finn was stabbed during service in 2016.  Mr Wardell was horrified when the attacker was only charged with criminal damage following the attack, despite Finn almost losing his life.

After the law was enacted in 2019, Mr Wardell and Finn joined forces with Kieran Stanbridge to found The Thin Blue Paw Foundation.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation supports working and retired police dogs. With many police dogs retiring with medical conditions, the charity provides grants and ongoing support so these dogs can access veterinary treatment, rehabilitation therapies and medication.

PD Zyla’s legacy will ensure that the work of serving police dogs is celebrated, and that they are supported in their retirement. So far over £7,000 has been raised.

Mr Stanbridge said: “We were honoured when PD Zyla’s handler contacted us to request that any donations in memory of Zyla be gifted to us so that Zyla’s memory will live on through our work supporting heroic retired police dogs across the UK.
 
“We’re providing ongoing support to Zyla’s handler at this very upsetting time and would like to say a huge thank you to the hundreds of people who have already donated in her memory. ”

Mr Wardell said: “Police dogs put their lives on the line every day to serve their police force and their communities and help fight crime. PD Zyla will be remembered for being a hero.
 
“Our thoughts are with her handler and everyone who knew her, worked with her and loved her.”

Donations can be made to PD Zyla’s memorial fundraiser here.

Image © The Thin Blue Paw Foundation

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Antibiotic Amnesty survey opens

News Story 1
 The Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA - CA&E) has launched a survey which seeks to measure the success of this year's Antibiotic Amnesty campaign.

Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November. Practices are also asked how they engaged with clients to raise awareness of the issue.

Participating practices can enter a prize draw to win up to 100 in vouchers for taking part. Further prizes from BSAVA and Webinar Vet will be available for practices with the best input.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be running throughout December. It can be accessed via this link

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA survey investigates sheep worrying

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has launched its latest survey to better understand the severity of sheep worrying in the UK.

The survey will be open until Friday, 21 February 2025. UK sheep farmers are invited to share their experiences of sheep worrying by dogs and its impact on the industry.

NSA has been gathering information about sheep worrying for over 10 years as part of its campaign to raise awareness of incidents and produce new ways of educating the public.

Sheep worrying, often caused by dogs being loose near fields, can result in physical injury, miscarriage and death of animals affected.

The results of the survey will be shared with interested parties, including the UK press, before spring and ahead of lambing season next year.

For more information, or to complete the survey, visit NSA's website.