Lizzie meet Elizabeth! - Adorable West Midlands police pups to be named after former dog handlers
A new litter of police puppies have all been named after inspirational policewomen.
Lizzie, Kay, Campbell, Gray and Ash are the names for West Midlands Police's new German Shepherd puppies.
Last week two of their namesakes were invited to visit the force's dog training centre and they were surprised with the news the puppies would be named after them.
Retired dog handler Elizabeth joined West Midlands Police in 1973 and in 1979 she joined the dog unit and was partnered with Czar, a German Shepherd. Together they formed a successful team and on their first shift even found two burglars in a pitch- black scrapyard in Birmingham
Kay joined the Mounted Unit as one of the first female officers in 1984, policing football matches and disorders before retiring in 1997.
The two women were also joined by new dog unit Inspector Rachel Crump who said: “It was a real honour to welcome both Elizabeth and Kay to our training centre. They got to meet some of our working dogs and we finished the visit by surprising them with meeting the puppies. It was a very special moment.
“Our dogs and their handlers are integral to the work that we do in keeping the West Midlands safe and catching criminals.
“The team, including our kennel staff and volunteers are so passionate about our police dogs and puppies. The bond really is unbreakable.
“I can’t wait to see how these puppies get on. We hope they grow to be as inspirational as the very women they were all named after.”
The pups will shortly take the next ‘paw’ steps of their police training and over the coming weeks they will go off to stay with volunteers in their temporary homes.
