A once unwanted dog is set to retire next year after rising to be one of Tayside’s top drugs detection dogs.
Dee has uncovered around £400,000 of illicit substances in the six years she has been working with the Tayside dog division of Police Scotland.
The seven-year-old went to the police after being handed into Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society (PADS) following a marriage break up.
Since being taken on by the police in 2011 the yellow Labrador has been partnered with handler Mike Keenan and both are set to retire in July.
Louise Perritt, manager at PADS, said she was delighted to see one of her former charges had done so well.
She said: “Dee came into us because of a marriage break up when she was a year and a half.
“She was from working stock and the man had bought her with the intention of going shooting with her. But the marriage broke up and the woman was working full-time and couldn’t keep her.
“The police had been in a few months before looking to see if we had any suitable dogs — they were looking for a drugs dog — and one came back and assessed Dee and then they took her.
“She was very ball-orientated — a lot of the dogs they had looked at weren’t interested but she was so they knew she’d be easy to train.
“Never in a million years did we thing she’d do as well as she has. It’s fabulous that she has been doing so well — I’m very proud of her.”
Throughout his career, PC Keenan’s three dogs, Dee, the late black Lab Bruce, and Springer Spaniel Finlay, have cleared Tayside’s streets of drugs worth £921,000 and it’s hoped that he could reach £1million by the time he hangs up his stab vest.
Police Scotland has highlighted the pair’s work as part of their social media campaign highlighting the work of the dog division.
In a post on Facebook, they said: “Dee is seven years old and has been a Drugs Search Dog since she was acquired as an abandoned dog from PADS, Forteviot in March 2011.
“She has been handled for most of that time by Police Constable Keenan and has gone on from those humble beginnings to become the top drugs dog in Tayside Division Dog Section with drugs recoveries totalling £400,000.
“Dee is an extremely friendly dog who not only loves her work but also loves her home life with Police Constable Keenan and his family.
“Police Constable Keenan and Dee both retire in 2017 and we wish you both all the best in your final year with Tayside Division.”