Retired police dog on first walk since major surgery rescues missing man in East Sussex

A retired police dog who was recovering from major surgery has rescued a vulnerable man.

Bear, a German Shepherd, was being walked by his owner and former police officer Julia Pope when he located the missing man in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex.

The dog, who turned 12 on the day of the discovery, immediately “went into work mode” after sensing the lost individual and “started indicating towards an area of dense undergrowth,” Ms Pope said.

“[He] then dragged us to it, where he located and alerted us to a vulnerable man.

“The man was confused, wet, cold and had fallen over, and was unable to get up unaided. I’m not sure he would have survived the night as it was extremely cold and almost dark at that point with no one else in the vicinity,” Ms Pope added.

“Unbeknownst to us, the man was a vulnerable missing person who officers had been searching for without any success.”

Ms Pope, who adopted Bear in 2020 after he retired, described the rescue as an “amazing stroke of luck”.

She said with Bear leading the way, they were able to assist the man back to an area where he could co-ordinate with police officers and be reunited with his family.

‘A true hero’

Since retiring from Sussex Police, Bear continues to work as a well-being and trauma support dog for police staff and is supported by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity that supports former police dogs.

He was supported by the charity last summer after he lost the use of his rear legs and needed an emergency MRI and surgery to treat four herniated discs in his spine, thought to have been caused by his years of strenuous work.

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Two weeks prior to locating the vulnerable man, he had further surgery to remove two benign tumours.

The walk was his first since the operation.

Thin Blue Paw trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: “RPD Bear is a true hero – his training and instinct kicked in and he managed to lead his owners, who are former police officers themselves, to this vulnerable man who needed urgent help.

“Thanks to Bear, the man received the help he needed from local officers; even in his retirement, he’s still saving lives.”