Meet Cid and Tracker, the new furry police recruits
New pups are set to start work in the police force after being donated by a detective – but one of them has a big name to live up to.
One of the newest recruits to Northumbria Police’s Dog Section has been named Cid. The eight-week-old Springer Spaniel’s name is pronounced Sid and he was donated to the force by one of their own detectives.
Detective Constable Tracy Kirk who has worked for the force for nearly 30 years has helped put some of the region’s worst criminals behind bars.
She is due to retire next year and her gun dog Jessie was set to retire too, so Tracy decided to breed her for new recruits.
Jessie gave birth in July to a litter of nine puppies and Cid will join the ranks as a specialist sniffer dog.
Sergeant Julie Neve, of Northumbria’s Dog Section said: “We are always on the look-out for suitable puppies and Cid has all the traits we look for when it comes to recruiting a detection dog.
“When he grows up we hope that he will be a valuable asset in the search for drugs, weapons and money.
“With the name Cid he will have a lot to live up to but we have high expectations!”
The force has also purchased Cid’s brother who was given the name Tracker. That was a nickname Tracy had been given by colleagues.
Tracy said: “It does make me proud that two of the latest litter have joined the force and there is no doubt in my mind that they will do me proud.
“At the very least, I hope they act as a reminder of me once I do retire next year.”
Both puppies will now be assigned to a handler who will look after them until they are old enough to start police training.
The rest of the litter have gone to new homes. One pup is joining the Queen Alexandra Royal Army nursing Corp as a rehabilitation dog.
You can follow the progress of the new puppies by following the Northumbria Police Dog Section on Twitter at @npdogsection.