Officers in North Yorkshire say they are saddened to share news of the passing of retired Police Dog Buzz, who served from 2013.
Buzz joined the force as a puppy and was licensed as a General Purpose dog in 2014 – his working life included time with the Dog Section and the Firearms Support Unit before his retirement in 2021.
Buzz was one of the longest-serving police dogs, and was renowned for outstanding tracking work – not only finding fleeing offenders, but also locating missing and vulnerable people.
He was agile enough to clear six-foot fences from a standing start, and quick enough to be where he was needed fast.
On one of his final deployments, Buzz tracked from a crashed vehicle on the A1, took scent from the vehicle and tracked along the hard shoulder, across an embankment, along a public footpath and into fields, where he found the driver, who had run off from the scene under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Without Buzz, that man would likely not have been found.
In retirement, Buzz returned to the family who had ‘puppy walked’ him at the start of his journey, living out his days with love, roast chicken and tennis balls.
A police spokesperson said: “Courageous, capable, and kind – a true legend of the Dog Section and FSU. Thank you, Buzz.”
