Retired police dog who was rescued as a pup in Telford is honoured with award for her heroic six-year career
A former police dog who was rescued in Telford as a puppy after her owner's death and went on to serve six years as a PD has been honoured with a top award for her service.
RPD Fiji, a 12-year-old Belgian Malinois, was honoured at the Thin Blue Paw Awards in London this week for her six-year career with the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, where she helped catch criminals, save lives, and protect her handler on the front line.
Hosted at the Kennel Club in London on Wednesday (September 24), the awards celebrate and support working and retired police dogs across the UK.
Fiji’s journey began in Telford, where she was taken into care at a rescue centre after her previous owner tragically took their own life. At just four months old, Fiji - along with her mum and siblings - was rescued and later spotted by police dog instructor PC Jamie Steward.
After time with a police foster family preparing her for training, Fiji was paired with handler PC Claire Bird, who had just returned from maternity leave. The partnership would go on to last more than six years - with Fiji serving as a general-purpose police dog and a firearms support dog.
During her career, Fiji earned two Chief Constable’s Commendations and played a critical role in multiple high-risk operations, including locating a suspect’s passport after a violent double stabbing, helping lead to their arrest, tracking and detaining a violent individual who had attacked both a member of the public and police officers, apprehending two armed men who had attempted to break into a property, finding stolen items, and assisting in searches for missing or vulnerable people.
PC Bird said: "Fiji has had an exceptional career and has been a real credit to the police force. She has saved countless lives.
"Fiji could be calm and gentle when she needed to, but she also knew the times she needed to switch on the bark and get violent, aggressive and dangerous individuals to surrender. She also protected me during serious and violent incidents, had I not had her by my side, I may not have returned home safely to my family.
"Every dog I’ve had the pleasure of working with has been special, but there is something about Fiji that has made her a once-in-a-lifetime dog and partner. I'm so proud of her, and wouldn't be without her.
"Fiji has survived against all the odds, on countless occasions. As soon as I met Fiji I knew our bond was special, we’ll stay by each other’s sides through her retirement. I’m so proud that she has been able to serve, protect and save lives, and I’m so proud to have been able to make a difference with her."
Kieran Stanbridge, Chairman of the Thin Blue Paw, added: "Fiji has had an astounding career, she’s helped catch criminals, she’s saved lives, she’s helped get dangerous weapons off our streets and also located stolen property. But she’s also had a huge impact on Claire’s life, and really made a difference in her local community.
"We were lost for words when we read through all of the jobs she’d worked on, and the life-changing impact she’d had on so many people."
