Abused cocker spaniel puppy Marshall and his friends train for new lives as police search dogs

3 December 2021

A young cocker spaniel who was rescued after being found having been beaten while he was hanging off the ground by his lead, has been given a second chance as a police dog.

Marshall, who was less than a year old when he was rescued earlier this year, is now almost at the end of his six-week training course, much of which has been undertaken using the facilities at the Royal Agricultural University’s (RAU) campus in Cirencester.

Marshall’s handler PC Adey Cole from Gloucestershire Police said: “Marshall was discovered in the Torquay area by the RSPCA after reports of a cocker spaniel puppy being hung up, off the ground, by his lead and then being strangled and hit while he was dangling helplessly.

“Amazingly, despite what he has been through, he is not wary of people at all. He is now 16 months old and is such a sweet dog. He loves affection and but really loves to work.”

As with other forces, Gloucestershire Police regularly uses dogs to help officers find illegal drugs, cash, and firearms and Marshall was recently joined by fellow four-legged new recruits, cocker spaniel Rolo, labrador Bonnie, and springer spaniel Ollie - all of whom are also rescue dogs - and their two-legged handlers, for one of their weekly training sessions at the RAU campus.

PC Cole explained: “We are lucky enough to be allowed to use lots of locations and public venues around the county for training and these dogs have had regular sessions at the RAU campus.

“Today’s session is part of the Proactive Drugs, Cash and Firearms Course where they are being trained to find seven different drugs, paper money (pounds sterling and euros), and firearms, which officers have hidden in various places around the campus.

“Their six-week course will finish later this month and we fully expect all the dogs to pass with flying colours and be officially licensed as Police search dogs.”

All the dogs live at home with their handlers and PC Cole added: “Marshall was born to search - and is proving to be really good at it - but he is still just a typical crazy cocker spaniel who does everything at 100 miles an hour! We are so pleased to have been able to give all these dogs a second chance.”

Bonnie, who was also less than a year old when she was rescued from a shipping container at a puppy farm in Wales, was skin and bone and covered in wounds when she was found.

Both Ollie and Rolo had been handed in to animal shelters after being given up by their owners who couldn’t cope with them.

Since taking on the dogs, Gloucestershire Police has signed up to the Dogs Trust Animal Welfare Scheme which means that all rehomed dogs, including Marshall and his friends, are checked up on regularly by a team of external inspectors who turn up unannounced to check on the animals’ welfare.