Newest police dogs ready for the beat

Newest police dogs ready for the beat

Six new police dogs graduated from training on Thursday, with the occasion an especially poignant one for an officer who's back on the force after life-saving surgery.

The ceremony at the police dog training centre in Trentham saw Lomu, Nox, Kona, Kash, Mono and Rush all get their badges ready for service.

Senior Constable Blair Spalding and his second dog Rush were among those graduating, but it was a long road for him to get there.

Hailing from Hamilton, Snr Const Spalding has been with police for 19 years and many of them were with his first dog Yogi who has now retired.

Newest police dogs ready for the beat

Senior Constable Blair Spalding (Newshub.)

Both were trained to be part of the armed offenders squad and won several trophies together.

During his time, Snr Const Spalding and Yogi caught hundreds of offenders.

But in 2012, Snr Const Spalding received news of a life-threatening condition and was rushed to surgery.

A 7-centimetre tumour was found in his brain; two centimetres of it was taken out in surgery and was followed by chemotherapy.

Because of the tumour's placement in his brain, specialists recommended more neurosurgical operations to extend his life but he had to fly to Germany for it.

It was an expensive trip covered by fundraising, but worth it because he's now in remission.

"It's a real honour to be here again," he says. "I look forward to getting out on the street with Rush and putting what we've learned together into practice.

Newest police dogs ready for the beat

New police dog recruit Rush (Newshub.)

"Policing is about doing something that allows you to go home at the end of every shift, content that you have done your part to make New Zealand a safer place. I am also thrilled to be back at it and healthy too," he says.

Other officers and dogs graduating on Thursday:

Newshub.