As part of their veterinary nurse training programme, second and third year CCOAS students are getting the opportunity to listen to a series of guest speakers to enrich their time spent at college.
One of the speakers was Paul Donovan, from Kent Police Tactical Operations Dog Unit, who visited the CCOAS college in Kent.
During Paul’s talk, students learnt about the breeds that are selected for the police unit; their anatomy; why they are specifically chosen; and the different roles they undertake, such as sniffer dog and tracker dog.
Students were given practical advice regarding police dogs, with particular guidance on how to safely approach them when they are in a veterinary practice.
As well as sharing insights into the work of police dogs, Paul talked about the role of the police dog handler. He discussed the emotional and physical impact it has, not only on those who undertake it, but their dogs too.
Paul continued by sharing his dogs’ success stories and achievements, including saving people’s lives!
To finish, the students were introduced to Paul’s dog Cloud; an 18-month-old rescue springer spaniel who has been trained to become a sniffer dog. Paul demonstrated the level of obedience Cloud has achieved following her training. Afterwards, students were given the chance to interact with her when she was not in ‘work’ mode.