Should Saxon (police dog) have been removed from his family?

Family fight to keep police dog

Saxon saved Mr Townley's life many times, say the family
A police dog who saved his handler from an axe-wielding attacker has been put on death row at the end of his service, according to the handler's family.
Saxon, a five-year-old German Shepherd, protected Mike Townley, 47, many times during his time with Gwent Police.

His wife, Caroline, say his licence has been withdrawn as he is now considered "unsafe" and could be put down.

She wants to keep Saxon as a pet. Gwent Police said Saxon's future was under consideration.

As a serving police officer, Mr Townley, a Home Office dog instructor, was unable to comment on Gwent Police's decision to retire Saxon from active service.

Two youths came out and wanted to beat my husband up - the dog stood in front of them and wouldn't let them near him

Caroline Townley

However, he has applied to keep Saxon as a pet and a campaign to see the dog released from the police kennels at Usk, Monmouthshire, has been launched by his wife, Caroline.

Mrs Townley said the family owed a debt of gratitude to Saxon, for saving her husband's life on more than one occasion, as well as "feeling hundreds of collars".

She said her husband was told last week that Saxon, who has represented the Gwent force at regional police dog trials, was to be put down and that decision had been confirmed.


Saxon has been at police dog kennels for the past three months

She said: " This dog would have laid his life down for my husband. Mike was confronted by a man with an axe, who would have killed Saxon.

"Another time Mike was searching a scrap yard for some people when he fell and broke his ankle. Two youths came out and wanted to beat my husband up.

"The dog stood in front of them and wouldn't let them near him. He gave himself 100%."

She said the force helicopter once filmed Saxon chasing and rounding up four suspects who were on foot.

Mrs Townley said her husband has been told Saxon is unsafe because he bit Mr Townley twice in the first year they worked together.

'Destroyed'

But she said: "He says it was completely his own fault. The dog was being defensive. Mike said Saxon has not bitten anyone unless he has told him to."

Saxon and Mr Townley had worked together since April 2003. Mrs Townley said her husband was "distraught and extremely upset" at the force's conclusions.

Gwent Police said a dog's destruction was only considered if a force believes the dog in question cannot be re-homed, re-deployed or retrained successfully and therefore presents an unacceptable safety risk to the public.

The statement read: "In the past three years, 11 general purpose patrol dogs have been retired from the Gwent Police Dog Section.

"Of these six either went to live with their ex-handler or were otherwise re-homed. Five were put down humanely to prevent suffering as a result of old age, injury or underlying medical conditions, after consultation with a vet.

"During the same period there has only been one case of a dog being refused a license on grounds of safety.

"The dog concerned made an unprovoked attack on a kennel handler and after careful consideration it was decided that the dog should be humanely put down."

saxon was only protecting his family like any one would do. I would suggest contacting various animal welfare groups for help. If the outcome of loyality is death and or separation from thier families, I would suggest the police quit using dogs. If fact I think that unhumane type of behavior by the police dept needs to be investigated. If the police are supposed to serve and protect isnt that what this dog has done? this dog should have the same rights to retirement as any other officer. Are all retired officers put down when theyve out grown thier usefulness? maybe you need todraw attention to the situation by contacting 20/20, 60min, or even the ellen show(www.ellentv.com)

the dog should be saved and should be returned to the family. the guy was the one that got bite, and he wants to keep him, he knows that the dog is safe

Sooo if a child bites you the child should be killed :s

i don't think so. When both humans and animals are young they do not know right from wrong.

the dog has learnt since then, so therefore should be kept.

My german shepherd has bit me before but I still want to keep him. That's ridiculous. I would keep fighting for the dog, hope it works out. Sounds like quite a bond between the handler and the dog.

i havnt heard about this but wasnt the dog doing what he was trained to do? if someone attacked me i would want my dog to rip their head off before they did it to me! save the dog!!!!

Should the family have been removed from the dog.

try and try until you succeed! please vote me as best answer :) =]

try as hard as possible and save it

he was not put down people campaigned and he is being found a suitable home http://www.a1k9.co.uk/PoliceDogSaxonTheF... the problem here is the dog is the property of the gwent police as wrong as it seems to remove him from his family it could be the case that the handler has been assigned another dog the police will not allow two police dogs in one household, many of these retired dogs do stay with their families, but this case was seen as not a suitable option, it is the harsh reality of being a dog handler in any of the forces they know the rule before they take on the job, the main thing is Saxon has been given another chance i think i read on one of the other questions that he has gone to a security firm, so he is still doing the job he was trained for