THE police dogs of north Wales have put their best paws forward for a new charity calendar.

The 2016 calendar features dogs from the North Wales Police Dog Section, who carry out important duties with their handlers in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd throughout the year, hopes to raise money for the North Wales Police Retired Dogs Benevolent Fund which was launched back in September.

The fund, established by PC Jackie Edwards from the Dog Section, has been created to assist with the day to day costs of looking after the animals as they clock ‘off duty’ to retire. This includes the cost of veterinary expenses.

Under police regulations, dogs used for general purpose or drugs work are paid for by the force until they retire, often between the ages of eight and ten-years-old. But once they leave the force, all funding from the force ceases, and all costs then sit with the dog’s handler, or if the dog has been re-homed, the new owner.

Sergeant Howard Watts from the Dog Section said: “This is our very first calendar for the Off Duty fund and we can’t wait to see how it sells. We’ve already raised over £3,000 through the sale of merchandise at the recent open day help at the police headquarters and we’ve also had an overwhelming response by the public through our crowdfunding page.

“We’ve tried to feature as many of the dogs as possible in the calendar and have kept it light hearted – we’ve even got Dougie featured on the December page whereby he’s draped in tinsel.

“Our dogs provide a fantastic service for our communities for the majority of their lives, and it’s only right that they have the best possible life after retirement.”

The dogs from the Force Dog Section help with tracking for offenders, search open areas and buildings and help with the search for missing persons. Specialist search dogs within the unit are also trained to detect firearms, ammunition, cash and drugs.

Suggested donations for the calendar is £5 and they can be purchased via The Farm and Pet Place stores across North Wales or contact the team via their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NorthWalesPoliceK9Cops or Twitter pages @NWPPawsonPatrol