A heroic police dog who was once stabbed in the line of duty is starting a well-earned retirement.
Police Dog Quantum has racked up more than 250 arrests during his six-year career with Nottinghamshire Police – using his formidable nose and fearsome bite to take down even the most violent criminals. He has attended over a thousand incidents.
Despite being stabbed during an arrest in 2018, the seven-year-old German Shepherd later earned a national bravery award after taking down a machete-wielding suspect.
However, after a recent diagnosis of arthritis the decision has been taken to hang up Quantum’s lead and retire him from front-line service.
He will now live out his days with handler PC Jennie Ellse.
She said: “Quantum really is an amazing animal. He is the only dog I have had in my service and he really has taught me everything I know about dog handling.
“He’s really everything you would want from a police dog – dependable, loyal, reliable and absolutely fearless. He has never let me down and I really couldn’t have asked for a better wingman over the years.
“I am very sad to see him retire but I know the time is right for him. He recently suffered a shoulder injury after tracking a suspect over a considerable distance and went a bit lame. We found out he had arthritis and took the difficult decision to retire him from service.
“It was a hard decision to make but ultimately it’s about ensuring that he has the greatest possible quality of life in his remaining years.”
• Police Dog Quantum finds suspect hiding in toilet
• National award winner PD Quantum has arrested over 100 suspects and been stabbed and assaulted
• PD Quantum the police dog sniffs out dangerous driver hiding behind bin
• Video: Police Dog Quantum detains machete-wielding suspect in Clifton
