Farewell to ‘The Bear’ as PD Olly bows out to enjoy well-earned retirement

Northamptonshire Police has said farewell and thank you to a legend in dog form, as Police Dog Olly retires from active service.

PD Olly has served with the Force since August 2017 alongside handler PC Samantha Clark, who hails the eight-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd as ‘formidable’ and ‘a legend’ within the Force.

With 180 arrests to his credit, PD Olly has certainly made his mark, and is very deserving of his retirement, which he will spend with PC Clark and her other dogs including fellow retired PD Redd.

Born into a police dog breeding scheme, Olly first met PC Clark in May 2017, when the pair began a 13-week general purpose police dog course. They gained their license that August and followed this qualification up by becoming a firearms support dog team in August 2018.

The pair had their first result within weeks of becoming operational, and the arrests and tracks haven’t stopped since, with Olly gaining the nickname of ‘The Bear’ due to his impressive size.

PC Clark said: “My first impression of Olly was that he was a big dog with a real presence about him. He showed a lot of potential from the start and we have developed into a formidable team together.

“Olly’s reputation is well-known across the Force and beyond, he knows when he is at work and commands the respect of everyone who works alongside him.”

His handler credits Olly’s nose as his best asset, helping him secure numerous arrests and successful tracks.

She said: “He knows the smell of a criminal and his best game is hide and seek. On one job, after all else had failed and after an hour of searching, his nose began to twitch and he led me to a wanted suspect just by wind scenting him – I can only liken this to a cartoon dog when the whiff of food appears and the dog takes off after the smell!”

This success secured the pair the 2022 Dog Deployment of the Year from the Force, and Olly has also put his nose to work in finding 24 missing people, including a seriously injured man whose life he saved in 2020 after finding him collapsed in thick undergrowth.

Some of PC Clark’s favourite memories of her work with Olly involve his determination in tracking down wanted suspects, from those trying to outrun him to others attempting to hide.

PC Clark said: “Right from Olly’s first straight chase when he secured his first running suspect, he’s never let me down, whether that’s in detaining offenders or locating key evidence, such as a track in 2019 when he not only helped to find five suspects in an attempted murder but also the knife used.

“He gives his all in every situation, even when things get challenging – he doesn’t appreciate slippy floors which we have worked around with the use of protective boots. When we needed to do a training scenario without them involving a simulated handler attack, he came barrelling through for me, biting straight through the protective sleeve – he’s not a dog to be messed with!”

Although hanging Olly’s collar number up for the final time will be emotional, PC Clark has no doubts he will happily adjust to life as a much-loved pet.

She said: “I am happy for Olly to retire in good health having given eight-and-a-half years of service to the people of Northamptonshire. He deserves to put his paws up and enjoy his senior years as a pet dog.

“Olly will live in a pack with my four other dogs and we will be making sure he gets to do all his favourite things like swimming. I’m looking forward to taking him to the beach for the day too.”

The handsome hound will be much missed in the Force’s Dog Section, especially by ‘uncle’ PC Kyle McGregor, who is Olly’s favourite person for back scratches, and also by followers of the section’s X account where Olly often stars in funny posts and poses.

Though PC Clark is set to continue her handler work with Olly’s colleague, digi dog PD Rosie, as well as a new role as an instructor, she’s in no doubt that Olly leaves big paw-prints to fill.

She said: “PD Olly is a legend. As a handler, to work a police dog of Olly’s calibre is an honour; a dog like him only comes around once in a blue moon.

“He was born to be a police dog and the thin blue line has got thinner on his retirement. We have been on one hell of a journey together and I’m so proud to have had him by my side.”

On behalf of all at Northamptonshire Police, we thank PD Olly for his years of service and wish him the happiest of retirements.