FURRY friends have been on hand to lend a helping paw with West Midlands Police’s countdown to Christmas.
The force launched The Twelve Pups of Christmas campaign featuring some of its newest canine arrivals, to get people in the festive sprit as well as pass on seasonal crime prevention messages.
Born into the force’s acclaimed breed scheme, the six-week old German shepherd puppy cadets graciously gave up an afternoon of their time to star in a fun-filled photo shoot at the dog unit’s Balsall Common base.
The pictures show the pups romping in wrapping paper, clambering over tinsel-clad police helmets, and playing tug-o-war with crackers – a new one revealed each day in the run-up to Christmas.
West Midlands Police’s dog breed scheme manager Dave Raymond, said: “You could tell the pups were having great fun on the photo shoot, though obviously getting them to adopt a pose for longer than a split second was tricky.
“Of course at this stage they have the ‘aww’ factor, but these apprentices will grow up to be formidable four-legged crime fighters and the scourge of criminals across the West Midlands.”
But each puppy is more than just a pretty face – each picture in the digital advent calendar coming with a paw-some tip on how to stay safe and prevent crime this December.
The Twelve Pups of Christmas campaign runs from December 13 to Christmas Eve, with images unveiled each day on West Midlands Police’s new Pintrest account – www.pinterest.com/wmpolice.
The public are also encouraged to submit their own snap of their pet in festive dress alongside a crime prevention tip on Twitter to @WMPolice using the hashtag #santaclaws for the chance to win meet-and-greet with the puppy stars of the campaign.
