A RETIRED West Midlands Police dog who has a fear of going to the vets is on the mend after having a tennis ball-sized growth from his chest.
Albion, who served as a general purpose dog until retiring at the age of seven, needed surgery to remove the lump which his owner had grown increasingly concerned about.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation – a charity that supports retired police dogs across the UK – paid the £900 bill for the procedure, meaning Albion, or Albie to his owner, is now back home.
Laura Johnson adopted 10-year-old Albie when he retired. He’d been bred by the West Midlands Police breeding programme based in Balsall Common before serving with her ex-partner before an injury ended his career early.
When the couple split up, Albie stayed with Laura, who’d become incredibly fond of him.
The 34-year-old said: “A small lump formed on Albie’s chest about a year ago and, initially, I wasn’t worried. But I contacted the vet when it started to grow.
“Albie struggles in certain situations and he won’t let vets go near him. Vets gave him tablets to calm him down before the appointment and managed to look at it.
“I measured the rate of growth for a few months and vets then decided it needed to be removed. This wasn’t straightforward. He had his calming tablets and the vet put him under anesthetic in the car park before we carried him into theatre.
“They removed the lump and we carried him into the house on a blanket and I slept with him overnight to make sure he was okay but, thankfully, the next day he was back to his usual antics.”
The 7cm-wide lump was removed in July and sent off for biopsies which, thankfully, showed they were not cancerous.
Thin Blue Paw chairman Kieran Stanbridge said: “Albie was a force to be reckoned with when he was a working police dog.
“He was known for his excellent tracking abilities – which were utilised to help find vulnerable missing people as well as chase the bad guys – and he was also selected to train as a firearms support dog, to help officers in the most dangerous situations.
“He gave so much to his job and, sadly, in his retirement, he’s had some health problems. We’re incredibly proud that we’ve been able to be there for Albie and Laura when they’ve needed us most.”
This is the second time the Foundation has covered a substantial vet bill for Albie.
Albie now walks with a limp after jumping over a fence on duty and landing badly, injuring his left hind hock. The injury ended his career early and he’ll now live with the lasting effects for the rest of his life.
Albie now has regular hydrotherapy for his old leg injury, which Laura pays for.
She registered him with the Foundation as she was concerned about health problems he could be harboring as a result of his physical job. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to afford significant treatment if it was required.
When Albie fell ill in 2023 and needed surgery for a stomach blockage, the Foundation stepped in to pay the vet bill. Laura was buying a house at the time and had no spare money to cover the costs.
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