Three police officers have raised thousands of pounds for a charity that looks after retired and injured police dogs. 

PC Paul Hopley, PC Lisa Phillips and PC Gaz Phillips have raised money for the Retired WMP Dog Benevolent Fund and presented a cheque to its treasurer Terry Grove at the Police Dog Training Centre in Balsall Common at the end of December.

The charity is close to PC Hopley's heart after his dog, PD Stark, was stabbed multiple times with a machete after attending to reports of a burglary in 2020.

The five-year-old German Shepherd was seriously hurt and almost lost his eye, but with the help of charities including the WMP Dog Benevolent Fund, Stark was soon back on his feet and back to the work.

After being inspired by Stark's story on Twitter, artist Tamsin Stuart from Cheltenham painted a true-life portrait of Stark which was auctioned off to raise money for the charity.

PC Lisa Phillips' husband, PC Gaz Phillips, was seriously injured after he was run over and almost killed by a car thief in 2019.

To help PC Gaz Phillips with his recovery and following the loss of his beloved Labrador Diesel, they welcomed a new dog PD Kensie into their home who happened to be born on the same day PC Phillips was released from hospital. 

PC Lisa Phillips said: "Kensie has done so much for Gaz's recovery, she has been an amazing addition to our family. We wanted to raise money for a charity that is close to our heart and does so much for our four-legged colleagues."

The couple helped create dog tie pins that were made and sold to raise money for the charity. A special edition was even made in honour of Stark. 

Dog tie pins that were made and sold to raise money for the charity (image via West Midlands Police)

PC Paul Hopley from the Dog Unit, said: "The fund is vital in helping to pay for retired dogs' veterinary and care bills enabling them to help ill and injured dogs. Their support will be so important for Stark in a few years when he puts his paws up. 

"The bond between us and our police dogs is a hard one to break. When a police dog is ready to retire, handlers will often keep them with their families where they can enjoy their retirement most. 

"The fund will help ensure treatment like operations, blood tests, medication, X-rays and hydro-therapy, something many retired dogs have previously benefited from."

For more information check out the Fund's website www.retiredwmpd.org.uk and @RetiredWMP_Dog Twitter feed.