CHILDREN NAME POLICE DOGS THANKS TO CHARITY PARTNERSHIP

YOUNG people at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children have chosen the names of two police dogs thanks to new charity partnership.

The link-up between Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) and Police Scotland enabled two new springer spaniel puppies to visit the hospital to meet the children.

The dogs, which will support the work of PC Richard Smith and PC Phil Farndell, have been named ‘Sully’ and ‘Banjo’.

The four-month old pups won’t start training until they’re a year old and they’ll eventually be used as sniffer dogs to help with things such as drug or cash searches.

It’s the first time the idea has been carried out in Scotland and it’s hoped that it will be replicated at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow and become an annual event.

Roslyn Neely, Chief Executive at ECHC, said: “There’s been a kennel polling station going around the hospital for a week and all the children have been selecting from a shortlist of names.

“The idea has developed after one of ECHC’s Volunteer Champions saw this in her home country of Australia and thought it could work well over here in Scotland.

“We were delighted to unveil the new names on a couple of dog bowls at the hospital whilst the children got to meet the dogs.

“It was fantastic to see the smiles on all their faces and hopefully this is something we can do on a regular basis from now here and across Scotland.”

Constable Richard Smith accompanied the dogs to the hospital where they met the children and posed for photos.

Therapets, which provide comfort to the children, are often in the hospital, however, it was a new experience for the children to meet the police dogs.

Constable Smith said: “It’s a brilliant idea to allow the kids to name the dogs and you can see how much they enjoyed meeting Banjo and Sully.

“They’re just pups so all we’re trying to do at the moment is socialise them and get them used to lots of different environments.

“Kids can have an affinity with animals so it’s a great pick me up for them when they’re at a low point in hospital and not feeling their best. It’s a great thing.”

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity supports and complements the work of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in the capital.

It aims to transform the experiences of children and young people in hospital so that they can be a child first and a patient.

Just like the treatment Sully and Banjo get, make sure to provide the best products for your dog to help them live a healthier life.