Welfare and care of police dogs
Police Dogs — Authorised Professional Practice
Summary
The welfare of police dogs is paramount in all decision-making regarding their care, training, and deployment, both on and off duty. Police dogs are owned by the chief constable of their respective forces, with the majority residing with their handlers. Compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is mandatory, and all personnel interacting with police dogs must adhere to applicable animal welfare laws. The chief constable or police and crime commissioners may engage in The Animal Welfare Independent Visitor Scheme to monitor dog welfare. Policies must outline care provisions when police dogs are off duty, with specific standards regarding kennelling, identification, and risk assessments. Veterinary surgeons should also be able to report any welfare concerns regarding the dogs.
Key principles
- 1Welfare must be prioritized in all decisions regarding police dogs.
- 2All police dogs are owned by the chief constable.
- 3Compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is required.
- 4Policies must be established for the care of police dogs when off duty.
- 5Veterinary concerns about police dogs must be reported.
Full guidance
This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
The welfare of all police dogs must be at the forefront of every decision made around their care, training and deployment, when on duty and off duty. All police dogs are officially owned by the chief constable of that particular force, with most living with their individual handler.
Chief constables must ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006(opens an external website in the same tab) . All staff who work with, or have contact with, police dogs must act in accordance with current animal welfare legislation.
Chief constables or police and crime commissioners may take part in The Animal Welfare Independent Visitor Scheme(opens an external website in the same tab) to assess and monitor police dog welfare and ensure any issues are reported and addressed.
Chief constables should ensure that there is a policy in place regarding the care of police dogs when not on duty. The requirements are set out in the NPCC Police Dog Standard as a minimum and should include, but not be restricted to:
kennelling police dogs when the handler or person in charge is no longer in a position to care for them * police dogs wearing identification when at private kennels * having a procedure for reporting complaints by members of the public * custody and control of a police dog by others * exercising of police dogs * risk assessments for off duty care and exercise * kennelling for annual leave periods * kennelling for police dogs that do not reside with their handler * H&S requirements
In addition, chief constables should have a policy in place that allows and encourages veterinary surgeons to report any concerns that they may have with regard to the police dog.
Chief constables should ensure that they have robust policies and procedures in place that are compliant with NPCC standards, animal welfare and legislation regarding the procurement, retirement and euthanasia of police dogs.
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Read the full APP guidanceSource: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.