Police dogs Bryn and Ebby retire after 13 years' combined service

Two of Northamptonshire Police's dedicated police dogs are hanging up their harnesses this week, after years of service protecting communities, locating vulnerable people and helping bring offenders to justice.

Police Dog Bryn and Police Dog Ebby, both eight years old, are retiring having collectively served the force for more than 13 years.

Throughout their careers, they have been at the forefront of policing across Northamptonshire, using their tracking abilities, bravery and determination to support officers in some of the county's most challenging incidents.

Their retirements mark the end of an era for the Force Dog Section, with handlers PC Lucy Sculthorpe and PC Ash Price paying tribute to two dogs who became far more than colleagues.

PD Bryn joined Northamptonshire Police in August 2018 as an eight-week-old puppy, and was named in honour of another Northants police dog who was fatally shot while protecting his handler during an incident in 1998.

Bryn was partnered with PC Lucy Sculthorpe following the retirement of her previous dog, Harper, and became a fully licensed police dog in March 2020.

He later qualified as a Firearms Support Dog, adding another specialist skill to his policing career.

Known throughout the force for his enthusiasm, energy and relentless drive, Bryn quickly established himself as one of the Force Dog Section's most reliable tracking dogs.

Among his successes was helping solve an armed robbery, after tracking suspects from a stolen vehicle and locating evidence that linked them to the offence, including the keys to the vehicle.

He also earned a Crown Court Judge's Commendation after tracking a violent offender for 45 minutes through torrential rain, flooded terrain and across a stream, before locating him hiding in a garden.

In another deployment, Bryn tracked burglary suspects for more than an hour across fields, roads and housing estates, helping officers arrest all six offenders involved.

Reflecting on his career, PC Sculthorpe said "Bryn particularly loves tracking, that's his thing".

"He gets mega excited to do it every time I get him out," PC Sculthorpe said.

"I knew that if a person was there to be found then Bryn would find them. He's been an amazing legacy to the original Bryn, and I hope everyone involved in his career feels as proud of that as I do," she said.

Despite his professional success, Bryn became equally well known for his larger-than-life personality.

"He's never been a dog that we can use in stealth mode," PC Sculthorpe said.

"When the blue lights are on and we arrive at a job, that's when he normally starts barking and announces to everyone that we're there," she said.

One memorable arrest saw Bryn catch a fleeing driver not once, but twice.

"Bryn had taken this guy's trousers off. The offender carried on running across the field in his pants. Bryn let go of the trousers, jumped the fence himself, chased him again and caught him a second time. The guy got walked back to the police car in his pants," PC Sculthorpe recalled.

As retirement approaches, PC Sculthorpe described her emotions as bittersweet.

"I've absolutely loved working with him. He's just awesome," she said.

"I desperately want him to have the retirement he deserves. He is going to a wonderful family who absolutely adore him, and he'll spend his days enjoying countryside walks, treats and putting his paws up on the sofa," PC Sculthorpe said.

While Bryn became renowned for his tracking abilities, PD Ebby built a reputation as one of the Force Dog Section's toughest and most determined crime-fighting dogs.

Allocated to PC Ash Price in 2020 as his first general-purpose police dog, Ebby immediately stood out.

"I remember walking into the kennel block and all the other dogs were barking, spinning and causing a racket. Ebby was sat quietly at the door watching everything going on," PC Price said.

During her career, Ebby specialised in tracking offenders, locating missing people and protecting officers. She twice won Dog Deployment of the Year, and received several commendations for her work.

One of PC Price's most memorable deployments came following a fatal collision on the Flore bypass.

"A driver had killed an innocent member of the public, left his passenger seriously injured and fled into undergrowth. Ebby tracked for nearly an hour and eventually located them both," PC Price said.

"Without Ebby, there would probably have been somebody dead and no opportunity to bring the offender to justice," he said.

Ebby also played a key role in locating an armed man carrying a samurai sword, and helped detain a prolific burglar following a series of daytime break-ins.

"Ebby developed into a fantastic tracking dog and quickly built a real desire to find people. Despite being small for a German Shepherd, she is brave and ferocious when needed," PC Price said.

Her loyalty extended beyond finding offenders.

"I've been attacked while on duty and she's turned on the offender to protect me," PC Price said.

While fearsome on duty, Ebby's home life could not have been more different.

"At work she's got that real edge to her. If she needs to bite somebody, she'll bite them. If she needs to defend me, she'll defend me," PC Price said.

"At home she'll be curled up on the sofa, sunbathing in the garden and having fuss from my wife and young child. She's like a proper princess at home but rage and death at work, which is a really nice balance," he said.

Between them, Bryn and Ebby have helped locate countless offenders, protected officers from harm and found vulnerable people when they were most in need.

"I genuinely feel honoured to have been his handler. He's been the best crew mate I could ask for," PC Sculthorpe said of Bryn.

PC Price echoed those sentiments as he reflected on Ebby's retirement.

"Ebby has literally been my best friend for the last seven years. She has kept me going through thick and thin and has meant nothing less than the world to me," he said.

"I'm heartbroken that our time working together is coming to an end, but she has earned every second of her retirement. Thankfully, she's staying with me and my family, so although our policing partnership is ending, she'll still be by my side every day," PC Price said.

Northamptonshire Police thanked PD Bryn and PD Ebby for their contribution to policing the county, and wished them both a long, happy and well-deserved retirement.