Fundraising appeal launched for two retired North Yorkshire Police dogs needing major surgery
A charity has launched an urgent fundraising appeal after two retired North Yorkshire Police dogs were left needing major surgery just months after leaving the force.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation is hoping to raise £5,000 to help cover the cost of treatment for retired police dogs Miki and Kenai.
Both German Shepherds served with North Yorkshire Police at the same time and retired within a few months of each other.
The charity, which supports, rehabilitates and advocates for working and retired police dogs across the UK, says the surgeries are expected to cost more than £2,500 each.
Six-year-old Miki served as a general purpose police dog from March 2021 until October 2025, when he was forced to retire early after being diagnosed with spondylosis, hip dysplasia and a ruptured cruciate ligament.
He has now ruptured his other cruciate ligament and needs further Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy, known as TPLO surgery, to treat the injury.
Kenai, seven, worked as a general purpose and firearms support dog with North Yorkshire Police for six years before retiring at the end of last year.
His owners, who also work for North Yorkshire Police, were settling into retired life with him when he broke his leg while playing fetch on Saturday 9 May.
Ashley, one of Kenai’s owners, said: “We were playing fetch and as he caught the ball and turned he suddenly yelped.
“We rushed him to the emergency vets who carried out x-rays and discovered he’d fractured his elbow.”
Both dogs were admitted to Pennine Veterinary Referrals in Richmond.
Kenai underwent specialist surgery on Monday 11 May to repair the fracture and strengthen his leg. He is now recovering at home with his owners.
Miki is due to have his surgery on Friday 15 May.
Kieran Stanbridge, founder of the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, said: “Miki and Kenai both served with enthusiasm and commitment during their time with the police, but the job has taken a toll on their bodies and they’ve been left in daily pain due to arthritis and hip dysplasia.
“Now they both need surgery to repair these major injuries so they can run and play again. They’ve both got long lives ahead and we want to ensure they can enjoy it to the fullest.
“We’re incredibly proud to be there for Miki and Kenai, but we need your help, so please donate if you can — every single pound will go to good use.”
Miki’s story
Miki now lives in Northallerton with his former handler, Claire Starkey, her husband and their 12 other dogs, including Claire’s working search and detection dog, spaniel PD Jax.
Claire said Miki was “so much more than a police dog” and described him as her best friend.
She said: “Miki was so much more than a police dog to me, he is very much my best mate. So when he started to slow up and limp after work, I worried for him.
“Sadly, my fears were founded and vets confirmed that Miki was suffering from spondylosis, as well as hip dysplasia in both hips.
“But when his limp worsened we discovered that his cruciate ligament had ruptured and he had to have TPLO surgery to rebuild the ligament. Due to further problems with his joints, he was medically retired in October 2025.”
Claire, who has been a dog handler for seven years, registered Miki with the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, which is now helping with the cost of his treatment.
She said Miki had achieved “fantastic results” during his police career, including tracking suspects from vehicles, finding vulnerable missing people and missing children, and locating key items of property discarded after burglaries.
Claire added: “Miki has been my superhero at work and deserves the very best of health in retirement.
“He is enjoying retired life; he gets to run through the countryside, albeit slowly. And he can have a ball whenever he wants.
“Miki is still young and thinks he’s a giant puppy. When he began limping badly again, I knew it had likely been caused by his other cruciate rupturing.
“He deserves to have as comfortable retirement as possible and chomp his ball to his heart’s content and I’m grateful to the Thin Blue Paw and all of its supporters for helping me to give that to him.”
Kenai’s story
Kenai was bred in Hungary before moving to the UK to join the police.
He became well-known across North Yorkshire Police and excelled at tracking during his six years of service.
After retirement, he was initially adopted by another police officer, but the family had to find him a new home after discovering their children were severely allergic.
Ashley and his partner Jess, from Harrogate, had recently joined North Yorkshire Police when they spotted Kenai’s rehoming profile on the force intranet.
Ashley said: “As soon as we met him, we fell in love. From day one, it’s like he’s always been with us.
“He’s such a good dog; he’s like a big puppy. He’s really soppy and soft; you’d never believe that he’d been a police dog trained to bite when needed.
“He loves playing fetch and as soon as you walk into a field he spins around and around wanting you to throw his ball; he’s addicted to it.
“We’re trying to give him the best retirement we can; every weekend we take him somewhere new to explore so we can introduce him to a normal pet life.”
The couple had owned Kenai for less than a month when he suffered his injury.
Jess said they contacted the Thin Blue Paw Foundation from the emergency vets after realising Kenai had been registered by his previous owner.
She said: “We called the charity from the emergency vets and Kieran kindly arranged for Kenai to be taken to a specialist referral centre nearby and said the Foundation would cover the costs. It’s been a huge weight off our mind.
“Now we can focus on getting Kenai better and helping with his long rehabilitation.”
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation currently supports more than 180 retired police dogs across the UK, helping owners with veterinary treatment, rehabilitation therapy and medication.
Kieran added: “While we will continue to be there for retired police dogs like Miki, we believe that the Government should be doing more to support these dogs and we’re campaigning for Pensions for Police Dogs so the cost of their care doesn’t fall solely on their new owners when they hang up their harness.”