The Queensland Police Service today confirms the death of a serving police dog.
Police Dog Bert, attached to Brisbane Dog Squad, succumbed to cancer over the weekend.
Bert commenced his career in 2013 with the NSW Police Dog Squad where he completed a basic human remains detection course.
He later transferred to Brisbane where he undertook further training in detecting human remains.
His skills were applied to a number of crime scenes and natural disasters across Queensland and Australia.
PD Bert was the first springer spaniel to work with the Queensland Police Service and paved the way for other springer breeds.
Following a search across Australia, PD Bert was selected to breed with a Labrador which saw the introduction of Springadors to Australian law enforcement. Two of PD Bert’s offspring are current serving members of the QPS – PD Wendy and PD Kevin.
Senior Constable Adam Reid described his bond with PD Bert as inseparable.
“Together we assisted many investigations and brought closure to a lot of families across Australia,” he said.
“It has been a difficult time for my family and I after learning of Bert’s illness. In his final weeks, we ate steak, took plenty of swims and cherished him the best we could.
“Bert was one of the hardest working, most loyal and nicest police dogs I will ever have the privilege of working with.
“It was a pleasure to be his handler.”
PD Bert – with honour you served and it was our honour to serve with you.
