A heroic police dog who saved almost 40 lives during her eight-year-long career in the Stirling area has been honoured with a national award.
Ten-year-old German Shepherd RPD Luna and her Police Scotland handler PC Linda McBride, received the Lifesaver award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards – supported by Animal Friends Insurance – on Thursday, September 22.
PC McBride, 55, from Falkirk, attended the glittering awards ceremony, hosted by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation at Knebworth Park, in Hertfordshire, with Luna.
The duo, based at Larbert in the Central Division of Police Scotland, spent almost eight years working predominantly across the Stirling area.
Luna, over her illustrious career, undertook 38 life-saving rescue missions, including in Stirling and Alva.
In November 2019, Luna was deployed to search for a vulnerable man in Stirling who’d recently been released from hospital. Luna managed to track him to the side of a railway line where PC McBride was able to keep him safe until back-up came to assist.
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Just a month later and Luna was back in action performing heroics. She was sent to Alva to search for a vulnerable man who had gone missing from his home. Luna found him hidden in some bushes, suffering from hypothermia and he was rushed to hospital for treatment. The man later contacted police to thank PC McBride and Luna for saving his life.
In May 2015, Luna managed to find a fingertip that had been bitten off during a fight so that it could be taken to hospital and doctors could attempt to reattach it to the victim.
The duo were partnered in December 2012 when Luna was just 12-weeks-old before training and then licensing in September 2014.
Luna retired in June this year and celebrated with her first ever holiday where she enjoyed playing on the beach and swimming in the sea.
PC McBride, who has been an officer for 29 years, including 12 in the dog unit, said: “Luna would continue to work if the choice was hers, she was an exceptional police dog to work alongside. I am very proud of her and everything that she has achieved.”
PC McBride nominated Luna for the award following her retirement – logging onto her computer while she was on holiday and staying up until 3am to submit her application.
“I felt like I owed it to her,” she said. “When I found out that she’d won the Lifesaver award I was blown away – I even cried.”
Luna was particularly skilled when it came to searching and tracking high-risk missing people.
PC McBride added: “Luna has gained respect from dog handlers, frontline colleagues and management over the years due to her incredible natural ability to locate people quickly; many of whom would have perished due to their injuries or the elements, without her help.
“She has a wonderful temperament, particularly when dealing with vulnerable and high-risk people; she seems to know they need her help and shows such compassion towards them. But she still had the ability to switch when dealing with a dangerous criminal or anyone who would show violence towards her or me. We always looked out for each other.”
Luna lives with PC McBride, her working police dogs German Shepherd PD Saul and cocker spaniel PD Spud, as well as her 91-year-old mother and her two sons, her daughter and grandsons regularly visit and always enjoying spending time with the dogs.
“Luna and the other dogs are fantastic with my mother, who I care for,” PC McBride added. “They seem to sense she needs our care. I think that intuitive nature is what made Luna so good at searching for missing people too; she wanted to help.”
PC McBride added: “Saying I’m proud of Luna is an understatement.
“I burst with pride at how much she has achieved; our bond will never be broken and, for that, I’m immensely thankful.”
