By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
SOUTH WALES, U.K. — A South Wales Police officer is taking on multiple endurance challenges in a quest to help retired K-9s.
Officer Jamie Davies, 27, from Rhondda, serves with the department’s organized crime unit, according to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting both serving and retired police K-9s throughout the U.K.
Davies started completing endurance events in 2017 after losing nearly 85 pounds. Now he aims to raise £500 (around $640) for the Thin Blue Paw Foundation by competing in three endurance challenges.
“I went from not being able to run five minutes, to running a half marathon! I wanted to take on another challenge so I ended up taking on the Marathon Eryri – in Snowdonia – and then really caught the bug,” Davies said.
Davies completed the first challenge, the Ironman Lanzarote, back in May. In June and July, Davies is scheduled to take part in the Dragon Devil and Dragon 100 challenges.
“Ironman Lanzarote is often referred to as the toughest Ironman there is; it’s a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cycle and a 26.2-mile run,” Davies said. “The Dragon Devil is considered the toughest sportive in the U.K.; a 296km bike ride with 4,616m of ascent. And the Dragon 100 is a 100-mile ultra race from Rhossili Bay to Cardiff Bay within 34 hours. These events will be a huge challenge for me; they’re all so different and all long-distance endurance events.”
Around 400 dogs are registered with the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, which provides financial grants to their owners for medication, therapy and veterinary procedures. Davies said he wanted to support the foundation after seeing first-hand the hard work K-9s do on a day-to-day basis.
“As a police officer, I see the work that police animals do, day in and day out. It blows my mind that they do all of this and then, when they retire, they leave with nothing,” Davies said. “I believe that the work the Thin Blue Paw Foundation does for these animals and the support they provide to their owners is second to none, and gives these dogs the best life post-service.”
Charity trustee Kieran Stanbridge said many K-9s retire with health problems, such as arthritis, which most insurance companies don’t cover. The foundation exists to help relieve the financial burden and ensure the K-9s get the care they need in retirement.
“That’s why we launched the foundation, to ensure these canine heroes get the treatment and the retirement they deserve after years of loyalty, dedication and service,” Stanbridge said.
To donate to Davies’ cause, click here.