They look jolly cute now but give these German shepherd puppies a few months and they may well be putting the fear of God into a burglar or a football yob.
The seven-week-old pups are the next generation of canine crime-fighters for West Midlands Police.
The cute and fluffy dogs are being taught to be ‘obsessed with toys’ to assist their training for this very serious job.
The seven-week-old pups will go under rigorous training to prepare them to be the canine crime-fighters of the West Midlands
They are being taught to be ‘obsessed’ with toys to help them in their future training
The 26 dogs will be placed with volunteers in just two weeks to help them become socialised and accustomed to different environments.
They will then go through several assessments to see if they are suitable, before being paired up with an officer to start training in earnest at just 15 months old.
In two weeks’ time 26 dogs will be placed with volunteers to help them become socialised and used to different situations
Breed Scheme Manager, Pc Terry Arnett, said: ‘The dogs we train are key members of our team so we want to ensure we do the best by them from the very start and we urgently need to find suitable homes for these puppies as a vital part of that process.
‘We are here to train the dogs and support successful volunteers throughout the programme.
‘All we ask is that the puppies are played with in a constructive way and that someone is generally at home for most of the day.’
Anyone over 18 can apply to be a puppy walker, if they have the time to look after the dog and provide plenty of play time to allow it to develop within a happy, carefree environment.
At six months old, they will return to the force’s Dog Unit at Balsall Common, Birmingham., where they will be assessed to their suitability for police work.
Not all the dogs will become police dogs as they have to go through several assessments first
When they are ready they’ll be paired up with an officer to start training when they’re 15 months old