By Adam Morris
and Gemma Fraser
Police Scotland spent £1,700 on a vet bill for stricken dog Zara, 1919 has learned, before refusing to pay thousands more to save her life.
The force attracted criticism after it emerged the young German Shepherd was put down when bosses were faced with a £12,000 vet bill to operate on a broken pelvis.
Insiders said the two-year-old animal (pictured above) was likely to have made a full recovery, given her age and prime condition, following the December incident, when she was run over during a walk with her handler in a remote Highlands village.
But the police, while acknowledging it was a “difficult decision”, have argued there was “no guarantee of her ever achieving a normal life”.
Now, research has revealed the force settled an emergency vet bill for Zara in January, a month after her death, at a cost of £1,728.24.
It is understood that payment was for her initial treatment and care over a two-day period, prior to the decision being made to end her life.
The revelation, which was published as part of Police Scotland’s overall vet bill spend for the past five years, has attracted further questions from campaigners and politicians.
The freedom of information request by 1919 shows around £716,000 has been spent since 2020 on vet bills for the dogs and horses under the care of Police Scotland.
Photo by Greg Macvean
“These stark figures raise serious questions about the circumstances surrounding the decision to put down PD Zara after she suffered an injury,” said Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Ross, who raised the issue in Holyrood.
“Ministers must ask the police if there was a specific change in policy before this decision was taken, which has upset many people across Scotland.
“They must also seek reassurances that, should a situation like this happen again, funds would be in place to cover the costs of any operations required.”
Alsatian Zara joined Police Scotland from a breeder in Wales and became a licenced police dog in 2023. Her work involved searching for missing people and hunting for evidence.
But on a walk before Christmas she bolted after a rabbit, leading to her being struck by a vehicle on a nearby road.
Police dogs are not insured, so any vet bills need to be paid in full by the force.
“When making such difficult decisions, the welfare and wellbeing of our police dogs is our top priority,” said Chief Superintendent Emma Croft.
“Unfortunately, PD Zara would have required lengthy rehabilitation and suffered prolonged pain with no guarantee of ever achieving a normal life.
“Our dogs are a hugely important part of policing and our wider policing family and as such the loss of one of our own is felt deeply by all.”
She added that the force adheres to nationally agreed welfare standards and accreditation schemes, and that cost is “never a deciding factor” when determining a medical decision.
But a charity set up to support retired police dogs has demanded an independent investigation into the decision.
It pointed out that considerable investment goes into rearing and training police dogs, and that their work over a career can prove hugely valuable in relation to that spend.
In a letter to Chief Constable Jo Farrell, the board of trustees at the Thin Blue Paw Foundation said: “Police dogs are policing colleagues – they hold the blue line in some of the most challenging and highly dangerous incidents.
“They would give their lives in a heartbeat to protect their handler and the wider policing family, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they are treated with the utmost respect.”