Amy!

I was rocked by this news - to the core. It has been upsetting me deeply ever since. If anyone says ‘it’s just a dog’ then not only will I lean towards a small explosion, but I would also recommend you take yourselves off and watch service dogs at work. Witness the bond they have with their handlers, the undying devotion, the teamwork. PD Zyla gave her life doing what she loved, and we cannot jump to conclusions until the investigation is complete, so for that we have to wait. All we can do is to send our love, our thoughts, and our support to Zyla’s handler and the wider police family. In the meantime, @The_NFRSA came off social media for a while, as a mark of respect. As a charity we immediately chose not to take advantage of a tragic situation, or to profit from it on ANY level, it was simply to us a moment of deep reflection, and frankly shock. To do otherwise would have been unseemly and totally inappropriate. I’m still shocked. Having had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with handlers from across the country, I know how much this will shatter the dog community from all our services, how much it will be pausing to reflect on how precious their K9 partners are, and how much they value them. I’ve not been able to think about anything else but Zyla and her handler and colleagues this past 24 hours. What they are going through is beyond all comprehension. Hug your dogs people, hug all your pets, because as pets they are a member of your family. Spare a thought for the dogs and handlers of the police family today, and let’s never forget PD Zyla. Rest easy girl - thank you for your service and your devotion to your handler. 💜🐾💜