Dogs Trust staff spotted the potential of Rocket (above) and Rocky while they were in the charity’s care.

Both were intelligent, eager to learn and had a high play drive with a ball, which made them ideal candidates for police training.

Rocket and Rocky have now joined fellow Dogs Trust star Dougie on the beat with their expert police handlers.

Rocket, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, joined the force in June and has shown an exceptional ability to track suspects.

He came into Dogs Trust care in June 2022 as a seven-month-old puppy where his potential for crime fighting was spotted by staff in IIfracombe.  He was adopted in August last year, passed his police training with flying colours, and detained his first suspects last month.

Labrador Rocky (below), meanwhile, was handed into Dogs Trust Loughborough after his owner could no longer care for him.

Recently certified as a drugs, cash and firearms sniffer dog he has already been deployed on warrants and has made a strong start finding hidden drugs on his very first job.

Rocket and Rocky are the latest of a trio of animals to come from the charity, with Labrador Dougie also working as a passive drugs dog after joining the force last year.

Dougie was also recruited from the Dogs Trust Loughborough and has been working since to make the night-time economy safer.

Chief Inspector Amy English, responsible for the dog section at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Finding good candidates for police dog training is not easy so we are grateful to the Dogs Trust for putting forward such excellent candidates.

“These dogs may not have had the best start in life, but they have now found a long-term home with us and are absolutely thriving in the care of their expert handlers.

“Training police dogs is hard work and there is no guarantee that the candidates who come to us will meet the required standards, so it is hugely rewarding for everyone on the team when a new dog like Rocket, Rocky or Dougie repays the faith we put in them and gets their first great result.”

Louise Crawford, Animal Welfare Scheme Coordinator at Dogs Trust, said: “The Animal Welfare Scheme has been in place for Police dog units for the past 21 years and Dogs Trust has supported this scheme since its inception.  

“We think all of the dogs in our care are stars, but staff working in our rehoming centres are trained to spot dogs with extra special crime fighting potential and we work with Police Forces signed up to the Animal Welfare Scheme to match them and provide ongoing support.   

“Rocket, Dougie and Rocky were identified by the staff at our Loughborough and Ilfracombe rehoming centres as being suitable for a working home. I am thrilled that all three dogs have done so well and are fully licensed Police Dogs with Nottinghamshire Police, achieving so much, and reaching their full potential. 

“It’s a wonderful message to promote about rescue dogs and how special they are.”