Dexter becomes the Mets first Welfare Dog

Not every dog is cut out to be a police dog, but this one takes the biscuit.

Pedigree black Labrador Dexter flunked his sniffer dog exams because he wanted to chat too much. So he has now become the Met’s first welfare dog.

Dexter was bred by the Metropolitan Police, and originally earmarked for training to smell out smuggled drugs.

But after only four week she was withdrawn from training for being too sociable. He was too interested in interacting with people, and not focused enough on detection work.

He was also showing signs of stress in his training. He just wanted to be everybody’s friend.

But instead of being hounded out of the force, Dexter has been given the job of helping police deal with the stress and trauma of policing in London.

He even has his own Twitter account – and seems to have an extraordinary ability at typing for a mutt.

PC Mike Sheather, Dexter’s dog handler, was inspired to use Dexter after seeing the positive effect dogs have on people.

He didn’t know the science behind it, and did some research which revealed how the act of stroking an animal with fur releases oxytocin into the brain of humans, and helps counteract stress.

Their presence gives people a forum where they can talk openly about any topic they feel is important. So in the pandemic, he has helped healthcare professionals on the front line who needed a “paws” for thought.

PC Sheather and Dexter last week visited Lewisham Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich. The visit, to an admin block, away from wards, gave staff the chance to escape their busy shifts, helped by Dexter.

The Taskforce’s Mounted Branch also joined in so staff could greet both horses and officers. PC Sheather said: “Dexter is proving an extremely invaluable presence to those who may be in need of that comfort.

“Having helped so many people in the Met, we decided to take Dexter further afield.

It’s been a tough year for all of those working in emergency services and NHS staff have been putting their health and well-being before others throughout.

“This is a very simple way we can give back to the brilliant staff at Lewisham and all the other hospitals. Hopefully all those who meet Dexter will have had a smile on their face and some time to decompress if they are having a stressful day.”

Meera Nair, Chief People Officer at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said: “We’d love to say a big thank you to the Met, PC Sheather and Dexter for planning this visit with us.

“We have been very focused on making sure there is a wide range of staff support since the start of the pandemic, and these well-being visits are great for giving our hard-working staff a chance to relax and reset.”

Dexter’s diary is filled with visits to police officers and staff across the Met – he has now undertaken more than 100 with PC Sheather, who has had mental health and trauma training.

PC Sheather said: “I have been a dog handler for 15 years, and whenever we walk into the office with dogs you can see the positive effect the dogs have on people. Everyone is smiling.”

Another visit was to the South West Basic Command Unit’s Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation team (OCSAE), which covers crimes across the boroughs of Wandsworth and Merton.

Its staff have to view thousands of distressing pictures every week related to child exploitation, including indecent images of children.

Detective Sergeant Suzanne Quinton said: “It definitely gave the team a boost and a sense of well-being, of benefit to our role, but also a general boost during the Covid-19 lockdown.”