Mark Walden

Retired blogger, coffee fanatic and always striving to improve animal welfare.

[NFRSA @The_NFRSA]

💜𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞���𝐩💜

Retired Police Dog Coty, a multi award winning five-year-old retired K9 officer from @kent_police, is facing the fight of her life.

Once among the UK’s top performing police dogs, Coty now requires a critical spinal operation costing £14,000 to save her from being put to sleep. Without the surgery, she will lose all mobility.

Coty’s story is one of extraordinary service. From the age of 10 weeks, she began her career with @KPTacOps and quickly distinguished herself with exceptional dedication. By 2021, Coty had already made a national name for herself - taking part in the G7 Summit in Cornwall, winning categories at the national trials.

But Coty was more than a champion. She was a frontline asset in major operations - tracking down fleeing suspects across fields, through rivers, and even locating vital DNA evidence in violent crimes.

Her tenacity led to multiple arrests and her bravery protected countless lives..

“She was fearless,” says PC Lisa Milligan, Coty’s former handler and now her loving owner. “She lived for the job - always the first to leap into action, to sniff out a clue, to stand between danger and me. Coty gave everything. And now… She can’t even stand properly on her own.”

Coty’s career was tragically cut short in 2024 when her back legs began to fail. Initial surgery removed two cysts from her spine, offering brief hope. But just after Christmas, Coty collapsed again.

Since then, she’s endured months of medical treatment and tests - but her condition continues to worsen.

Coty now requires urgent and major surgery to stabilise her spine, at a cost of £14,000 and she needs your help to make it happen.

As a young dog, she deserves to have this chance, and it’s the only one she has to realise any hope of a future.

Please would you consider making a donation towards our special appeal for Coty.

As a charity this is a challenge, but one we are determined to meet. We cannot do it without you, so any amount will make an enormous difference & we’d be so grateful.

Thank you..

(The link below takes you to our JustGiving Campaign - or you can visit our website and make a donation there - simply mention Coty in the comments 💜)

We’d be very grateful too if you could share this post.

https://t.co/nb5YvFZkxi

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@WYPDogs I was at awe watching these dogs go - amazing!

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@WMPDogs So excited to be here - looking forward to the next few days!

[WMP Dog Unit @WMPDogs]

#NPDT2025 | Today marks the beginning of the 63rd National Police Dog Trials, hosted this year by us at Tally Ho! 🐾

In the coming days, police dogs and their handlers from across the UK will showcase their agility, obedience, and searching skills in these trials.

[WMP Dog Unit @WMPDogs]

Yesterday in Coventry, PD Zade was called in to find an offender that had escaped from officers into back gardens.

He used his nose to show us the rubbish place he had ‘bin’ hiding the whole time…..and now he’s been wheeled off to police custody!

🧍‍♂️ 🗑️ …. 🐕 👮‍♂️

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

What a pleasure it was to visit @WMPDogs - inspiring doesn’t quite cut it!

[Retired Police Dogs Merseyside @MerseysideRPD]

Just over a month into his retirement, RPD Hugo’s new family have said he has settled in well, has chosen his favourite spot on the sofa, and enjoys going shopping for new toys. Well Done Hugo 🎖🐕

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

#NewProfilePic

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@PoliceMutual Hello there! What is the best number to contact yourselves directly? This is not in relation to an existing product

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@adiintl @marcthevet @Charity_ADUK @AssistanceZiggy @TheADAA_org @supportdogsuk @MedDetectDogs @guidedogs @DogsForGoodUK @APDAWG1 Was a pleasure meeting you all. I felt so inspired after hearing those experiences! Hats off to the organisers.

[Assistance Dogs International @adiintl]

The speakers from our event last night. We were privileged to be able to share and listen to stories and experiences about the incredible difference #assistancedogs make. We are also grateful to our two BSL interpreters Alison and Tess who did a great job. #lifechangers

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@Charity_ADUK Have a fantastic time!

[Assistance Dogs UK @Charity_ADUK]

Fantastic work from the equally fantastic Poppy from ADUK member @ServiceDogsUK as she shows the lifechanging practical impact a trained PTSD assistance dog can have in enabling veterans to move on with their lives. #AssistanceDogs #PTSD #LifeChanging #LifeSaving

[ServiceDogsUK @ServiceDogsUK]

It was a pleasure to welcome @Charity_ADUK Chair Pat Stafford MBE to a training session today where she met some of our fantastic rescue dogs, our Veterans and our wonderful training team. We even had beams of sunshine! ☀️ 🐕‍🦺😎👍🐾 @adiintl #Veterans #bluelight #assistancedogs

[Charlotte Fielder MBE - She/Her @charlyfielder]

Please complete this form, if you have an xl bully type #dog, so we can ascertain how many dogs are affected by the ban. And please, please re tweet and share across your social media. We need your help. Thank you.
#XLBullyBan
#EndBSL
https://t.co/rZbq4qtirB

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@charlyfielder @saga_travel_uk Sounds wonderful - have a super time!

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@Charity_ADUK @dogs_rad @adiintl Great news!

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

@ServiceDogsUK @adiintl @DogsTrust @Charity_ADUK @ChurchillFship @ArmyBenFund @CovenantTrust @VeteransFdn @VeteransUK_MOD What a great evening. So privileged to be a part of it

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

Had a wonderful evening at the @ServiceDogsUK Graduation Ceremony and WOW - what a privilege it was to accept recognition on behalf of @AgriaPetUK. The work this charity does is nothing short of inspiring for veterans and emergency services personnel with PTSD.

[Mark Walden @MarkRWalden]

Thrilled to be attending @VetShow this year. @AgriaPetUK stand is over at K20 and I’ll be discussing all things Partnerships #lvs #LVS2023 #Vets