A police dog who took part in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has died following a car crash.
Five-year-old Bert, a Springer Spaniel, was one of two dogs in a Cleveland Police canine support unit vehicle when it crashed with a BMW in the town of Hartlepool in northern England on Thursday evening (July 17). They had been at work when responding to an emergency incident at the time.
Both animals were taken to a vet, and the other dog was found to be unharmed, but Bert was euthanized due to the severity of his injuries, per BBC News. The police officer in the vehicle suffered minor injuries.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene and was later charged with drunk driving. He has been bailed and is set to appear in court on August 1. The police force has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Cleveland Police said that Bert had served as a sniffer dog for three and a half years, helping find drugs, cash, and firearms. In one search, he detected £250,000 (about $336,000) in cash.
In a tribute on Facebook, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland wrote: “We're devastated to learn of the passing of PD Bert. Our thoughts are with PD Bert's handler, the Dog Support Unit and everyone in the Cleveland Police family. Thank you for your service PD Bert, rest easy.”
Posted by ClevelandPCC on
In 2022, Bert was deployed to London to help out with the Queen’s funeral. At the time, it was the largest ever ceremonial police operation, per the National Police Chiefs’ Council. There were more than 50 service dogs trained in explosives and firearms detection deployed altogether, with search dogs helping patrol town and city centres during the UK’s mourning period for the late monarch, too.
The service, which was held at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19, eleven days after Elizabeth died aged 96, was attended by 2,000 people, including then-US President and First Lady Joe and Jill Biden and members of European royal families.
The Queen’s Corgis, Muick and Sandy, were also present at the funeral and could be seen waiting with staff as the cortege arrived at Windsor Castle. Her Fell pony, Carltonlima Emma, was present too. The Queen, a patron of the Fell Pony Society, would ride Emma even well into her nineties.
Read next: Royal family’s dogs
