“ From War Veteran to Dog Handler In his own words: Iraq veteran Dale’s inspiring story In 2008 I made the incredibly daunting decision to leave the Armed Forces after enlisting straight from school. Having established my career within the Royal Military Police, I deployed on operational tour to Iraq in 2004. On return, it was my aspiration to join the Dog Section and become a GP Handler. However, due to service cut backs, this was no longer an option and I served in other policing roles within the unit. Eventually I felt it was time for a change and decided on a career within a Police Force in civvy street. Having successfully passed the required assessments for the Police, things were on track to a bright future as a police constable. It wasn’t until I entered the world of civvy street that things took a turn for the worst. I was struggling to adjust to civilian life and my mental health was deteriorating rapidly. Not long after, I was diagnosed with PTSD brought on by an incident in Iraq that I was lucky to escape with my life. That said, years of torment blighted my life and I have struggled to settle within any employment opportunities that came around. Years later, I finally sought the help I needed in order to establish some sort of stability in my life. I engaged with Military Veterans service and went through intense therapy. I was then referred to a veterans charity Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) who assist injured veterans in finding suitable employment. It was there that I learnt of a company called Wagtail UK Ltd, who are incredibly supportive of Military 6% PTSD rates have increased among members of the UK armed forces. The overall rate of probable PTSD among current and ex-serving military personnel was 6% in 2014-16, compared with 4% in 2004-06. Veterans. This reignited my passion for Dog Handling. Quickly contact was established with Adam Vizard from Wagtail via Tom Knight and Gary Lamb at WWTW. Keen to support veterans, it didn’t take long for Wagtail to organise an interview, with the view of sending me on a work placement in France. I attended this placement and had a fantastic time working alongside handlers within the ferry ports seeking out clandestine attempting to enter the UK illegally utilising cargo transportation and coaches. This was a great experience, however it soon became apparent that my lack of knowledge within the dog handling industry meant I wasn’t suitable for this role at that time. Undeterred, I went back to the drawing board and liaised with Tom. Wagtail explained that they hold courses for those wishing to become handlers. I attended a Wagtail Taster Day, where I had the opportunity to explore the options available. This was a very informative day with a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by han
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