A Labrador who proved too friendly to be a sniffer dog has become Scotland Yard’s first “wellbeing dog”.
Dexter failed to make the anti-drugs unit because he lacked focus and was “too gregarious”.
But instead of leaving the force – along with other dogs who don’t make the grade – Dexter has been given a job helping officers deal with the stress and trauma of policing in London.
Handler PC Mike Sheather said: “He’s got a really good nose on him, it’s just that his personality didn’t lend itself to being a drugs dog.
“He’s just too good around people – he was too sociable.
“He also started to show signs of distress in training.
"If a dog isn’t settling or isn’t happy in their role it’s our duty to take them out.
“It was like one of my old school reports – lacked focus.
"They actually used the word gregarious.”
PC Sheather began taking Dexter out to meet staff in May as they dealt with the pandemic.
He said: “They were going into the community, recording ‘life extinct’ and preparing the bodies for collecting.
“They’d been doing it for two or three months.”
But petting Dexter helped the officers cope by releasing oxytocin – reducing anxiety and lowering blood pressure.
Dexter has been such a success that the Met’s wellbeing dog programme has been extended.
