The heartwarming story of the Royal Family’s rescue dog Roxy

Meet Roxy—the Royal Family’s beloved rescue dog. 

• Roxy has worked as a protective dog for the Royal Family ever since she successfully completed her intensive dog training in 2020. 
• The friendly bull terrier had a rocky start to life, after being abandoned by her owners and sent to an animal shelter in 2017. 
• In other royal news, the Queen’s heartbreak as she marks milestone anniversary without Prince Philip has been revealed.
  

From the pound to the palace, it looks like PD Roxy has finally found her feet. 

The Staffordshire bull terrier, who was left at an animal shelter in Somerset after being abandoned by her owners in 2017, now holds an impressive track record of royal accomplishments to her collar—including protecting the Queen’s clan from bomb threats. 

The five-year-old hound’s potential to be a service dog was first recognized by staff at the RSPCA’s West Hatch Animal Shelter when her natural rapport with others and energetic spirit became hard to miss. 

“Roxy was the right age, was good around people and other dogs, and was really confident,” said Supervisor Sue Dicks.

The extroverted canine also displayed strong ball-skills, which would come as a major advantage in police dog training. "She was also very ball-focused—and was incredibly determined,” Sue added. 

Roxy was enrolled in a ten-week boot camp at Avon & Somerset Police, where she underwent intense training on how to detect explosives. The aspiring sniffer dog learned how to tell what scents to look for, how to identify her findings correctly, and how to communicate these discoveries to her handlers.

After successfully completing this training, Roxy was moved to the Hampshire and Thames Valley specialist search unit, where she spent two years under the supervision of PC Camilla Carter. The placement gave her the opportunity to practice the skills she acquired at Avon & Somerset and prepare for one of the biggest career challenges of all—official royal events. 

The go-getting Staffie has worked for the Royal Family a number of times since finishing her training at Hampshire and Thames Valley—and it looks like her excellent work ethic has earned the Queen’s stamp of approval. 

Roxy has clocked up a litany of royal engagements on her doggie CV over the past year, collaborating with police officers to ensure venues are cleared for explosives before the event begins. Her most high-profile events to date have been Prince Philip’s funeral and Princess Beatrice’s wedding, both of which took place at Windsor Castle. 

As the only Staffordshire bull terrier on their dog unit, Roxy is quite the character in the Hampshire and Thames Valley police force. She spends most of her time with PC Carter, sweeping locations before important events and checking suspicious packages for explosives. The job is undoubtedly a serious one, but Roxy always tries to find the lighter side of it.  

“Roxy is a superstar,” PC Carter said. “She is intelligent, very systematic and thorough. For her, it’s all a big, fun game and she just loves to work.”