Sniffer dog who helped police Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral dies in car crash

Bert, the police dog, was praised for detecting drugs, cash, and firearms

PD Bert, a five-year-old Springer Spaniel belonging to Cleveland Police, was in a dog support unit vehicle, along with one other dog and a police officer, when it collided with a BMW in Hartlepool at around 21:00 BST on Thursday.

Both dogs were rushed to the vet due to the severity of their injuries. Unfortunately, PD Bert couldn't be helped further and was put to sleep.

The other dog was predominantly unharmed, and the officer suffered minor injuries.

The 33-year-old man driving the BMW was arrested shortly after the collision and has been charged with drink driving, however, police have said it will continue to investigate the "full circumstances", per the BBC.

The suspect has since been bailed and is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on August 1.

PD Bert has been praised by the force for his incredible sense of smell, used to detect drugs, cash, and firearms.

Bert once located £250,000 in a single search.

Both dogs and their police handler were on their way to an emergency incident when the crash with the BMW occurred.

The heroic Springer Spaniel was deployed to London in September 2022, where he was part of the policing operation regarding the late Queen's funeral, which drew an estimated one million people to witness the procession through the capital.