South Australian Brevet Sergeant Tina Hunt sets up charity for retired police dogs

No one can sniff out a criminal like a police dog and yet once the canine retires – police do not covers their medical bills. Find out what one cop did in response.

When police dog handler Brevet Sergeant Tina Hunt was faced with two difficult choices – find $10k or inject her beloved German Shepherd with a lethal shot, Sgt Hunt knew she needed to do something for SA’s retired police dogs.

Late last year, Sgt Hunt took her recently retired police dog Marley to the veterinary surgery and after a check-up she was told that her beloved canine would require a $10k surgery.

For the rank-and-file cop, it was a massive bill to pay, but she believed Marley deserved a quality life after displaying unwavering loyalty and courage on the job.

However, in a fortunate turn of events, Sgt Hunt paid for further testing where it became clear that Marley didn’t require surgery at all. The shepherd had three bulged disks in her back which would require monitoring, medication, and a reduced walking regimen.

Brevet Sergeant Tina Hunt from the Dog Operations Group and her retired dog Marley. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Although Sgt Hunt escaped major financial repercussions, she said her experience at the vet with Marley reignited her passion for a project she had kept on the back burner for over a decade.

“In 2012, I had this idea for a dog calendar to raise money for SAPOL’s retired dogs,” she said. “It would have been similar to what is done within the police jurisdictions in Australia.

“But I was told that any funds raised from the dog calendar would have to be put into general revenue which wasn’t what I wanted because the idea was to raise funds specifically for the retired police dogs and their expenses.”

She scrapped the idea for a calendar but still felt like the canine deserved a pension.

“Police dogs don’t get to choose their career,” she said. “And yet they are happy to come into work every day, and they serve and protect the South Australian community by catching out criminals.”

“It’s only fair that we ensure that they have a quality retirement.”

Tina Hunt has set up a Retired Police Dogs SA charity to provide financial support to the canine officers that have left the job. Picture: Supplied.

Tina has been in the dog Op unit since 2006 and she is now the Founder and CEO launching a charity, "Retired Police Dogs SA", to provide financial support to retired police dogs, specifically covering their medical expenses. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Sgt Hunt said she feels like their retirement is especially important as the two types of serving dogs, German Shepherds and Labradors, typically retire at the age of eight – but they may live to be 12-15 years old.

In their old age, they are also likely to suffer from health complications from work-related injuries resulting in frequent vet visits, which SA Police does not cover.

Sgt Hunt decided it was time to set up an independent charity organisation – after shelving the idea twice before – and began writing the constitution and finding sponsors last year.

In 2024, she registered her charity organisation, named the Retired Police Dogs SA with a government agency which raises funds to ensure retired PDS get the medical procedures and vaccinations they need after completing their service.

The charity is independent from SA Police and at least two members of the board must be unrelated to the cop organisation.

Originally published as South Australian Brevet Sergeant Tina Hunt sets up charity for retired police dogs