ANYONE wanting to re-home an unwanted German shepherd need look no further than Gwent Police.

But the force doesn't want any old Alsatian, or other appropriate breeds - they must be happy, obedient, in good health, and between nine months and two years old.

The Gwent Police Dog Section currently has 13 German shepherds and nine drugs and explosives search dogs - which are Labradors and springer spaniels.

Two more dog handlers are due to join the section, but currently there are no dogs for them to work with.

Sergeant Jerry Warman, from the dog section, said: "We are desperate for more dogs as I have never known the shortage to be this bad. "A dog's working life is around six or seven years, so we always need new ones.

"We are appealing for people to come forward who may have bought a nice little ball of fluff that before you know it became too big for the house. "We are not a re-homing service, it's more a case of putting your dog up for selection.

"It's a very difficult role to fill, as we ask the dogs to do extremely varied things.

"We have found German shepherds to be the best. Rottweilers are nice dogs but can be slow on the uptake."They may rip your throat out if you go into their garden, but we don't want that."

Sgt Warman said some German shepherd cross-breeds were acceptable.

He said police demanded high standards, and around 90 per cent of dogs assessed for suitability failed. PC Tony Radford, from the dog section, said: "The public have a perception of police dogs being aggressive, but there are other parts to their job. "They have to have tracking skills, obedience and agility. "Ideally, we want a dog that is happy, energetic, retrieving mad and one that has socialised with other dogs and people." l Anyone with an unwanted dog that may suit the police should contact Sgt Warman or PC Radford on 01291 672245.