'To infinity and beyond Buzz!' – West Midlands Police pay tribute to police dog who died suddenly of a heart attack

PD Buzz was born in 2019 and became a fully licensed police dog in 2021.

During his initial course, he was described as a shaken bottle of pop, that was of course until he was partnered with PC Matt Thompson and they became an incredible pairing and were inseparable.

Buzz was welcomed into Matt’s home and was the perfect balance of police dog with hilarious quirks and being a loveable family pup.

In 2023, Buzz and PC Thompson went on to achieve their firearms support dog licence and have detained countless of criminals together.

The force has shared Buzz and PC Thompson’s many successes on its WMPDogs X channel, such as the time he located a drink driver hiding in bushes or the time he helped detain an offender armed with a crowbar.

He was also key in helping to keep the public and officers safe at a European football game last November.

During his time as a police dog, Buzz recovered drugs from many hiding places, detained fleeing car thieves and supported other police forces with their operations.

Sadly on Sunday, Buzz died suddenly of a heart attack leaving his handler and family heartbroken.

Inspector Leanne Chapman, from the dog unit, said: “Buzz was a fantastic police dog and did all of us at WMP proud, but especially his handler Matt.

“The bond between a handler and their dog is unbelievably strong and I know Matt and his family are devastated.

“Police dogs are an incredible asset to our police force and their skills are unmatched. Buzz will be missed – thank you for your service.”

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police, said: "To infinity and beyond Buzz!"