Jake came to us almost four years ago after retiring from Channing’s wood prison, I feel honoured that I have been able to share his life with my family and his Handler Pat Cloke.

He is such a clever boy, he can smell a discarded apple core a mile away, and because he knows I don’t like him eating rubbish, he hides it in his mouth until we get home then discreetly starts to eat it. 

Jake loves playing ‘find it around the home when we hide up one of his toys. When he first arrived he enjoyed doing a body search on the postman and my neighbours, delivery drivers. 

I am fortunate to live near woodland where we go for walks and he plays with the other dogs and swims in the stream. 

Jake has been on all our family holidays, in particular, Padstow in Cornwall, we have explored a great deal of the coastal path together and he loves the ferry across to Rock beach where he can play with other dogs and steal their tennis balls. 

Jake’s other holidays have been in Thetford forest in a log cabin where he is on squirrel watch.

Most of all he is our best friend, he is a wonderful companion for my husband who stays at home due to suffering from MS, and he spends his days either lying on the lawn in the sunshine during the summer or snuggling up in front of the log burner during the winter. 

I would love to give another prison dog a home when they retire, they deserve to play, relax, have holidays and be loved, after working so hard to keep our environments safe from illicit substances entering our prisons, I work at HMP Exeter within the healthcare department and have seen the effects that this has on the vulnerable and also how hard these dogs work to maintain the safety and security of the prisons. 

Thank you for trusting us and allowing us to give Jake best the retirement that he deserves.