Back – by extremely popular demand, and for its fifth year – is the New Zealand Police Dog Trust Calendar.
The calendar is now available and is sure to be as popular as its previous incarnations.
It includes 15 feature photos and 26 smaller images of our German shepherds and labradors, from the floofiest pups to veteran crimefighters, all taken by Police forensic photgraphers.
There’s also a double-sided A3 poster. One side features the year’s winning photo, a stunning portrait (or paw-trait) of Wellington AOS dog Dakota awaiting orders, taken by Wellington photographer Senior Constable Jane Dunn.
The other side offers up a light-hearted guide to the components of a police dog, from boop zone to wagging stick – as modelled by Ink.
Money raised by sales will go toward the New Zealand Police Dog Charitable Trust, which helps give extra support to Police dog breeding, research and development programmes.
The judges – led by external photographer and experienced competition judge Laura Ridley, MNZIPP – had to pick from 90 images submitted by 11 Police photographers plus a group entry from six officers on a forensic photography course.
Laura said the overall standard was incredibly high, with impressive technical capability and creative thought going into images which would hold someone's interest for a month on a wall.
Competition for the winning image was tight. For the first time, ‘Highly Commended’ certificates were also awarded.
They went to Senior Constable Karl Bevin (Tāmaki Makaurau) for the February image of Quid amid Valentine rose petals, and Senior Constable Kurt Davison (Christchurch) for his May image of Usain in flight over a fence.
Inspector Todd Southall, National Coordinator Police Dogs, says the calendar is simply a winning combination - and the high standard makes this the best one yet.
“We’ve got world-class dogs and absolutely fantastic photographers so it’s no surprise that the calendar is so popular, year after year,” he says.
“It’s a lot of fun, it lets our photographers really show off their creative skills, and it’s a great way of letting people engage with Police. It also makes a great Christmas present.
“The serious side is that calendar sales help the trust support the really important and challenging work that our dog teams do the length and breadth of New Zealand.”
The calendar is $20 and is available through The Cop Shop. Shipping is $5-$9 for up to nine calendars, or free on online orders over $200. For international orders email sales@thecopshop.nz.