A POLICE dog which disarmed an axe-wielding man has been praised by a crown court judge.
PC Matt Rogers and his dog Rossi were called to Bentinck Close, Boughton, by residents who were concerned by Adrian Dowdall's behaviour.
The 36-year-old was standing in the street with a 2.7kg axe.
Rossi, a seven-year-old Belgian Shepherd/Malinois cross, leapt 8ft into the air to retrieve the weapon in his mouth before spitting it out and detaining Dowdall so PC Rogers could make an arrest.
PC Rogers said: "Rossi is trained to detain offenders, not disarm them. I think he thought it was a toy. It happened in an instant. He went straight for it, spat it out and detained the man.
"It was only afterwards that I realised the gravity of the situation. It was quite a big axe.
"Rossi just loves the job so much that he sees no limits."
Dowdall, of Bentinck Close, Boughton, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in public following the incident on November 24, 2012.
He was jailed for 160 days on Friday, May 31.
PC Rogers has had Rossi since he was 14-months-old and plans to adopt him when he retires in September.
