Fire service welcomes new investigation dog

20 December 2025

Eleanor LawsonWest Midlands

Holly has joined West Midlands Fire Service as an accelerant detection dog

WMFS A close-up of a black cocker spaniel with her mouth slightly open and tongue hanging out. — Holly has joined West Midlands Fire Service as an accelerant detection dog

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has unveiled its newest recruit: a four-year-old accelerant detection dog called Holly.

Holly is a working cocker spaniel who has joined the service's fire investigation and prevention section after completing her training.

She will now be deployed to fire scenes to detect traces of ignitable liquids and assist investigating officers in the determining whether blazes have been intentionally started.

This evidence can be used to link suspects to scenes and assist with criminal investigations, WMFS said.

Her handler, Annette Carrington, said: "Holly is an incredible partner. She's energetic, intelligent and absolutely loves to work.

"Her role is vital in helping us uncover the causes of fires and gather evidence that can make a real difference in criminal investigations. Her detection skills are much faster than those of humans, too!

"I can honestly say that Holly makes every working day a brighter one! The only thing that takes a little longer are my walks through HQ as everyone now stops to say hello and get their Holly fix!"

Annette Carrington, Holly's handler, says Holly is an incredible partner

WMFS A woman in a red hard-hat and black jacket with the letters WMFS on it, holds up a black cocker spaniel who wears red and grey protection boots. — Annette Carrington, Holly's handler, says Holly is an incredible partner

Holly's training programme utilised positive reward as a training method where dogs are rewarded for finding a specific scent, using high-value items like treats or toys, to reinforce the search behaviour and build motivation.

She was rewarded with her red 'kong' toy and some play each time she identified one of her target substances during her search scenarios.

Her training and subsequent licensing examination have included several specialist exercises that replicated real-life scenes which she now explores.

Fire dog Giddy and her handler retire

Holly's arrival coincides with another dog Giddy retiring alongside her handler

WMFS A brown and white dappled cocker spaniel sits on the ground and holds her paw up towards a man kneeling down. Two fire service vehicles are behind them. — Holly's arrival coincides with another dog Giddy retiring alongside her handler

Holly has joined WMFS because their current fire investigation dog handler Alex Daw, has recently retired.

Mr Daw joined West Midlands Fire Service in July 1995, serving at Erdington, Canley, Binley, Coventry and Solihull stations, before starting in Fire Investigation in 2021.

He took on the role of dog handler to Giddy in 2023.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in the fire service, working with different teams and taking on new challenges," Mr Daw said.

"When the opportunity came to become a fire dog handler, it wasn't something I'd planned, but looking back, it was probably the best decision of my life and Giddy has become part of the family.

"It's been a pleasure and an honour to serve with West Midlands Fire Service."

Holly has been trained up before Giddy and Mr Daw retire

WMFS A man and a woman in black fire service uniforms sit together with a dog on each of their laps. The man, sat on the left, holds a brown and white dappled cocker spaniel, while the woman holds a black cocker spaniel. A fire vehicle is parked behind them. — Holly has been trained up before Giddy and Mr Daw retire

Holly and Ms Carrington have trained alongside Mr Daw and Giddy before they retired.

Station Commander Matt Ling said: "We're incredibly excited to have Holly and Annette working with us, but our thanks must go to Alex and Giddy, who have been excellent during their time in the department.