THE Scottish Prison Service have revealed that one of their guard dogs wagged its tail so enthusiastically that it required medical attention.
The prison service currently has 23 dogs in its employment, which are generally used in the serious business of sniffing out drugs, weapons and other contraband hidden in cells.
The fierce mutts are also used to patrol the walls of correctional facilities across Scotland.
But it seems that one of the fearsome guard dogs has been enjoying its job a little too much – as it suffered from a “repetitive tail-wagging injury”
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) revealed the full extent of workplace injuries suffered by their canine colleagues in documents released through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
The documents show that since 2013, 11 of the dogs have suffered injuries on the job.
The “repetitive tail-wagging injury” was diagnosed in one of the dogs in November 2014.
The condition – also known as “happy tail” – is the same type of injury as “repetitive strain injury” in humans, where performing repetitive actions like typing can strain muscles and tendons.
It is not known what treatment was given to the dog – but other animals suffering from similar conditions have been prescribed mild painkillers.
They are also often kept in calm environments for a period of time in order to prevent them from wagging their tails in excitement – which can cause the condition to deteriorate into “chronic happy tail”.
But the 10 other injuries suffered by the dogs are less cute and more cringe-inducing.
In July 2013 one animal was bitten on the nose by another animal or insect whilst exercising.
And in September 2013 a pooch had a “dental facial injury” during an accident whilst exercising, while in December another cut it’s lip on shelving during training.
Others suffered from a “ripped claw”, cut or injured pads and lame legs during their time working for the SPS.
And in October 2014 another was treated for a “split tail injury” – which occurs when dogs wag their tails so much and so hard that they split it open on walls, floors or other objects.
The condition is also known as “kennel tail” because it happens with higher frequency in the confined spaces of kennels.
The documents provided also revealed that the prison service has specially commissioned “dog first aid kits” for the use of their canine colleagues.
They are currently updating the kits at a cost of £345.
The kits contain basic equipment for treating dogs on the scene – such as cotton wool, latex gloves and bandages.
But their injuries are generally then treated by a regular vet.
A spokeswoman for the SPS explained: “SPS dogs provide a valuable contribution in detecting and disrupting the introduction of contraband to SPS establishments by supporting security processes within our establishments.
“This is done through coordinated search operations or other initiatives, including cell and area searching, staff and visitor screening and perimeter patrols.”
