Puppies abandoned in cardboard box and sweltering greenhouse grow up to be fully-trained police dogs

Two beautiful puppies - one abandoned in a cardboard box and the other in a sweltering greenhouse - have now grown up to be fully-trained police dogs.

Police dogs Jasper and Axel were cruelly discarded by their owners at the time - but fate had other plans for the little furballs. They were plucked from abandonment being rescued by kindhearted animal lovers, and their talents recognised.

The pair are now fully fledged police dogs with Durham Constabulary.

READ MORE: 'I was out for 40 minutes': One Stop boss in shock cardiac arrest horror on family visit

READ MORE: NORTH EAST NEWS: Widow of crash victim slams private ambulance firm after inquest

Here's their stories.

PD Jasper didn’t have the best start in life - he was found abandoned in a sweltering greenhouse at just seven weeks old last summer.

Rescued by a kind lady in Manchester, she soon realised that the Belgian Malinois was extra special. He had lots of hidden talents that made him an ideal police dog candidate, so he was handed over to Durham Police's puppy development programme at 11 months.

PD Axel found himself in the same sad situation when he was abandoned at 12 weeks old in carboard box outside the Salvation Army, in Darlington. The fellow Belgian Malinois was whisked off to the vets and soon adopted by Chris, who very quickly discovered that Axel was full of mischief and had a strong character.

Again, contact was made with the Durham Police Dog Support Unit and Axel was also accepted into our puppy development programme.

The duo started their training course alongside PD Dutch, a German Shepherd who came to the unit at 12 months old from one of our breeders. All three hit the ground running, jumping straight into the 10-week intensive training course.

And this week they all became officially registered police dogs, passing their final assessments with flying colours!

• PD Jasper, now 18 months, is teamed up with PC Dan Cuthbertson, specialising in general purpose policing.

• PD Axel, now 14 months, has joined forces with PC Paul Cooper and became the force’s youngest licensed police dog.

• And last but not least, 14-month-old PD Dutch will now serve with handler, PC Laura Linskey, to hunt out suspects and search for missing people.

A spokesman for the force said: "We wish them the very best in their careers."

For breaking news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter