PW_4_2020

Article

A country life Neil Hallam , Editor “The same as I did before I retired. I just do more of it now”. That was Chris Bostock’s reply to “what are you doing with your retirement?” C ounting his cadet service , PC Bostock put in 32 years with Nottinghamshire Police. His various roles covered everything from the resident rural Bobby, to Police Rifleman (or sniper). Along the way Chris picked One of the highlights of his career was a role for which he received no payment. Notts were struggling to find suitable recruits for training as Police Dogs, so they began an in house breeding program. Currently serving female dogs were mated with carefully selected male dogs, from a number of reputable breeders.

Chris Bostock working with Boots

up a love of the outdoors and of dogs. Rosie, a small black Labrador Retriever was the first of his canine companions to join the Bostock household. Chris had a head start in training Rosie, as she is a very good natured dog. But I watched the patience Chris put into the constant repetition and reinforcement of her training. Chris is often greeted with comments of, “aren’t you lucky to have such a good dog”. Although he always thanks them for their praise, he does try to promote responsible dog ownership. Which for him means devoting the time and attention that your dog deserves.

The pair soon became highly regarded for their ability to retrieve birds from even the most inaccessible places in the woods and undergrowth. Robbie, a yellow Lab joined the Bostock family, and the painstaking training regime began again. He was not the natural student that Rosie had been, but in time Chris had a second, well trained dog to take on the shooting days. Two dogs, and a growing reputation allowed Chris to progress to a larger shooting estate, providing new challenges for his dogs. With retirement from the police looming, Chris had no concerns about how he would fill his time. The reputations of Chris, Rosie and Robbie had grown to such an extent that they were offered paid work on the prestigious Belvoir Castle Estate. This estate is at the pinnacle of the area’s hierarchy of shooting estates, with huge sums being paid for the privilege of a day’s shooting. The work keeps Chris occupied several days a week throughout the shooting season. Sadly, Rosie passed away after enjoying her own well earned retirement. But Boots, Mary and Ada brought the Bostock pack up to four working dogs. Chris’ message to those of us approaching retirement is clear. Find something that makes you happy, and put your energy into it.

The resulting puppies needed looking after, until they were old enough to pair with a full time Dog Handler. The series of puppies he cared for gave Chris the chance to further hone his dog training skills. Looking for new challenges for Rosie, Chris turned to contacts he had made while a Rural Bobby in South Nottinghamshire. This part of the County has several shooting estates, where well trained dogs are needed to retrieve the fallen birds. There is a hierarchy for shooting estates, with the fees paid to shoot increasing as the estate becomes more prestigious. Chris and Rosie started at the bottom, where their payment was a day out and a brace of pheasant. In a job where the stress and shift work all too often results in an early death, Chris found relief through working Rosie in some of Nottinghamshire’s nicest countryside.

There is life beyond the police, which for Chris, is fresh air and the company of some very loyal friends.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 65 No.4, 2020