Cocker spaniel named Badger was discovered as a young puppy abandoned inside a bucket in a front garden of a house. In July 2019, when he was just a little over six weeks old, the small black puppy was discovered in Redhill, Surrey, UK, together with three other puppies. Badger now has a bright future as a police canine sniffer.

Badger and the other puppies were badly emaciated, had eye and ear problems, and were completely bald due to severe mange. The RSPCA took care of the puppies, cared for them, and then found them homes.

The puppies were given names Dustin (now Badyer), El, Lucas, and Mike in honor of the characters from the Netflix series Stranger Things.

The adorable Badger, however, was supposedly rather vivacious and did not get along with his new family, so he was sent back to the RSPCA. There, many speculated that he may have a successful career in law enforcement.

At the RSPCA, Jo Douglas, who was standing next to Badger, stated to the Daily Mail:

It’s been fantastic to watch the change from a timid and helpless puppy to a valiant and astute crime-fighting hero.

Jo, who works at the RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Center in Cobham, claims that Badger was really agitated and adept at smelling out and locating items. The notion to get in touch with the police and enlist him there came from there.

The lady continued:

He needed continual stimulation and was constantly on the go; his adopters found this to be too much, so she returned to us. Tennis balls were snuck through the center to keep him occupied, and we played smell games with him.

Badger’s coworker at the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, PC Steph Barrett, relates what happened as follows:

He has reclaimed his faith in others after receiving a lot of love and instruction. Although he still has a playful side, his focus is entirely on his career. He keeps me grinning all day.