Northland detector dog Ripper stars again in Police Dog Trust Calendar

Senior Constable Patrick Derbyshire with detector dog Ripper and her apprentice, 17-week-old puppy, Kai. Photo / Brodie Stone

Princess might not be the nickname you’d expect for a detector dog who was once the best in the country for sniffing out narcotics.

But Senior Constable Patrick Derbyshire said his colleague detector dog Ripper loves to be the centre of attention.

Perhaps that is why she is yet again featured in the 2026 Police Dog Trust Calendar for January, photographed enjoying some off-duty summer fun.

Ripper is a champion detector dog, skilled at sniffing out guns, money and drugs.

She has found firearms in walls, under houses and in native bush, Derbyshire said.

And her reward?

A squeaky ball.

“She will do anything for that,” Derbyshire said.

He had hidden some shredded cash under a vehicle before giving Ripper the signal to start searching.

Champion detector dog Ripper is gracing the 2026 Police Dog Trust Calendar. Photo / Brodie Stone

Nose hard at work, Ripper caught on to the unmistakable scent as the wind picked up ever so slightly.

There, she followed the trail, sniffed her way across the sides and bottom of the vehicle.

The wagging of her tail intensified, and she sat proudly in front of her find at the vehicles’ rear.

Squeaky ball and a few nibbles of dried tripe later, Ripper was ready to hop back in the police car, another job well done.

Derbyshire said it had taken years for the pair to build their relationship.

“It took a while to know what she likes and how to get on with her.

“It probably would have taken about a year, [so] I could understand her.”

Ripper the detector dog enjoying some off-duty summer fun – the perfect picture for the month of January. Photo / Sergeant Jane Dunn

Five years down the track, the pair have a trusting relationship where even if she’s not in the mood, she will go sniffing at the request of her trusted handler.

Derbyshire said Ripper was a sensitive soul.

“You can’t force her. I have tried, initially, early on in our career [and] learned the hard way.”

Ripper is special in that unlike some other detector dogs, she searches off lead as long as she’s in the eyesight of her handler.

The pair have worked in Auckland, Tauranga, and are based in Northland’s Kerikeri.

Ripper won the Alan Symes Cup for narcotic detector dogs in 2023. Photo / NZME

They also travelled to Melbourne for a week with the Victoria Police.

Derbyshire recalled it was there that Ripper struggled to sniff out Australian cash, as the scent was different to that of New Zealand’s.

But true to Ripper’s skill, she found it eventually.

An average week may vary for the pair, attending four jobs in a single day or one in an entire week.

They sometimes fill their time going into the community to hand out Ripper’s caller cards and, with her love of children, visiting local schools and preschools.

When Ripper eventually retires, she will be replaced by her young apprentice, Kai.

The 17-week-old pup is a bundle of energy compared to Ripper, but Derbyshire said Ripper likes to help the pup in line.

Eventually, Kai would follow in the footsteps of his mentor, and maybe even snag an award or two as well.

To purchase the 2026 police dog calendar, head to this link.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.