The tenth edition of the Police Dog Trust Calendar is on its way, and our canine colleagues are looking better than ever.
Dozens of our patrol dogs, detector dogs and wannabe floof recruits have been captured putting their best paws forward - on and off duty - by talented forensic photographers from around the country.
The 2026 Police Dog Trust Calendar includes 14 full-page feature photos and 26 smaller images spread over 13 months. Sergeant Jane Dunn’s photo of Obi during AOS training, pictured above, is July's main image.
The winning image, which also features as this year’s cover, shows patrol dog Teo mid-flight, in pursuit of her favourite toy. It was taken by Senior Constable Alex Stammers, an Auckland-based forensic photographer covering Tāmaki Makaurau, who was also awarded both highly commended prizes.
The first was for his striking black and white image of patrol dog Sam and his handler walking through a shaft of light during a training exercise.
Senior Constable Alex Stammers' highly commended photo of patrol dog Sam and handler Constable Andy Clarke features in November.
The second has a distinctly operational vibe and features on one side of the bonus pullout poster that comes with every calendar. It showcases AOS dog Worg with his handler and back-up during a training exercise in a mirrored room at an abandoned mansion.
This year, there were more than 300 submissions from 11 photographers. The judges didn’t know who’d taken any of the photos until they’d selected the winners.
National Coordinator of New Zealand Police Dogs and Chair of the Police Dog Trust, Inspector Todd Southall says he was delighted with the standard of entries again this year.
“Our talented photographers keep surprising us by finding new ways to show our world-class dogs at their best.
“The competition this year was as tight as ever, but with so many incredible images of our dogs and pups at work and play, it’s made for another great calendar.”
🐾 Proceeds from sales aid the work of the Police Dog Charitable Trust, which helps give extra support to police dog breeding, research and development programmes, over and above New Zealand Police's investment.
