Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig,  Agency: Central European News

The only Welsh Corgi dog in the Russian police has been retired after nearly eight years of loyal service.

The cute nine-year-old corgi, called Ryzhik, helped the traffic police force in the city of Nizhny Novgorod in the western Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast for seven and a half years.

The cop pooch even has its own Instagram page with over 15,000 followers called ‘Corgi Police Dog’ where photos and videos have been uploaded for over 18 months.

The biography reads: “The first Pembroke Welsh Corgi in the service of the Russian police.”

An Instagram message said: “Now my friends, I am a pensioner! But despite this, I won’t get bored. I plan to play sports and remain as active as before!”

Dog trainer Olga Chumakova, who first bought the corgi in 2013 as a pet before deciding to enrol the pooch in the police where she works, said: “We had an urgent need for a drugs sniffer dog and Ryzhik was taught to do this.

“Ryzhik is not afraid of gunshots or loud bangs, however, the dog does not move as quickly as other pooches because its legs are so short.”

According to local media, Ryzhik is being replaced by a Belgian Shepherd called Ziger and a German Shepherd named Fantik.

Both pooches are currently being trained by Chumakova while her daughter Darya will care for Ryzhik during its retirement as she hopes to become a trainer like her mum in the future.