According to his owner, a memorial to a police dog that saved his handler’s life will be erected in a park in his home county.
In 2016, while defending his handler, PC Dave Wardell, German shepherd Finn, commonly known as Police Dog (PD) Finn, was nearly killed when he confronted an armed suspect in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
Despite being stabbed, PC Wardell, who is now retired, insisted that he could have suffered more serious injuries if Finn hadn’t stepped in.
Following his recovery and a brief period of employment, Finn passed away in 2023 at the age of 14. Following a fundraising effort, preparations are under underway for a permanent statue to honor the dog.
Before the incident almost tore them apart, the two had been inseparable for eight years.PC Wardell, who was then with the Hertfordshire Constabulary, and his German shepherd, Finn, were searching for a suspected armed robber who had threatened a cab driver with a gun in the early hours of October 5, 2016.Finn was critically hurt in the encounter that followed the chase, and PC Wardell was stabbed.Finn and PC Wardell both healed, and the attacker was imprisoned, but the incident affected them both.Since his own retirement, Mr. Wardell has advocated for greater recognition of all service animals in addition to a memorial to the dog that saved his life and all other service animals.In 2019, a new rule known as “Finn’s Law” went into effect, making it more difficult for people who hurt service animals to argue that they were defending themselves.
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