The owner of a police dog that was responsible for saving the life of his handler has confirmed that a monument would be put in a park in the county in where the dog was born.
In 2016, German shepherd Finn, also known as Police Dog (PD) Finn, was guarding his handler, PC Dave Wardell, when he faced an armed suspect in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Finn received injuries that were dangerously close to being fatal as a result of the confrontation.
Despite the fact that PC Wardell, who is now retired, was stabbed, he insisted that he may have been more gravely injured if Finn had not intervened.
Finn made a full recovery and continued working for a short period of time until passing away in 2023 at the age of 14. Following a successful fundraising effort, plans are now being developed to create a permanent monument to honor the dog.
In the early hours of October 5, 2016, PC Wardell, who was working with the Hertfordshire Constabulary at the time, and his German shepherd, Finn, were searching for a person who was suspected of being an armed robber who had held up a cab driver at gunpoint.
As the pursuit came to a conclusion, there was a confrontation that resulted in Finn suffering critical injuries and PC Wardell receiving a stab wound.
The offender was taken into custody, and both Finn and PC Wardell made a full recovery; nonetheless, the experience left an indelible impact on both of them.
During the time that Mr. Wardell has been retired, he has been advocating not just for a monument to be built in honor of the dog who saved his life, but also for increased recognition of all service animals.
The year 2019 saw the implementation of a new legislation that was given the moniker “Finn’s Law.” This law made it more difficult for those who cause injury to service animals to claim that they were acting in self-defense.
And Mr. Wardell’s campaign for a monument garnered almost forty thousand pounds, which means that preparations are already being made for something that will memorialize Finn and others who are similar to him.
“If you’ve ever had a special bond with a dog, or any other animal for that matter,” said Mr. Wardell. “You’ll know.”
When he was asked about the new monument, he responded by saying, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today, talking to you on this occasion.”
“This, along with Finn’s Law, is his legacy,” the speaker said.
In his statement, Mr. Wardell said that he had finally located the ideal sculptor to bring Finn’s legacy to life. However, he stated that it was “not appropriate” to provide any information on the artist or the precise location at this time.
He expressed his sentiments by saying, “This is very important and heartfelt, and it is going to live on well beyond my years.”
This will provide anyone with the chance to go and pay their respects as well as listen to the narrative of Finn.
Furthermore, it will provide future generations with the chance to learn more about his legacy as well as other police dogs who have been of tremendous service to our nation.
