Finn the police dog refused to let go of ‘armed robber’ – even when he was stabbed with a 10-inch blade
The German Shepherd has now taken a well-earned retirement
A COP whose life was saved by a phenomenal police dog has spoken of his "superhero".
On a mission to stop a suspected robber, German Shepherd Finn blocked a knife aimed at PC Wardell when he was stabbed with a 10in blade.
The landmark case of "Britain's bravest dog" has now led to a change in the law, meaning offenders can get stiffer sentences for attacking police dogs or horses.
Writing in the Mail On Sunday today, PC Wardell from the Hertfordshire Constabulary recalls how the pair had been trying to track down a robber who held a taxi driver at gunpoint.
During the search the suspected robber made a run for it from a row of shops.
The pair gave chase and, as they caught up with him in a garden as he ran for a fence, Finn grabbed his leg.
"In a split second" PC Wardell saw the man's hand move away from his dog's side.
"I watched as a massive piece of dark metal was pulled from Finn's chest," he recalled.
"It was covered in blood... it was so wide... a serrated hunting knife, probably about 10in long."
Then he lunged again, "slicing open Finn's head... and my hand", he said.
PC Wardell, who was 32 and a dad-of-two when he started working with Finn in 2010, says everything became a blur as he feared for beloved friend's life.
"It was like being at the epicentre of a violent storm: blood everywhere, matted fur flying, radios crackling, phones ringing, equipment beeping," he said.
"In the midst of it all, lying horribly still now, was my partner, being the good lad he had always been, trusting them and trusting me to take care of him."
The cop was beside himself as he was told to leave Finn at the vet's and tend to his own injuries.
"Leaving my canine buddy behind almost broke my heart.
"I turned to the vet and begged him to save my boy [who had] just saved my life."
After successful emergency surgery, PC Wardell helped nurse his friend back to health after Finn's stomach had to be held together with 30 stitches.
He spent three weeks sleeping on a makeshift bed next to his dog on his road back to health, describing the hound as "possibly the most famous police dog in the UK at that moment".
Eleven weeks after the incident in October 2016 and the pair were back in service, with Finn's tracking leading to an arrest on his first shift.
The 16-year-old suspected of knifing Finn has now been convicted of stabbing a police dog and Finn has now taken a well-deserved retirement - at his favourite cops' home.
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"It was his phenomenal tracking that really marked him out as a superhero," added PC Wardell.
"Finn is my hero. He saved my life - of that I have no doubt.
"He's more than my hero... he's like a son to me."
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