PC Finn handler David Wardell looked into wellbeing of dogs

• David Wardell is being investigated for possible violations of police dog care.
• The incident led to a change in the law regarding attacks on assistance animals.
• A 16-year-old was held for eight months.

A police officer David Wardell is being looked into for possible violations of police dog care after his police dog nearly died while confronting an armed adolescent.

PC During the attack in 2016, German shepherd Finn, who is now retired, guarded Dave Wardell, who was wounded in the hand.

Finn received numerous gallantry awards, and the incident changed the rules regarding attacks on assistance animals.

According to Hertfordshire Police, the professional standards division is looking into the officer’s behavior.

“We can confirm that Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Professional Standards Department is currently investigating an officer’s conduct with regards to police dog welfare issues,” they added.

“The officer is not suspended but is on restricted duties.

“The police dogs in question are being looked after elsewhere.”

The event in Stevenage left Finn with life-threatening injuries to his head and chest, but he overcame them.

A 16-year-old London teenager was held for the assault for eight months.

Following their recovery, the duo went back to work up until Finn’s eight-year-old retirement in 2017.

They advocated for Finn’s law, a change to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 that went into effect in 2019, and they appeared on TV program including Britain’s Got Talent.

The law makes it more difficult for anyone to justify harming service animals by claiming they were defending themselves.

Another successful effort to raise the maximum sentence for animal abuse from six months to five years was launched in 2021 in its wake.

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation, whose ambassador Finn is, was founded by the Wardell family and a friend to support active and retired police dogs.

“He [Finn] has always been my hero, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without him there by my side,” PC Wardell previously told the Media.

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