A retired police dog who was stabbed in the chest by a robber has been treated by the Supervet after fans rallied around to raise thousands of pounds.
The German shepherd, called Finn, had an accident on the stairs of his home, which left him struggling to walk.
His owner, PC Dave Wardell - who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent with the dog - said his "heart stopped" when he saw his dog that saved his life was in pain.
In a live video on Twitter, he said: “It was really horrible. He’s been to the vets, we’re taking advice from amazing people.
"He’s got a set of wheels coming from Miracle’s Mission and is off to Noel Fitzpatrick’s referral centre tomorrow for consultation and possibly an MRI.”
During the eight-minute clip, clever canine Finn spat out his medication while he laid next to his owner.
Dave explained that Finn is not insured because it was "far too expensive" to insure him when he retired, due to the injury he sustained at work.
And as trustees of The Thin Blue Paw Foundation, Finn is unable to benefit from the funds raised to help support retired police dogs’ vet bills.
Dave added: “The fact that Noel and the team have offered him a free consultation has saved us a lot of money.”
A Just Giving page was launched to help raise £10,000 to cover the cost of Finn’s recovery, which has exceeded its goal, raising £17,940 to date.
Noel Fitzpatrick didn’t recommend an operation, so the money raised will go towards hydrotherapy and other recovery costs, as well as a donation to the charity that offered Finn a set of wheels to help rehabilitate him.
Dave added: “We wanted to say a massive thank you to all of you for your amazing donations, it’s truly heartwarming. This will make sure Finn gets everything that he needs going forwards.
“We will be documenting his journey, his treatments, his new chapter in his amazing life. I hope he continues to inspire people around the world. He’s still got a lot to come but we all have some hard work ahead of us. Finn will take it all in his stride as he always does.”
Finn previously served with Hertfordshire Police until he was eight years old. In October 2016, he saved his owner's life when the duo chased a robbery suspect.
Finn was stabbed in the chest, but still protected Dave when the attacker went for him with the knife too.
As a result, the hero dog launched a campaign called #FinnsLaw to create a new law to protect service animals if they are assaulted.
He was also able to get the law changed to increase the minimum sentence for those who injure animals under the Animal Welfare Act.
