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Britain’s Got Talent retired police dog Finn has sadly died at the age of 14. The beloved pup wowed the judges, as well as viewers at home, when he appeared on the ITV talent show alongside his handler PC Dave Wardell back in 2019.
As a mind reading duo, Finn, who was a German Shepherd, and Dave went on to secure a place in the final and captured the hearts of people across the country thanks to their incredible bond.
During their pair’s audition, Dave called the dog his “best friend” and detailed how Finn was stabbed multiple times while protecting him.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post shared to Finn and Dave’s Instagram account, it was announced yesterday (28 July) that Finn had passed away “peacefully” during his sleep.
Alongside an adorable snap of the pup, the post, which was written by Dave’s wife Gemma, read: “It’s with pain and sadness that I am writing this post on behalf of Dave. Our beautiful, brave, Hero Finn passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. He was so loved by everyone and will be missed incredibly.”
It continued to say that Dave was taking some time away from social media following Finn’s passing, before thanking Finn for everything that he’d done.
“Dave will in time be back on social media but we hope that you can all respect our privacy over the next few days while we grieve,” it added. “Thank you for your service Finn, now go and Rest in peace our sweet boy, until we meet again [paw emoji] Gemma x”.
Meanwhile, the same picture of Finn was posted to the page’s Instagram story alongside a touching tribute which read: “Finn – the bravest boy ever [heart and paw emojis] 4th April 2009 – 28th July 2023 I’m lost without you”.
After the news was announced, social media users flooded the comment section with condolences for Finn and Dave’s family and took the time to commend Finn’s bravery and legacy.
“So very sorry to hear this news, thank you for your service Finn. Run free over rainbow bridge,” wrote one Instagram user. “Run free, beautiful boy. You were amazing and a credit to the police force,” another wrote.
In addition to performing on Britain’s Got Talent, Dave campaigned over the years to extend the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 and in 2019 the new Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act, also known as Finn's Law after the beloved dog, came into force.
Introduced to protect service animals such as police dogs and horses, the legislation prevents people who attack or injure service animals from claiming self-defence.
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