Being a dog is a big responsibility. They have to play, eat, protect and - sometimes - even detect diseases, provide emotional support to both animals and humans, and catch criminals.
These extraordinary pooches are heroes that are saving people in whatever capacity they can. Some of them are specially trained while to do tasks that even humans can’t. For instance, studies have shown that dogs can smell cancer.
At the world’s largest dog show - Crufts - this year, some of these amazing dogs have been nominated for their heroic acts. They have been their owners’ best friends and given them emotional support through the toughest of times. Some of them spent their lives working at a real job and their main task was to catch the bad guys.
The dedication and loyalty of these dogs from across the country have brought them to the finalist stage in Crufts hero awards.
Here are the five incredible dogs - for whom you can still vote on Crufts website:
1. Springer Spaniel, Bertie and his fundraising buddy, Ashley
13-year-old Ashley Owens and his dog Bertie, from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, have spent over 650 nights camping out in a tent as part of their ‘sleep out to help out’ fundraising campaign. The duo are sleeping under the stars to raise £30,000 to help a volunteer-run charity, Paws2Rescue, who are on the Ukraine border, helping find refuge for pets and owners and providing essential supplies to the sheltering Ukrainians. (Photo - The Kennel Club/Eleanor Riley
2. PC Claire Todd and Police Dog Stella
Police Dog Stella has just retired from Gloucestershire police after serving eight and a half years as a police drugs, cash and firearms recovery dog and has now been nominated for The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award 2023. Despite her sad start to life, as an RSPCA rescue dog, Stella overcame the odds in 2014 to become the first Staffordshire Bull Terrier Police Dog in the UK. (Photo - The Kennel Club/Ellie Smeaton)
3. 24-year-old, Jemima Banks and her assistance dog, Albert
Jemima Banks, from Warwickshire, has suffered from debilitating health conditions and chronic pain, which cannot be treated with surgery, since she was 16. Rapid and overwhelming changes to her life meant that her dream of going to University was no longer viable and she became isolated from friends who were now living the life she’d hoped to be able to experience herself. She had no independence and her invisible illness made her world feel small. But her assistance dog, Albert, who she was matched with by Dogs for Good, has made a huge difference to her everyday life, restoring her independence and enabling her to thrive – both professionally and personally. (Photo - BeatMedia/The Kennel Club)
4. Claire and Asher from Medical Detection Dogs
Asher, a ten-year-old Cocker Spaniel, was taken on by Medical Detection Dogs as a rescue, having been rehomed multiple times by the age of three. He was deemed ‘naughty’ and ‘neurotic’, but it was soon realised he just needed to be busy. Asher happily found a home, and a life-saving job, with Dr Claire Guest, founder of Medical Detection Dogs, which uses the amazing power of the dog’s nose to detect human diseases. “Asher is just the sort of dog we love,” says Claire. “The reason he was bouncing off the walls is that he just wanted to ‘do’. We give them something to do!” (Photo - The Kennel Club/Ellie Smeaton)