Awards ceremony celebrates ‘astounding’ police dogs
PD Jasper was awarded the Thin Blue Paw Beyond Duty Award for his dedication.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation has recognised ‘top police dogs’ for their dedication at its annual awards ceremony this week.
The charity presented four dogs and their handlers with awards at a special ceremony at the Kennel Club in London on 29 September.
PD Jasper, a seven-year-old spaniel, was recognised alongside handler PC Liam Sewell with the Thin Blue Paw’s ‘Beyond Duty’ Award. Jasper had been rescued as a stray by Dogs Trust Darlington, before he joined Cleveland Police as a Victim Detection Dog.
Throughout their career, PD Jasper and PC Sewell helped find the bodies of six missing people.
His ‘Beyond Duty’ award recognises his involvement in finding the body of a missing 20-year-old woman, Annie Dryden.
In April 2024, Annie Dryden had been missing from her home in Middlesborough for more than three months. It was on an off-duty walk on the perimeter of an area scheduled for search that the duo discovered her body.
PD Frankie, a German Shepherd now aged two years old, was the recipient of the Thin Blue Paw Outstanding Bravery Award.
Frankie was just six months into his job with Surrey Police when he and his handler, PC Eddie Cabrera, were called to a suspected stabbing in Leatherhead in February 2026. After pursuing the suspect to a petrol station forecourt, the pair were able to safely detain a man who was wielding a knife.
Former stray RPD Boss has been awarded the Thin Blue Paw Crimefighting Duo Award for his work with his handler, Daniel Carter.
The four-year-old German Shepherd was rescued by a dog warden before joining Kent Police as a ‘spare’. Since joining, Boss has assisted in more than 100 arrests in three years, trained as a firearms support dog and secured three policing awards.
Boss retired from the police force last year, due to arthritis, and now lives in South Wales with Daniel’s parents.
Finally, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to RPD Captain.
In his three-year career with West Midlands Police, Captain was awarded the National Police Chief’s Council Award and helped detain two men during a large public disorder, despite being kicked in the ribs.
After rupturing his cruciate ligament, Captain was forced to retire early. He has faced numerous health problems as a result of his service, requiring more than £20,000 worth of treatment.
Kieran Stanbridge, founder of the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, said: “We had so many inspirational and astounding nominations for this year’s awards and it was incredibly difficult to choose our winners. But Jasper, Frankie, Boss and Captain’s stories really showed the very best of dedication, skill, instinct, courage and resilience.”
Images © The Thin Blue Paw Foundation
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