THE search is now on to find the UK’s top dog hero for a national award.

On September 9, James Middleton will be launching the nationwide search to find the UK’s top dog hero to be crowned the 2020 winner of the annual Kennel Club Friends for Life competition, celebrating a lifetime of friendship and the heart-warming stories of how humans and dogs transform and enrich each other’s lives.

At Crufts this year, PC Dave Wardell and his dog Finn were announced as the winners of the Kennel Club’s Friends for Life Competition 2019. This was just one stage of their journey, after succeeding in driving a new Bill through parliament to make attacking a service animal a criminal offence and reaching the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent a couple of months after.

PC Dave Wardell said: “Finn was stabbed several times as he protected me from an armed attack in 2016, saving my life. Finn was badly injured and his fight for his life led us to launch the ‘Finns Law’ campaign, highlighting the value of all service animals and the injustice of their treatment in the law.

“What we have gone on to achieve, I don’t know where I would be without Finn. He not only saved me from being stabbed, but he has always supported me from a mental health side as well, I owe him my life in so many ways.”

The Kennel Club, the UK’s largest dog welfare organisation, with the help of dog-lover James Middleton, is now searching for more stories that showcase just how much dogs do for humans throughout their lives, and is calling for the public to nominate a canine companion that deserves to be recognised for what they do.

The winner of the Kennel Club Friends for Life competition, will be revealed by James at Crufts 2020, in Birmingham on March 8, and will win £5,000 for a dog charity of their choice.

Runners up will receive £1,000 for their chosen dog charity, with all donations provided by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

he public are being asked to nominate dogs in the following categories: Extraordinary life of a working dog; Hero support dog; Best friends; Child’s champion; and Rescue dog hero.

The nominations are open until October 14.