A nine-year-old boy’s drawing of a police dog that was stabbed while on duty has sold for a whopping £1,320 at auction.
Seven-year-old German Shepherd Finn was stabbed in the head and chest while chasing a man suspected of robbing a taxi driver at gunpoint.
His handler PC Dave Wardell of Hertfordshire Police was also knifed in the hand during the tussle in Stevenage, Herts., in October.
But the police pooch’s ordeal caught the eye of “devastated” Alex Goodwin, who began following his recovery on social media.
The youngster, from Lutterworth, Leics., is undergoing chemotherapy for Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer that affects fewer than 30 children in the UK each year.
He drew a festive picture of police dog Finn and turned it into a pack of Christmas cards, which he sold to raise money for “Alexander’s Journey” – the fund set up for his future treatment and rehabilitation.
But when the cards sold out, Alex and his police officer father PC Jeff Goodwin decided to auction the original.
Jeff said: “When Alex heard about Finn, he was devastated and wanted to do all he could to help.
“It’s in his nature to care for others despite everything he is going through.
“He’s very astute and very passionate about animals so it was his way of helping.”
During the online auction last week, two bidders went “head-to-head”, finally pledging £660 each.
But the card is to be kept by Special constable Rosie Lee of Warwickshire Police.
She said: “The other man said, ‘I can see you really want this, let’s both pay, but you can have the drawing’.
“He’s an amazing brave boy and I’m touched that I can help in some way and support Jeff as a member of the police family.
“The picture will take pride of place in my home.”
Following the stabbing on October 5, Finn was rushed to a vet who performed emergency surgery to save his life.
PC Wardell said: “Finn was stabbed trying to protect me. He got it first.
“He was taking down an offender as he has done hundreds of times, and in the blink of an eye everything changed.
“The bond between a handler and his dogs is second to none. Seeing my partner stabbed was one of the worst days of my life.”
Finn is continuing to recover and it is hoped the police dog will be back to work by the end of the year.
A 16-year-old boy from Lewisham, south-east London, has been charged with assaulting an officer and with criminal damage.
Following the charge, a petition was set up on the UK government’s petition site, proposing that police animals “be given protection that reflects their status if assaulted in the line of duty”.
Since October, more than 100,000 people have signed “Finn’s Law”.
