A police officer who helped stop his police dog Finn from bleeding to death after he was stabbed through the chest is launching a book about his heroic hound today.

PC Dave Wardell is unveiling his new book ‘Fabulous Finn’ at a sold out event at Cinnabar in Stevenage Old Town tomorrow evening – but there are still tickets for a date in Letchworth later this month.

Dave and the German shepherd made national news after Finn was stabbed and Dave cut after they had cornered a teenage suspect armed with a combat knife in Stevenage in October 2016.

The book chronicles Dave’s relationship with Finn through seven years of service – from when he first collected the nine-month old puppy right through to the dog’s retirement.

Dave said: “To finally have Finn’s story out there and published, so the public can see how amazing he and police dogs like him are, is absolutely wonderful.”

Finn has won multiple awards since making a brave and full recovery from the stabbing.

He returned to work briefly in late 2016 and chased down a suspect on his first day, before retiring with honour in March 2017. Dave is now back at work with another police dog.

The RSPCA handed Finn their Animal Hero of the Year Award for 2017. He is also the Daily Mirror’s Animal of the Year, as well as being named the winner of the 2017 IFAW Animal of the Year Award.

The 16-year-old attacker was sentenced to four months in a detention centre for causing criminal damage, but a campaign to get the law changed so attacks on service dogs can be punished more harshly continues. There has already been a small tweak in sentencing guidelines for these cases.

A book launch event will be held with David’s Bookshop at Letchworth’s St Francis College from 3pm on Sunday, February 25, when you can meet Finn and Dave and buy signed copies of the book.

Tickets to the bookshop event are £6, which will be deductible from the cost of the hardback book (£16.99) if purchased on the evening.

‘Fabulous Finn: The Brave Police Dog Who Was Stabbed And Came Back From The Brink’, by Dave Wardell with Lynne Barrett-Lee, is published by Quercus today and is available to buy from various retailers.