A major milestone in the pursuit to make Finn’s Law a reality has been reached after the petition calling for police dogs and horses to have equal status to officers in the eyes of the law went past the 100,000 mark on Friday.

The landmark means the petition – which was set up after police dog Finn and his handler PC Dave Wardell were stabbed in Stevenage a fortnight ago – will now be considered for debate in the House of Commons.

If the government accepts it, the law could be changed so that anyone who attacks a police dog will face assault charges instead of just criminal damage.

The petition has received the most backing in Stevenage, with lots of constituents in North East Bedfordshire and North East Herfordshire also showing their support.

The campaign – which is being backed by Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland, retired Herts police dog handler Mark Tasker and guide dog owner Sean Dilly, among others – also featured on the Good Morning Britain breakfast TV show on Friday morning.

Mr McPartland has pledged he will raise the issue in parliament and call for ministers to widen the scope of ‘Finn’s Law’ so it includes all working animals, including guide dogs and care dogs.

Mr McPartland told the Comet: “Absolutely horrendous attack. I have been out on patrol with the police dogs and seen first hand the amazing work they do helping to keep us safe and locate vulnerable people.

“It is unacceptable what has happened and I am pleased both the officer and Finn are recovering.”

Mr Tasker added: “Police dogs are highly respected by officers and by the general public. They can do the work of a large number of officers in a search scenario and a dog is the first one to go in in a serious incident. Dogs can be used in a crowd to calm the situation down. They are also your family pet and if your dog has been stabbed you would go in to defend your partner.” The petition is at www.petition.parliament.uk.