My dog was stabbed in the head twice – but he still caught the man who did it

Talking about her 10-year-old German Shepherd, Audi, Kate Wright describes him as ‘42kg of pure muscle’. 

‘We call him Big Bear,’ she adds.

It’s clear that Audi isn’t your average pet – the former police dog has not only survived being stabbed in the head twice, but he’s also been part of a pioneering prosecution that saw his attacker jailed for 21 months. 

Now retired, Audi spent six years serving Staffordshire Police. ‘His job was catching the bad guys,’ explains Kate. ‘He was trained to help officers deal with violent individuals and property crime. He also found missing people, and helped with public order at big events such as football matches.’

The German Shepherd’s life-threatening ordeal began on July 1, 2019, when he was out with his handler, PC Karl Mander in Stoke on Trent. A member of the public had called the police after being concerned about the behaviour of Daniel O’Sullivan, a violent criminal high on cocaine and synthetic stimulant monkey dust.

‘He was wielding a knife in one hand with a bottle in the other, in a busy area with lots of people around,’ Kate, 42, tells Metro. ‘Audi tried to apprehend him but Sullivan hit him with the bottle and stabbed him just above his eye. He screamed as anyone in pain would do.’

As the criminal ran off, Audi caught up with him – but was stabbed in the head again.

‘Luckily, Karl managed to taser the suspect. Despite being seriously injured, Audi was right by his side the whole time. 

‘It was close,’ adds Kate. ‘A centimetre either way, Audi could have died or lost his eye.’

Despite his injuries, the brave dog amazed everyone with his recovery and was back to active duty within just a month of his attack. 

During that time Audi was also crucial in the roll out of Finn’s Law, which meant violent offenders could finally be given custodial sentences for hurting service animals.

The legislation was named after another police dog called Finn who was stabbed in the chest and head as he protected PC Dave Wardell from an attacker in 2016.

Thankfully both survived the assault, and PC Wardell went on to campaign to change the legal status of service animals.

‘Before Finn’s Law, injuring a police dog was classed as criminal damage to property rather than harming a sentient service animal, so rarely resulted in custodial sentences,’ explains Kate.

‘Audi’s case was the first successful prosecution. It meant Sullivan was jailed for 21 months in total for various offences, including stabbing Audi.   ‘It’s a brilliant change, but even longer sentences are needed for hurting service animals.’

Today, 10-year-old Audi has given up police work and ended up living with Kate, who used to work for Staffordshire Police, after a memo popped up about a police dog due to retire who needed a new home. 

‘Both our Border Collies had passed away. So I texted my husband Andy, asking  “shall we get another dog?” He said, “go on then!”’ she remembers.

Audi was settled into the Wright household by his former handler, who brought the dog around for frequent visits to get him used to his new home and advised the family how to the German Shepherd, who bonded immediately with Katie’s 17-year-old son, Sam.

Despite being retired, Kate says Audi could ‘switch back into police dog mode in a heartbeat’.

She adds: It’s not like having a normal house dog. We have to be careful he doesn’t slip back into duty in crowds or when runners or cyclists whizz past. But he loves to patrol the garden, checking around the perimeter of the garden fence for anything amiss.’

Last Christmas, Audi suffered another setback after Kate and her family found him collapsed at home. ‘We couldn’t get him up, she remembers. ‘We were distraught.’ 

His family took him to a specialist in Leicestershire, who diagnosed Audi with chronic osteoarthritis and spondylosis – conditions that would need lifelong treatment. 

‘We were fine to cover emergencies but the ongoing treatment would have stretched our finances,’ says Kate.  ‘Thankfully, the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, which supports retired police dogs, stepped in to help by funding all the x-rays and treatment Audi needed to be mobile again.

‘He’s just finished a course of hydrotherapy and loved it,’ says Kate. ‘He was like a toddler in a swimming pool – we couldn’t get him out. He also had laser therapy to warm his muscles up, so he had to wear goggles for that, which is an amusing sight.’

Kate adds that they couldn’t have managed without the charity. ‘Founder, Kieran Stanbridge, is a superstar in his dedication to fight for the care and treatment our heroic ex-service dogs deserve.

‘They’re like the stars of the police force, everyone’s happy to see them – except the bad guys.’

You can donate to the Thin Blue Paw Foundation here.