A police dog that survived being shot in the head three times has been awarded a lifetime achievement award.
The dedicated pooch, described by his handler as ‘my soulmate’, bears the distinction of having ‘never missed a day’s work’ during his seven-and-a-half years of service with Humberside Police.
Faithful cop dog Logan, who retired in 2020 aged eight and a half, received the commendation at the Thin Blue Paw Awards on Thursday and earned the praise of his proud owner and former handler, PC Ian Sweeney.
Logan was once shot in the mouth and head three times as he tried to protect his handler, but he miraculously survived his injuries.
Sweeney, said: ‘Logan is my soulmate and I’m so proud of him for everything he’s achieved.
‘Logan has assisted in hundreds of tracks and arrests, he’s saved countless lives, he’s helped to keep the peace at events and has kept the public safe.
‘This award is particularly special as it encompasses everything he’s done and I don’t think you ever really believe you’ll achieve something like that!
Faithful cop dog Logan, who retired in 2020 aged eight and a half, pictured with his owner and former handler PC Ian Sweeney
Logan received a lifetime achievement award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards on Thursday
‘It makes all the hard work so worthwhile. I still feel incredibly shocked, overwhelmed and overjoyed by it!’
Logan joined Humberside Police in January 2015 at 10-months-old from the South Yorkshire Police breeding programme but he’d had no training at all when he was partnered with PC Sweeney. In 2017, he qualified as a firearms support dog too.
PC Sweeney, 52, from North East Lincolnshire has worked as a police officer for 28 years, with 13 years in the dog unit.
He said: ‘It usually takes around 13 weeks to train a general purpose police dog but Logan took only eight weeks before he was trained and licensed, and we hit the streets in May 2015!
‘He was a natural with his scent detection and tracking, I’ve never known a dog like him. He had a faultless career; he was very diverse, and he always passed all of his assessments and never put a paw wrong. He was the dream dog.’
Logan was once shot in the mouth and head three times as he tried to protect his handler, but he miraculously survived his injuries
Charity trustee Kieran Stanbridge said: ‘Logan spent more than seven years fighting crime, sniffing out the bad guys, helping to find vulnerable people, and keeping his community safe, his list of achievements is staggering.
Logan – who retired in May (2022) – has a long list of achievements making it easy for the Thin Blue Paw Awards judges to name him as the worthy winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
After being shot in the head three times, the wounds were found to miraculously the wounds were superficial, meaning they didn’t penetrate the skull, so a vet cleaned the cuts and left them to heal naturally.
Logan was then awarded the Heart of the Community Award along with the North East Region 2 National Bravery Award for his devoted service in the line of duty.
The German Shepherd was honoured at the ceremony which is supported by Animal Friends Insurance.