Writing an Article homework

Due: 11/11/22

Your homework:
Write an article about Finn, the police dog who was harmed in the line of duty, and/or Finn’s
Law, which criminalises anyone who harms service animals (police horses, sniffer dogs, etc).
The article from the lesson is attached. Use this as a foundation for your article; you may
research more if you wish.

At the bottom are the three example paragraphs from class. You may use these three as your
starting point, but you will need to at least 3 more paragraphs of your own.

The article should be no more than 1 page of A4.

1. Choose to use one of the following headlines:

- Hero’s Got Talent

- Police dog and Handler Stabbed
- Lest They be Furgotten
- The Dogs of War
- Police Dog Stabbed While Chasing Armed Suspect

2. You must include for your article:

 A byline (a single sentence that gives more information about the article – Who?
What? When?)
 A lead paragraph (Introduce the Why)
 Short paragraphs (maximum of 3 sentences each)
 Use DAFOREST techniques to make your article more engaging and impactful for
the reader

Example:
After a long and lengthy battle, Finn’s Law has now been accomplished. 
In 2016, police dog Finn was attacked by a youth with a knife in Stevenage on a typical job. 
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was later detained and charged with only
criminal damage – despite Finn being a living, breathing creature like us.
 Finn's Law: Five years after stabbing, where is PC Paws now?

German shepherd Finn won the hearts of the nation after battling back from life-threatening
injuries and appearing on TV shows such as Britain's Got Talent. But after five years of
retirement, how is Finn dealing with life after the force?

Finn bore the brunt of an attack by a 16-year-old boy in Stevenage on 5 October 2016.

The dog almost died from stab wounds to the head and chest, while handler PC Dave Wardell
was also injured.

Photographs of the dog's life-threatening injuries and the story of how they were inflicted
captivated audiences and many became invested in the dog's recovery.

After almost three months, Finn returned to duty, but retired at the age of eight in April 2017.

In June that year, the boy who attacked the pair was detained for eight months after being
found guilty of causing PC Wardell actual bodily harm and criminal damage in relation to
Finn.

PC Wardell and his family still care for the now 12-year-old Finn, but it has been far from a
quiet retirement for the former police dog.

"I don't think he knows he's retired - he still thinks he's got a job," says PC Wardell.

"We had that one really nasty experience together, but because of that we've tried to do
everything positive that we can to recognise the role service animals like Finn do - day in,
day out."

Finn became the "poster dog" for a campaign to bring about new laws in the UK to prosecute
more severely those who injured service animals such as dogs and police horses.

It became known as Finn's Law and in 2019 resulted in an amendment to the Animal Welfare
Act 2006, making it harder for those who harm service animals to claim they were acting in
self-defence.

During the campaign, PC Wardell and Finn had put in many personal appearances at events,
awards shows and on television, including news channels, to raise awareness of the bill. The
pair even appeared on ITV's Britain's Got Talent, reducing judge Simon Cowell to tears.