A retired police dog, Boss, who began his life as a "skinny stray" before joining the force, has won a national award alongside his handler. The four-year-old German shepherd and PC Daniel Carter, 32, from Medway in Kent, received the Crimefighting Duo Award from the Thin Blue Paw Foundation.
Boss, who has now retired due to arthritis, was picked up by a dog warden in Norfolk in 2023 before starting his career with Kent Police. During his three years of service, he assisted with more than 100 arrests and passed firearms support dog training.
PC Carter expressed his deep bond with Boss, stating, "I never truly understood what it felt like to love an animal. He changed that completely." The pair's deployments included tracking a vulnerable man and helping to bring down a criminal gang. They also received three policing awards and a divisional commander's award for an incident they assisted with while off-duty in September 2025.
Boss is now living in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with PC Carter's parents, who have adopted him. PC Carter has since been paired with a new police dog named Dara.