Milton Keynes rescue dog branded 'naughty and neurotic' by multiple owners now a finalist at Crufts

A local rescue dog who was passed through multiple homes and branded naughty and neurotic has gone on to become a finalist in the prestigious Kennel Club Hero Dog Award at Crufts.

Cocker spaniel Asher was lucky enough to be taken on was taken on by the city-based Medical Detection Dogs charity, which uses the amazing power of the dogs’ noses to detect human diseases.

But even their experts struggled with his bad behaviour at first.

“Unfortunately, he had not been given the attention and exercise he needed, and as a result he was hyperactive, restless and would listen to no one. He would destroy things and run away constantly,” said a charity spokesman.

“Despite attempts from the charity’s experienced socialisers, it seemed impossible to change Asher’s behaviour. He would not engage, kept running away, and barely slept- he was wild and troubled. It looked like he would need to be returned to the rescue centre.”

But then the charity’s co-founder Dr Claire Guest met the troubled hound – the moment she saw him, she knew there was something special about him.

"The way he moved and his obsession with sniffing and licking everything,” she said. “It was clear he had an intense awareness of things and amazing potential to be a Bio Detection Dog with the right training.”

Today Asher is 10 years old and an expert in sniffing out malaria, which is one of the world’s biggest killers and responsible for 584,000 deaths each year.

Launching the world’s biggest celebration of dogs, Crufts, today (Wednesday), The Kennel Club ambassador and broadcaster Kay Burley announced that Asher is one of five hero dogs that will compete in the public vote for the award.

Asher is now one of the most experienced members of the Bio Detection team at the organisation and has played a huge part in helping to prove that dogs can detect the odour of disease and be a fast, accurate and non-invasive method of diagnosis for some of the world's biggest killers, including Parkinson’s disease, malaria and Covid-19.

Kay Burley said: “These five special dogs are not only heroes to their owners but also to the rest of us. They make a huge difference every day by providing love, companionship and dedication, and protecting the nation and saving lives.

“No one can deny the remarkable impact dogs have, from the joy they bring each day, to being by our side during the hardest times and showing extraordinary loyalty and bravery. The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award is a celebration of this unique bond we share with dogs and their heroic feats – please vote for your four-legged hero and celebrate these five inspirational dogs.”

Judges from The Kennel Club selected the five inspiring finalists to go forward for the public vote, with the winner being announced by Kay in the Resorts World Arena at Birmingham NEC, and on Channel 4, on the final day of Crufts on Sunday March 12.

The winner of The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award will receive £5,000.

The public can now watch each of the finalist’s stories, including Asher’s, in specially-made videos, and vote for their Hero Dog 2023, until 4pm on Sunday 12 March, by visiting here.