A FAMOUS canine was the star of the show at an abseiling event to raise money for charity.

Retired police dog Finn - who hit the national headlines when he was left for dead after protecting his handler PC Dave Wardell in the line of duty - abseiled down the clock tower at Abberley Hall School.

Finn was lucky to survive after he was stabbed with a 10-inch blade.

Just over £5,000 was raised for the German Shepherd Rescue Elite (GSRE), a national charity, which rescues and rehomes unwanted German Shepherds all over the country, including Worcestershire.

Ruth Downing, a spokeswoman for the charity, said: “Many people buy this type of dog not realising the fluffy puppy grows into a large dog, requiring a great deal of training and exercise.”

The charity also educates members of the public on the breed, with the intention of cutting down the number given up for rehoming.

Twenty two charity volunteers abseiled down the clock tower, without a dog attached.

German Shepherds are a working breed making them ideal to work alongside handlers in both the armed forces and police.

The breeds works in a variety of roles from close protection to searching for missing people and criminal suspects.

They are also used as assistance dogs for people with visual impairments and as companion dogs for people on the autism spectrum.

Retired police dog Finn and his owner successfully campaigned for Finn’s Law - which makes it an offence to harm an animal in the line of duty - and are currently awaiting a date for it to go through Parliament. The pair won the Friends for Life competition at Crufts in March and were also finalists in the 2019 Britain’s Got Talent show.

GSRE is an entirely self funded charity and helps German Shepherds and Shepherd crosses of all ages.

To find out about supporting the charity, visit their website at: gsrelite.co.uk.