Skittles and Joey finalists for Royal Kennel Club Hero Dog Award

The Royal Kennel Club revealed on 5 March 2026 that five dog-and-human pairs have been shortlisted for the Hero Dog Award, and the winner will be crowned live at Crufts today, Sunday 8 March 2026. The public is invited to watch the finalists’ films and vote at crufts.org.uk/HDA; the winning dog’s chosen charity will receive £5,000 from the Royal Kennel Club Charitable Trust and each other finalist will receive a £1,000 donation.

Rescue Dog Hero Skittles is a Jack Russell cross from Kilmarnock who, according to the club’s profile, was a nervous rescue when adopted by Maggie at nearly one year old and now visits schools, nurseries and care homes. The LinkedIn finalist blurb says Skittles “helps children, adults, and families feel calmer, braver, and happier,” and an Instagram post supplied in the material reads, “I am incredibly proud of Skittles. She is a one in a million dog. OCR. 意 Royal Kennel Club She is just an incredibly sweet, tiny, wee soul.” An image caption accompanying the shortlist lists Maggie McNamara with Skittles.

Joey sits in the Best Friends category. The three-year-old working cocker spaniel is credited with supporting his owner Ciara after she lost her sister and suffered a serious injury; the LinkedIn profile says Joey “kept her going — helping her get outside, stay active, and even train for the London Marathon in memory of her sister.”

The remaining finalists reflect a range of roles. Asha, an eight-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is paired with Logan in the Child’s Champion category; the shortlist notes Logan lives with cerebral palsy and mitochondrial disease and that Asha is his family’s “nannie dog.” The image caption supplies Logan’s surname as Logan Dagnall and notes his mother Donna accompanied him in the photo.

Tweed, an 11-year-old springer spaniel partnered with PC Martin King, is entered in Extraordinary Life of a Working Dog after making history as Europe’s first digital detection dog, able to find hidden devices in places humans physically cannot and working with Devon and Cornwall Police. Iggy, a ten-year-old rescue now listed in Hero Support Dog with handler Jess, formerly faced abandonment and mobility issues and is described as bringing calm to care homes and supporting non-verbal dementia patients; an image caption identifies the handler as Jessica Holmes.

The Royal Kennel Club summed up the shortlist with a statement that, “These five finalists perfectly capture the many ways dogs enrich our lives, standing by us through adversity, supporting our wellbeing and helping to keep us safe. We encourage the public to show their support by voting for these truly exceptional dogs, whose loyalty, bravery and unconditional love make a lasting difference every day.” Image credit for the shortlisted photographs is listed as Royal Kennel Club/Beat Media. The winner will be announced on Crufts’ final day and take home the £5,000 charitable award.