Police dog who saved life of missing man wins award at Crufts

A police dog who helped save a man’s life has been given a special award at Crufts Dog Show.

Mac and his handler, constable Andy Inglis, were awarded the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Police Dog Action of the Year for their role in an investigation into a high-risk missing man.

The man was believed to have travelled into a glen in Dunkeld in March 2025.

Victim detection dog Mac was brought in after information was received that the man may have been deceased.

Their search included going through overgrowth, felled trees, brambles and bushes, with Andy, 50, often on his hands and knees.

The pair covered over 30km of ground in five days.

Police dog Mac with handler Andy Police Scotland

On their fifth day of searching together, five-year-old Mac ran down a steep embankment towards a waterfall.

The cocker spaniel’s handler noticed a change in his body language and could tell Mac was trying to alert him to something not normally found in that area.

The man, who had been missing for 17 days, was then discovered under a fallen tree and a tarpaulin. He was extremely weak, struggling to walk and hadn’t drunk any water or eaten for days.

After alerting his colleague to their position, Andy and the other officer carried the man for an hour and a half, supporting him to a path to allow a full rescue.

The officer and Mac received their award in the main arena at Crufts, held in Birmingham on Sunday, March 8.

Constable Inglis said: “I’m really proud of Mac. We’re a team, and I knew he was trying to tell me something that day.

“The nature of my job is I’m expecting to find someone deceased, so when they’re alive, it’s a completely different emotion. Dogs are naturally inquisitive, so even though he’s not trained to find a living person, he did it by instinct.

“My motivation is that there’s a family who wants to know what’s happened to their loved one, and I don’t want another dog walker to find someone this way.

Police dog Mac has been given a special award Police Scotland

“Mac’s favourite toy is his ball, so that was his reward. As we carried the man to safety, in Mac’s mind, his job was done, so he walked ahead chewing his toy.”

Mac lives at home in Larbert with Andy’s three children, his wife and Andy’s other police dog, a German Shepherd called Arlo. Mac is described as very mischievous, who loves being out in the open and on family walks, as well as having naps with Arlo.

Constable Inglis said, “A police dog needs to integrate with your family, and we are one big pack. My children adore him, but he’s not allowed in the living room to watch television, so this is the first time he’s seen Crufts.

“It’s important for police dogs to be highlighted and to have their work recognised is massive for policing and dog units across the country. Support from the public really means a lot.”

Chief constable Jo Farrell said: “It gives me immense pride to congratulate Andrew and Mac. The award is a testament to their professionalism, determination and exceptional teamwork.

“Due to their life-saving work, hope was restored to a family during what must have been an unimaginably distressing time.

“Police dogs and their handlers share a unique bond, and together they demonstrated the highest standards of operational excellence.”