Theo died following the death of his beloved handler Lieutenant Corporal Liam Tasker, during a battle in Helmand. Liam and Theo had together found a record 14 bombs and weapons caches in five months, helping to save countless lives. Theo was nominated by Liam's mother Jane Duffy and girlfriend Leah Walters, as well as several other family members for his courage and dedication to his job. Jane says: "It means a great deal to us that the loyalty and support he showed for our troops, and in particular my son Liam, has been recognised. He truly was a very special dog"

Brin was found straying on the streets of Afghanistan by British soldiers. Brin would accompany troops on patrol, which was great for their morale and on a couple of occasions helped to locate explosives despite having no training. During a raid he was captured by insurgents thinking he was an official sniffer dog. He was rescued and returned to the British soldiers who decided to contact the charity Nowzad Dogs and try and bring him to the UK. His now owner, read his story and set about raising the necessary funds which led to Brin coming to the UK in September 2010. He finished his quarantine in March 2011 now lives happily with his new owner who says: "Brin is a true hero who supported so many soldiers. He was an ordinary stray who became extraordinary."

Benson has been nominated for the Hero Dog award for saving an elderly gentleman in August 2009. Crossbreed Benson was on a walk with owner Laura Ely when he lead her to an injured man. A helicopter search had already failed to find the elderly gentleman who had wandered out of a nearby hospital, become disorientated and fallen down an embankment. Thanks to Benson, paramedics were able return him to hospital before his condition deteriorated.

A couple of years ago working collie Gyp's owner was mowing a field. Jip suddenly appeared from nowhere and stopped, barking in front of the tractor so it couldn't move. A couple of metres ahead of him a toddler who had wandered away from his family got up from lying in the long grass. Nobody had any idea he was there except Gyp. A friend of his owner who nominated Gyp says: "He is an extremely intelligent dog when working but he excelled himself on that day with his incredible natural instinct for recognising danger".

Echo is a search and rescue dog with Manchester Fire Service and has been nominated by his owner/handler who explains: "Echo has been an USAR (urban search and rescue) dog with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service for seven years since he was a pup. In January 2010 he was sent to the earthquake in Haiti as part of the UK search contingent and during his 10 day deployment he undertook 45 searches, contending with collapsed buildings and aftershocks.

In November of 2010 he also attended a serious explosion in Manchester when a row of houses collapsed as a result of a suspect gas explosion; he was first search dog on the scene. Echo is a vital part of the service, helping to keep the people of Manchester safe and thoroughly deserves recognition."

Barney, Wizz and Tully were nominated for the help they give to children at Ysgol Bryn Elian where they attend the Inclusion Centre, for pupils who are at risk of exclusion from mainstream school. Barney, Wizz and Tully work with the young people, many of whom have anger management problems, as well as other social issues as part of the special Building Understanding of Dogs programme. The dogs have had a huge impact on pupils' self confidence and their presence in the classroom has made a huge difference to the lives of many vulnerable young people. The teacher who nominated them says: "It is a true privilege to witness the impact that such wonderful dogs can have on the achievements of young people who could have been lost to the education system."

Crossbreed Spud's young owner nominated him for the love and support he gives her father.After being injured in the 2003 Iraq war her dad came home to a loving family and dog, Max, who really helped him get through his recovery. Sadly Max died in April 2010 and "her dad's heart broke into pieces." On a chance visit to their local Dogs Trust to donate some blankets, the family met spud and decided to rehome him. Now, no matter how painful days may get for her dad, Spud is always there to comfort and support him, putting a smile on his face. She says: "Spud is there to look after my dad and now his heart is whole. I can see him smile again because of our miracle dog Spud."

Four year old Diesel was nominated by his owner for his constant companionship and the support he gives her and her 10 year old autistic son. His owner had a major riding accident in August 2010, breaking her pelvis in five places. Her mobility is now very limited and without ay training Diesel senses her need for assistance, allowing her to use him a support and even helps pull her up stairs. He is also a very gentle and important friend to her son, whose room he now sleeps in. She says: "Diesel is one of life's natural carers and has an amazing instinct for people with special needs. We adore him."

Sorin was nominated for the huge impact he has had on his owner's and her mother's life. She was living in New York in 2002 with her previous partner when they got Sorin. She'd never had a dog before but bonding with Sorin was easy as he is such a lovely, gentle creature. Sadly her partner became abusive. Sorin was her rock, trying to stand between them when she was being hit and licking her tears away afterwards. As soon as her partner began to abuse Sorin too, she moved back to her mum's house the UK with him. Her father had recently died and Sorin was there for both of them. She is autistic and says Sorin taught her how to love; until she had him, she'd always found it difficult to have a proper emotional bond with others. She says: "He now lives with my mother. He's a surrogate grandson for her; she loves him and really enjoys having someone to care for after losing my dad. Sorin has had such a huge impact on both our lives and I think he is the most amazing dog."

Billi, a 10 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has been nominated by his owner for being her best friend. His owner's husband is a soldier and when he was stationed in Cyprus, Billie went too to keep her company. In 2009 he was stationed in Basra, Iraq when was bombed and it was Billi who helped Denise through this incredibly stressful and emotional time.

Fourteen year old crossbreed Jack was nominated by his owners. Jack has had a very full and often eventful life since they first adopted him 14 years ago whilst living in France. Over the years he's had lots of adventures including rescuing a kitten who then became his best friend. He also scared off robbers who'd tricked his owners into stopping on a Spanish roadside. They say: "He's been incredibly loyal and given us so much over the years, we think he's a star. We now all live back in the UK and he's enjoying his twilight years with an English accent!"

Holly was nominated for her seven and half years of dedicated work as a search and rescue dog with Lincolnshire Fire Service. In 2005 Holly was deployed to the Pakistan earthquake. She worked bravely and tirelessly and was part of a team that found 21 people alive. Then in 2010 Holly was deployed to Haiti, searching for 11 days in extreme temperatures and difficult conditions. Although she has now been withdrawn from international incidents, Holly is still on standby for incidents in the UK and has attended collapsed structure incidents across the country, from London to Humberside. Her owner was awarded an MBE by the Queen and on receiving it he told the Queen the award should have been given to Holly instead. She agreed!

Hamish, a 10 year old Westie, was nominated by a volunteer co-ordinator at Croydon University Hospital where he visits patients once a week. Hamish is a PAT dog and for many patients their happiest times are his visits, which he has been making for nine years. Often patients have been admitted at short notice, leaving their pets at home so Hamish provides a vital link between their home life and the Hospital environment. Hamish has also worked alongside Psychologists helping dog-phobic children, regularly visiting pre-school play groups and special needs schools where he can make a difference to children's lives.

Penny has been nominated by her owner. Penny was a great friend to her and her late husband. During his illness, which lasted for five years, she was a calming influence who entertained him and faithfully walked beside his wheelchair. After his death, she was an incredible comfort and support to the whole family. Her owner says: "Penny continues to light up my life and despite her age, prances around like a puppy. She really deserves to be recognised for all she has done for me and my family."

12 year old Welsh Terrier Roger was nominated by a friend of his owner. She began walking him when she was going through a very tough time after violent attack. They became very close; in fact she says, "He saved my sanity." As well as helping her, he's had a very full life; successfully campaigning for local exercise grounds to be given to the RSPCA rather than a park and ride scheme." Sadly Rodger has passed away since being selected for the shortlist.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue were nominated for rescuing Terrier Cookie from a rabbit hole which she had become stuck in. Ten firefighters spent more than an hour of backbreaking work digging out Cookie when she disappeared down a rabbit hole. She had been stuck underground for more than three hours when the team arrived on site. They used listening equipment to locate her before digging in with spades to save her.

Mick was nominated for his 'dogged' determination in resuscitating Sunny after his colleagues rescued her from a burning house earlier this year.
On 16 March 2011, Mick's crew were called to a house fire in Hull. Luckily the owners weren’t home but after breaking in through the front door, they found dog Sunny on the brink of death. Although she was showing no sign of life, she was passed outside and Mick instinctively tried to save her, giving her mouth to mouth and providing oxygen whist massaging her chest. After 30 minutes she miraculously came round and began to breathe again. Thanks to Mick's dedication Sunny has fully recovered and he thoroughly. Sunny’s owners, Mr and Mrs Honeyball, have described Mick a hero and said he should be given a medal for saving their dog's life.

Kirsty was nominated for founding Four Paws Animal Rescue *(south Wales) through which she found homes or suitable rescue places for 533 dogs last year.
Kirsty was originally a Veterinary Nurse at a Practice used by the local authority to euthanize stray dogs that were not claimed. Realising she couldn't rehome them all via family and friends she founded Four Paws Animal Rescue in 2004. She built a network of volunteers and established Four Paws as one of Wales' leading animal rescues, organised the fostering and adoption of many pets and built up relationships with other rescues. Her nominator says: "Kirsty always puts the needs of the animals first and her only reward is seeing them find a forever home."

Elizabeth Oliver is the British founder of a dog rescue charity called ARK based in Osaka, Japan. The organisation ran as any well established rehoming charity would until they faced their biggest challenge yet when the 2011 earthquake struck. Elizabeth coordinated a massive rescue operation and rescued hundreds of dogs that had been injured, separated or abandoned amongst the chaos. To this day ARK is accepting as many dogs as possible and Elizabeth and her staff are continuing to work tirelessly in the name of dog welfare.

Luke Gamble has tirelessly worked to improve the welfare of animals worldwide by setting up the organisation Worldwide Veterinary Service. Through a network of ongoing projects Luke and WVS have not only improved the welfare of dogs by reducing feral dog populations for example, but he has helped control infectious diseases that spread to humans such as rabies. Luke Gamble, with support from Dogs Trust has set up an International Training Centre in India that helps local vets learn how to treat local dogs that would ordinarily have gone untreated.