'Heart-warming story' of fire dogs to Century

Century has signed the "heart-warming story", Fire Dogs: Four-Legged Heroes, about the work and lives of the London Fire Brigade fire investigation dogs; Roscoe, Murphy and Sherlock.

Ajda Vucicevic, senior editor at Century, acquired world rights from the London Fire Brigade to the book which will be published in May 2018 to coincide with International Firefighters' Day.

Fire Dogs: Four-Legged Heroes will tell the "uplifting and inspiring" true story of London Fire Brigade’s other "brave" heroes "for the very first time", said the publisher. The book will chart the lives and careers of the firefighters’ most trusted and hard-working companions. With their custom-made fire boots, Roscoe, Murphy and Sherlock brave the sites of recent fires and, using their keen sense of smell, help eliminate arson as the cause of fires, identify a variety of substances such as petrol and assist with criminal investigations.

The dogs have been recognised for their work: Roscoe was crowned Animal of the Year in 2016 and, alongside his colleagues Murphy and Sherlock, was awarded the Public Service Animal of the Year award at the Animal Hero Awards this year.

Charlie Pugsley, head of London Fire Brigade’s fire investigation team, said: "The fire dogs are an invaluable asset to the team and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to send them in to fire scenes to help our fire investigators. Ultimately, our dogs are all about keeping the people of London safe and helping to bring those who commit arsons to justice. It is incredibly rewarding seeing the dogs find one of their target substances at the scene and the public are always in awe of the dogs when they are at community safety events."

Vucicevic says: “A dog is truly a man’s best friend but when you read about the brave and important work these heroic animals do, then this saying takes on a whole new meaning. I am absolutely thrilled to be publishing this book.”