Pickles (dog)

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Pickles (died 1973) was a black and white mongrel dog renowned for his role in finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966.

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The trophy was stolen during a public rare stamp exhibition at Westminster Central Hall, on the afternoon of Sunday 20th March, just four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England was scheduled to kick-off. The thief ignored rare stamps with a value of £3 million to steal the trophy which was worth £3,000 at most. Police received a £15,000 ransom demand, but when they arrested the culprit he turned out to be a hoaxer. The trophy was found just seven days later wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in Beulah Hill, South Norwood, South London, by Pickles while taking a walk with his owner David Corbett.^[1] When England won the trophy, as a reward, Pickles was invited to the celebration banquet and was allowed to lick the plates clean. His owner collected a £6,000 reward. The thief was never caught.^[2]

Pickles died by choking on his own lead while chasing a cat.^[3]

An entirely fictional version of the story was told in a 2006 ITV drama written by Michael Chaplin, called Pickles: The Dog Who Won The World Cup. He was voiced by Harry Enfield. [1]

Pickles, the dog that found the world cup was the answer to a pub quiz question in episode 3 of Early Doors, the BBC comedy series

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