Pickles (dog)
Pickles (1962–1967) was a black-and-white collie owned by David Corbett in Surrey, England. In March 1966, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a stamp exhibition in London. Seven days later, four-year-old Pickles found the missing trophy by the front wheel of a car in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, during a walk with Corbett. The recovery helped England ahead of the 1966 World Cup. Corbett received about £5,000 in rewards and used it to buy a house. Pickles was awarded the National Canine Defence League silver medal.
The original World Cup trophy remained with Brazil after the 1970 World Cup but was stolen in 1983 and never recovered. A replica was made for publicity, and FIFA bought that replica in 1997; it is now held at the National Football Museum in Manchester.
Pickles also appeared in the 1966 film The Spy with a Cold Nose and on Blue Peter, and he was named Dog of the Year by Spillers. He died on 1 January 1967, aged five, after his choke chain caught on a tree while he was chasing a cat near his new home in Surrey. He is buried in his owner’s back garden, and his collar is on display at the National Football Museum.
A plaque near Beulah Hill marks where Pickles found the trophy; it was installed in 2018 and later moved to the doorway of the St Valery flats. The story was turned into a 2006 ITV drama, Pickles: The Dog Who Won The World Cup, with Pickles voiced by Harry Enfield. A 1999 game, Reverse, features Pickles as a playable character.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:27 (CET).