A man sentenced to prison for trying to steal a park statue in England was tracked down by Zak, a police dog who bit him in the rear end, officials say.

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Gloucester Crown Court Judge Julian Lambert said Thursday, "Good, I hope it hurt. Well done, Zak," when he learned of the 8-year-old German Shepherd's police work and sentenced the would-be thief, John Davies, 35, of Evesham, to nine months in prison, London's The Daily Telegraph reported.

Davies, who has prior convictions for burglary and handling stolen goods, confessed to trying to steal the $4,800 bronze statue, titled, "Weathered Man," from a park in Cheltenham Aug. 4.

A couple, Jean Green and Timothy Smith, walking through the park saw Davies in the act, hid and called police. When police arrived, Davies had leaped a fence. Zak was then unleashed, the newspaper reported.

"The dog followed the scent to a nearby courtyard where the defendant was hiding. Zak detained him by biting his left buttock," Prosecutor George Threlfall said.

The judge ordered the couple be paid $161 each. "I commend their public-spirited actions in observing a criminal trying to steal bronze at the dead of night. They deserve proper recognition in circumstances such as these because they might have put themselves at risk," he said.

"It was (Zak's) last bite out on the street before he retired in December. In fact, he probably had the most bites in the section. Zak was born to be a police dog and knew when to switch it on and off," said Zak's handler, police officer Rich Hunt.