Category: Heroic & Inspiring

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From Being A Neglected Dog To ASCPA’s 2024 Dog Of The Year: Meet Harper The Black Lab Mix

Sometimes, life will take you places you don’t expect, but totally deserve.

We can say the same for Harper when her life took a 180 degree turn – from being a neglected dog rescued by an animal shelter, to being a disaster search dog, and now to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Dog Of The Year.

The ASPCA unveiled Harper as its 2024 Humane Awards Dog Of The Year recipient on September 18 along with this year’s other heroic winners.

As this year’s Dog Of The Year award recipient, ASPCA shares what made Harper the cream of the crop.

According to ASPCA, Harper is a Black Labrador mix and was one of the 22 dogs confiscated in a hoarding and neglect case years ago.

He was initially placed with the Humane Society of the Black Hills in South Dakota before being accepted into the Search Dog Foundation (SDF)’s program on January 2020.

ASPCA revealed that SDF is “an organization whose mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.“

They further revealed that SDF determined that among the 22 dogs rescued from neglect, Harper “showed great potential for becoming a disaster search dog.“

Harper then became a candidate in the pilot program to train to become a Human Remains Detection (HRD) canines for California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2).

According to ASPCA, “CA-TF2 is the West Coast’s only internationally deployable task force comprised of physicians, HAZMAT specialists, rescue specialists and canine search specialists.“

And harper was one of the three HRD canines for the task force and she graduated with flying colors on May of 2021.

After graduation, Harper was paired with firefighter Edward Ruiz of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

CA-TF2, including Harper and Ruiz, trained diligently until they achieved FEMA certification on July 2022.

After Harper’s certification as a disaster search canine in 2022, she and Ruiz have been helping save lives and bringing closure to loved ones.

ASPCA reveals that the pair have been deployed multiple times, including to Hurricane Ian in Florida in 2022 and more recently to the Lahaina fire in Hawaii.

“Alongside nearly 40 other canine teams, they searched through ash and debris for those lost in the devastating wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community on Aug. 8, 2023,” ASPCA wrote.

Hoomans saw the potential Harper had in her all those years ago and she has proved to them, time and time again, that she is a talented, dedicated, and hardworking dog capable of helping save lives.

And for her countless contributions, the ASPCA honored her with an award only the goodest of girls and boys deserve – the ASPCA Dog Of The Year award.

Matt Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA said, “Our 2024 ASPCA Humane Award honorees are supporting vulnerable animals and elevating critical protections across the country, exemplifying the ASPCA’s vision of a compassionate nation where all animals are treated with respect and kindness.”

“From working on the frontlines of disasters, to advocating on behalf of animals who are unable to do so for themselves, this year’s Humane Award recipients are heroes and we are grateful for their service,” he added.

The 2024 Humane Awards by the ASPCA honors “both people and animal heroes from across the country who have gone above and beyond to bring attention to animal welfare and better the lives of those around them.”

Harper, along with other honorees, will be formally celebrated for their outstanding contributions at a luncheon in New York City on Thursday, October 10.

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Dog’s Quick Action Helps Prevent House Fire From Spreading

A dog’s quick action helped his owner stop a fire from spreading in their Fairlington townhouse on Thursday, September 19.

Archie, the four-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, became his owner’s, Shravani Bobde, hero when he started incessantly licking her arm in the wee hours of the morning.

Thanks to Archie’s “signal”, Bobde woke up. She tells ARLnow that when she did, she started smelling smoke. So, she got up and began searching her house for the source of the smell.

“I started investigating, trying to figure out where this smoke is coming from. Eventually, I figured out that it was in the attic,” Bobde said.

Bobde proceeded to switch off the circuit breaker and opened her windows to let the smoke out, which prevented her smoke detector from sounding.

ARLnow reports that an electrician later revealed to Bobde that a slow-burning electrical fire had developed overnight inside Bobde’s HVAC unit.

A farsighted dog king charles spaniel
Sean.zen / Shutterstock.com

After Archie and Bobde’s quick actions, the fire was contained in the HVAC unit, which Bobde revealed is now replaced.

She attributed the prevention of a fire from spreading in the house and to adjacent townhouses to Archie’s quick actions.

She said, “I’m just reflecting that if [Archie] hadn’t woken me up and I had not turned the breaker off, the fire would have escalated. Like, it would have spread slowly.”

Furthermore, Bobde said she is thankful for Archie’s “fierce guard dog” spirit, which seem unusual for his breed. She also said that she loves Archie and that “he’s a unique creature”.

She also revealed that after the incident, Bobde, Archie, and her other dogs all went back to bed and slept through the whole thing.

“I would love for Archie to be recognized for the hero he was last night, [saving] me, his brother, Percy, and our neighbors,” Bobde said.

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Utah Firefighters Perform Lifesaving CPR To Dog Rescued From Apartment Fire

Unified Fire Authority (UFA) firefighters put out an apartment fire and save a dog by performing lifesaving CPR to it on Monday, September 16.

FOX 13 News reports that the firefighters responded to a call about flames at apartment building, which seem to have been caused by a cooking fire.

Crew members were able to put out the fire but discovered an unresponsive dog inside of a kennel in the apartment.

And apparently, the dog was the only resident inside the home at the time of the fire.

The firefighters took the dog outside and started performing lifesaving CPR, which brought the dog back to life.

“Not all heroes wear capes sometimes they carry leashes,” UFA wrote in a social media post.

First responders took the dog outside and started CPR which brought him back to life. “Today, company 110 had the incredible opportunity to rescue a dog from a fire.”

“Moments like these remind us how lucky we are to protect not only our community but also our furry family members. Grateful for the chance to save lives, human and animal alike,”

Furthermore, FOX 13 Now reports that there were no other injuries in the apartment fire as the residents had left to go to the store, according to officials.

Officials also tell FOX 13 News that there is up to $100,000 in damages in the building and that the residents have been displaced due to the fire.