Category: Search & Rescue

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The 2nd Annual First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award Is Here, And It’s Full Of Paw-mazing Contestants!

FHE Health announces the nominees for their annual First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award and the list is nothing short of paw-mazing furry friends!

FHE Health, a national behavioral health provider, has created the nationwide contest to “showcase therapy dogs everywhere in the many roles they fill, while also shining the spotlight on therapy dogs that assist first responders—and the critical need for more such dogs, both in South Florida and in communities across the U.S.”

Furthermore, the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award is also FHE Health’s way to advocate the need for more therapy dogs for first responders across the country.

And for this year’s First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award, the list of nominees is full of good boys and girls! Some of the most notable nominees include:

  1. Deputy Dally of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. He is a 7-year-old GoldenDoodle who has been working as a Therapy K9 for 4.5 years. His most notable case involved the kidnapping of two young kids, after the vehicle the kids were in was apprehended, Deputy Dally provided much needed comfort to the kids until their mother arrived.
  2. Willowbrook if the LA County Sheriff’s Department. This little fella is proof that even the little dogs can make big impacts in their community. Willowbrook has been rescued from a backyard breeder and survived parvo. At 5.5 pounds, he has visited 6,000 sworn personnel and 8,000 civilian personnel in L.A. County.
  3. Raven of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. On his first day of work, he helped de-escalate a situation involving a man who wanted to take his own life. Thanks to Raven’s encouragement, the man was able to peacefully surrender. Way to make a great first impression on your first day at work!
  4. Lacy of the 911 Call Center in Austin, Texas. Lacy walks the aisles of the call center to support Fire, Police, and Sheriff’s Department. But Lacy’s most notable work was when she provided comfort at Uvalde Memorial Hospital after the horrific school shooting.
  5. Murphy of the Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center. Murphy is as busy as a bee, but the work she does make a difference in the lives she touches. She supports victims of child abuse and first responders who investigate and prosecute these cases. She also supports first responders and the youth as a volunteer at Canine Caregivers Therapy Dogs.

The First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award has a total of 29 nominees and the Top 10 finalists will be chosen through public voting, which is now open until December 04.

According to FHE Health, “The finalists and first-place winner will be chosen by a small committee with representatives from FHE Health and FHE Health’s partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation.”

And the winner of the national award will receive the following prize:

  • Gift Basket From Chewy.com
  • $2,000 check in support of their work
  • Free national publicity, including a feature blog that reaches more than 100,000 people on social media and a press release announcing the news
  • A “Top Paws Therapy Dog Award” badge for placement on their website or blog in recognition of their status as one of 10 finalists
  • A $2,500 donation made in their honor by FHE Health to our partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation, which exists to train more therapy dogs for first responders

Last year, the winner of the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award was a two-and-a-half-year-old mutt named “Sergeant Bo”.

He went from being a stray roaming the streets of Florida’s Indialantic Beach to providing much-needed comfort and security to the Covenant School Shooting victims in his first three months as a therapy dog.

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A K9 Helps Rescue A Dog Trapped On Top Of A Tree For Days After Hurricane Helene

A K9 lends a helping paw to another furry friend in need in East Tennessee after it got stranded atop a 20-foot tree due to the flooding brought about by Hurricane Helene.

On Wednesday, October 02, the Kingsport Fire Department reported that their Technical Rescue Team was working with a K9 Search Unit from the Murfreesboro Police Department to locate flood casualties when K9 Kari led the team to a tree.

The Murfreesboro Police Department wrote, “A glimmer of hope amidst the flooding devastation from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee, a dog stranded atop a 20-foot tree is safely rescued thanks to Murfreesboro Police Department’s K9 Kari.”

The Police Department reveals that during the search, K9 Kari, a five-year-old Bloodhound, began barking uncontrollably and led the team to a tree. There they found a dog perched high in the branches, sitting on a pile of debris.

Thankfully, the KFD firefighters found a ladder that was washed away by flood waters nearby and used it to rescue the dog.

“After retrieving the dog, who was happily removed from the tree, rescuers were able to feed her,” KFD reveals.

On the other hand, K9 Kari’s handler, Officer Angela Alexander, said that she is proud of Kari for doing a job well done.

“The funny thing about Kari is she is not fond of other dogs but this time it was different,” Officer Angela Alexander said. “I’m so proud of her helping to find something good in all the devastation caused by the flooding.”

The Miami Herald reports that the dog has been on top of the tree five days after the devastating flood brought about by the storm.

“It appears the dog was pushed along by flood waters as the Nolichucky River overflowed early Friday, Sept. 27, and she eventually caught hold of a nest of debris in a treetop,” they explained.

Shortly after being rescued, the dog, whose name is Athena, was finally reunited with her family, WCYB reports.

To say Athena was delighted to see her family again and be reunited with them was an understatement. The pooch was wagging her tail and licking her owner’s face nonstop during the reunion.

The Faulkner family, Athena’s owners, said that despite everything they lost during Hurricane Helene, they’re thankful that they have each other and now, Athena, back safely.

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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.