Canine heroes
7 brave, helpful dogs compete to win top honors in hero awards
It’s the 10th anniversary of the American Humane Hero Dog Awards, and dog lovers cast more than 1 million online votes to winnow down the 408 nominees to seven finalists.
The finalists are expected to strut their stuff this fall on a twohour show on the Hallmark Channel. The date and details have not been set yet because of COVID-19 concerns and shutdowns. Go to www.herodogawards.org through Sept. 10 to vote and see past winners.
The service dog candidate gets my vote for best name: Dolly Pawton. The 4-year-old Labrador retriever is a cardiac alert dog “trained to alert if my blood pressure drops or heart rate rises to an unsafe level,” says the dog’s partner, a woman from Naples, Maine.
But Dolly Pawton does a lot more. The woman was a victim of domestic violence, which caused social anxiety, night terrors and post-traumatic stress disorder. The woman, who seldom left her house, now feels safe and confident enough to go out. She and Dolly visit schools to teach children about the importance of service dogs, and she wrote a biographical book, “Pawsibly the Best Medicine.” Here are the other finalists: Labrador retriever mix Remington, 9, is a cancer survivor and the finalist for search and rescue. Trained to find human remains and evidence, the dog worked after Hurricane Harvey and in other areas around the country, giving comfort to exhausted first responders until he was medically retired in June 2019. When a tumor was found in one leg, euthanasia was recommended because of the high cost of surgery and the low chance of a good quality of life. But Jason Johnson of Project K9
Hero Donors raised money to save Remington’s life. The leg was amputated, and he is happily living in Montgomery, Texas, where he helps to raise money for other retired K9s.
Blue II, the military dog finalist, worked in Afghanistan and other deployments, risking her life to save Navy sailors and Marines. The 11-year-old Labrador retriever took part in 300 missions from 2011 to 2018, detecting improvised explosive devices. When she retired in 2018, her first of several partners brought her home to Lawrenceville, Ga., to live as a much-loved family pet.
Aura, 7, a Labrador/ golden retriever mix, is the guide/hearing finalist. In Brunswick, Maine, she serves a soldier who lost his hearing in a rocket attack in Afghanistan.
“i was in despair after my injuries. I needed a helper. What I got is a fur guardian angel,” writes the wounded warrior. “She has restored my independence. We hope to continue to be ambassadors for people with hearing loss.”
K-9 Cody, 8, is another dog who detects explosives. The law enforcement finalist started her service in the U.S. Embassy in Iraq before returning stateside to work at the Mall of America, amusement parks and other venues. The German shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix now lives and works in Newport News, Va., where she safeguards professional sports events and does bomb searches for local agencies. Despite her military and police training, Cody is gentle and affectionate and enjoys meeting and greeting people.
Cute little dogs can be heroes, too. MacKenzie, 6, a long-haired Chihuahua, is the shelter finalist. She visits schools to teach children “to be open-minded toward animals and people with physical differences,” according to her nominating essay. MacKenzie was born in a shelter with a cleft palate and had to be tube fed until she had life-saving corrective surgery when she was 1. She now works in a shelter in Hilton, N.Y., with rescued puppies and other very young animals with serious medical problems.
“She plays nurse and cleans, comforts and cuddles them. She acts as their mom and teaches them to socialize, play and have good manners.”
Olive, 7, a poodle mix, is the therapy dog finalist. She was rescued from the streets of Los Angeles and trained to become a certified therapy dog by trainer Brandon McMillan of the television show “Lucky Dog.” Since 2016, Olive has accompanied 300 abused or neglected children to court hearings with Lisa Groves Bax, a child advocate volunteer. She lives in Jefferson City, Mo., with a family who also takes her on therapy dog visits.