Incredible animals honoured
Bear, the police dog that sniffed out former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle’s secret stash of child porn is among the incredible animals being honoured at the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) awards. The five-year old Labrador-mix is one of just five dogs in America trained to track down electronic storage devices, and in 2015, he was crucial in detecting the memory cards hidden in Fogle's home.
Prosecutors later called Bear a ‘key part of the team' after Fogle, faced with irrefutable evidence, pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography and crossing state lines to pay for sex with minors and was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison.
Bear, known as the porn-sniffing dog, also played a role in the arrest of Olympic gymnastics coach Marvin Sharp. Sharp was awaiting trial for child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor when he was found dead in his cell in 2015.
The police dog is among a group of talented animals being honoured at the 2018 ASPCA Humane Awards on Thursday in New York City.
ASPCA Public Service Award - Bear the police dog
A former homeless Labrador-mix born in 2013, Bear found his calling with Indiana fireman Todd Jordan as the first trainee in Jordan's innovative programme to train animals to detect electronic storage devices, a crucial skill in the collection of key evidence in child sexual exploitation cases. After 10 months of training and work with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Bear was instrumental in the search of Jared Fogle's house in July of 2015, successfully locating digital items that had been missed by the search teams. Bear has also played a key role in other high-profile cases, including the investigations of USA Gymnastics Coach Sharp in 2015 and USA Olympic Swim Coach Sean.
2018 ASPCA Dog of the Year – Noah
Born without eyes and disabled back legs, Noah – a 3-year-old cockapoo – travels to schools in a custom-made wheelchair and Muffin's Halo to teach kids valuable lessons about bullying, about not judging people or animals by their looks or disabilities, and about the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Working with a specialised curriculum developed by his owner, teacher Lisa Edge, Noah embodies the message that even though people look different, we all have similar needs and are no less important because of our differences or disabilities.
Nearly every day, Lisa receives thankful messages from children who've been bullied and find comfort in Noah. When not in the classroom, Noah can be found at nursing homes, freely giving his love to seniors, or even skiing on the slopes of Wisconsin with custom-made skis to fit his wheelchair.
For overcoming his own severe handicaps to teach children valuable lessons about tolerance and acceptance, Noah is the ASPCA Dog of the Year.