Pets Who Honor Veteran’s Day
This looks great! I was just looking to find something about how Pets are impacted, or should be honored for their service during Veteran’s Day and WhAALAA!
Watch the Hero Dog Awards Preview Video here
The Hero Dog Awards were created by the American Humane Association to celebrate the powerful relationship between dogs and people. The annual national competition searches out and recognizes America’s Hero Dogs – often ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether it’s saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or just welcoming you home at the end of a hard day.
The 2012 Hero Dog Awards will be hosted by film and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth joins a roster of celebrity supporters of the Hero Dog Awards, including special honoree Betty White, red carpet host Joey Lawrence and celebrity judges Whoopi Goldberg, Victoria Stilwell, Candy Spelling, Miranda Lambert, Kristin Bauer Van Straten, Michelle Forbes, J.R. Martinez, Tinsley Mortimer, and Megyn Price, among many others.
Dogs may be nominated in eight categories for the Hero Dog Awards: Law Enforcement & Arson Dogs; Service Dogs; Therapy Dogs; Military Dogs; Guide Dogs; Search and Rescue Dogs; Hearing Dogs; and Emerging Hero Dogs (the category for ordinary dogs). Finalists in each category will be judged by a blue-ribbon panel consisting of both celebrities and animal experts, to determine the winning American Hero Dog.
SPOILER ALERT:
Gabe began his service to the United States of America as a Military Working Dog in 2006 and as such has had an impact not only on the life of Charles Shuck, his handler, but indeed American soldiers around the world. Gabe has been stationed from Fort Lewis, Washington, to Fort Bliss, Texas, to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Hood, Texas.
While deployed to Iraq, he completed over 210 combat missions with 26 finds of explosives and weapons. When Gabe is not leading a combat mission he frequently visited wounded troops in Army hospitals and he visited school children in elementary schools. Gabe was selected as the American Kennel Club Heroic Military Working Dog in 2008 and was the runner up in the American Humane Association Military Working Dog category for the 2011 Hero Dog Awards. Gabe retired in 2009 after a very distinguished career earning over 40 awards and coins of excellence for his work. What he does is out of a love for his country and the people of the United States. Gabe continues to visit schools and inspire children with compassion and respect and the importance of staying in school. Gabe will proudly represent the U.S. Military Police for many years to come.
Congratulations to the 2012 American Hero Dog, Gabe!