March 5, 2012
Fifth Annual Dogs of Valor Award Finalists Announced
Cast your vote for the year’s canine hero.
The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to announce the Top 10 finalists in the fifth annual Dogs of Valor Awards. The awards celebrate man's best friend by honoring dogs who have exhibited extraordinary courage or resolve by helping a person in need.
Online voting for the People’s Hero award opened Friday, March 2, at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor and will run through Friday, March 9, at 5 p.m. EDT.
Celebrity judges Tamar Geller, author and life coach for dogs, and Braylon Edwards, NFL wide receiver, are joining The HSUS staff to choose the Valor Dog of the Year.
All winners will be announced March 12. Finalists:
- Benny (Mount Washington, KY) Labrador Benny, seeing his owner bleeding in a ditch after her lawn mower severed her hand, ran to the middle of the road and stood until a driver stopped and noticed the injured woman.
- Buddy (South Milwaukee, WI) When Ted collapsed miles from home during a blizzard, his Labrador, Buddy, stayed with him and kept him warm for hours, barking nonstop until she alerted a rescuer, whom she led to her nearly dead owner.
- Chowder (Centerville, MA) The Carlinos couldn’t understand why their dog Chowder was barking them awake early one April morning. Then they realized that he was looking out the window, through which they saw their elderly neighbor clinging to her doorframe as her home went up in flames. The Carlinos were able to rescue their neighbor and keep their home from catching fire.
- Fancy (Blue Creek, WV) When the roof of the family’s farmhouse caught on fire, dachshund Fancy was the only one who noticed, so she not only woke her family but also showed them where the danger was in time for them to escape the collapsing roof.
- Hank (Kansas City, MO) When “McKenzie’s” partner pummeled her with a hammer, her young Great Dane, “Hank”, crawled on top of her to block the blows. By absorbing the attacker’s rage, Hank gave McKenzie just enough time to escape. After their terrible injuries were treated, they were reunited at an emergency shelter for families escaping violent homes.
- Hercules (Hillsboro, OH) The intruder in the basement had already cut the phone and cable lines, but he couldn’t know the owners of the house had adopted a St. Bernard named Hercules that day—and when Hercules jumped off the porch and charged to the outdoor stairs leading to the basement, he had no choice but to run away.
- Mickey (Idaho Falls, ID) Seven-months-pregnant Codi remembers calling to her sleeping mother just before the seizure that threatened her and her baby’s life, but it was Mickey who sprang to her rescue, waking her mother so she could take the unconscious Codi to the hospital. 2 months early, baby Wyatt was safely born.
- Quila (Calera, AL) Her husband and son had no idea that Clare was in bed suffering a grand mal seizure complicated by pneumonia until their dog Quila got their attention and led them to her just in time to save her life.
- Titan (Lawrenceville, GA) When Titan the pit bull found his owner unconscious on the floor with a brain aneurysm and fractured skull, he ran downstairs and prevented her husband from leaving for work, then guided him upstairs to where his injured wife lay.
- Trixie (Little Rock, AR) When Ida collapsed outside in the freezing rain from what doctors say was most likely a stroke, 16-year old Cairn terrier mix, Trixie, barked to get attention. When that didn’t work, she crawled on top of her owner and kept her warm for 20 hours until they were found.
The complete stories can be viewed online at humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor.
Media Contact: Katie Jarl, 301-248-1483, kjarl@humanesociety.org
