Sometimes, life takes us to places where we least expect it to be. It usually starts with weeks full of challenges, but realizing that these challenges are the ones that made you stronger — may you be a man or dog. This popular life quote was actually proven by a black labrador mix named Harper when his life turned for the better.
Harper was a neglected dog that was rescued by the animal shelter. That was all in the past, as Harper is now a disaster search dog. He is now awarded by The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as the Dog of the Year.
The ASPCA announced that Harper is the recipient of the year’s 2024 Humane Awards Dog of the Year on September 18, 2024, along with other heroic dogs who have proven themselves.
Believe it or not, this dog has experienced many hardships in his life since he was one of the confiscated dogs that were rescued in a hoarding neglect case years ago. He was then placed in the Humane Society of the Blackhills in South Dakota before he was accepted into the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) ‘s program in January 2020.
In case you don’t know what SDF does, they’re an organization in charge of missions to strengthen disaster response in the country with the help of dogs as partners of firefighters.
Harper’s Rescue Mission Life
After the 22 dogs were rescued, the SDF saw potential in Harper, so the labrador became a candidate to train in the pilot program of Human Remains Detection (HRD) or the canines for California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2). They’re the West Coast’s internationally deployable task force consisting of people specializing in rescue missions. By May 2021, Harper became one of the program’s trainees.
As Harper completed his training, he finally graduated and was paired with firefighter Edward Ruiz of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Still, Ruiz trained Harper to sharpen his skills until they reached FEMA certification by July 2022.
The pair has been deployed in rescue missions multiple times, such as Hurricane Ian in Florida in 2022 as well as the Lahaina fire in Hawaii. Along with 40 other man-canine teams, they searched for those who were lost under the fire through the Lahaina community.
Matt Bershander, President and CEO of the ASPCA, said that the award honors supporting vulnerable animals across the country, which meets the group’s vision of treating animals. Harper, along with other awardees, set to claim their award at a luncheon in New York City on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
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Percy Nominated For National Hero Award
A Labrador Retriever captured netizens’ attention after doing a heroic deed towards his legally blind owner, Ariana Parker. Percy has been a good guide for Parker, helping her walk around and detect the health issues of his owner. It was on November 13 when he did a lifesaving act. He was with his owner when they went to Gateway Community College for class. Percy sensed that something bad was about to happen, so he pawed Parker. Later on, Parker suddenly broke out with hives.
While Parker was having trouble breathing, Percy guided her owner towards the bench while he was instructed to get help. Although Percy wasn’t trained to get help, he knew what to do, so he barged into a classroom that brought people to help Parker.
Through this action, Percy became a semi-finalist in American Humane‘s Hero Dog Awards under the service/guide/hearing dog category.
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From The Club
Ever since I was young, I’ve watched and read stories about hero dogs, and I still feel the same awe. Truly, a dog is a man’s best friend since their loyalty is unmatched! Harper may be a neglected dog, but he’s still a man’s best friend after all, as the organization has given him a second chance at life.