We have a winner today! 🥇 And it’s one special hound police dog who helps protect the community.
We’ve all heard stories of countless police dogs who helped solve cases and protect children against those with ill intent. Aside from their special training, it is innate to dogs to sense danger lurking around them. With this, the morning news show TODAY has a unique way of showcasing dogs who show humane qualities towards other people and animals. It’s a form of a contest called the American Humane Hero Dog Awards.
This year, TODAY revealed last November 8, 2024, the winner who will take home the bacon. Meet the Bloodhound dog Bo, who is a police dog from the Gastonia Police Department. Bo works with Sergeant David Rowland in North Carolina. They were even both on TODAY when Bo was announced as the winner of this year’s American Humane Hero Dog, which took Rowland by surprise.
Rowland shared that he didn’t expect Bo to win since he was just happy to be at TODAY and tell the story of his heroic acts and their accomplishments in the community. He was happy to introduce Bo to the world.
American Humane’s Hero Dogs
Bo was one of the 25 canine candidates to win the 2024 American Humane Hero dog title. The American Humane recognizes dogs who have done “extraordinary things,” such as saving lives in combat and or assisting their human companions when it comes to tasks and goals.
With that, four finalists actually made the cut, including military dog Niki, service dog Samson, therapy dog Dayo, and shelter dog Penny. In line with the Humane Society’s rules, each dog is the winner of their own categories, which are:
- Law enforcement and first responder dogs
- Service and guide or hearing dogs
- Emerging heroes and shelter dogs
- Therapy dogs and military dogs.
American Humane’s Chief Executive Officer, Robin Ganzert, said that all dogs for them are winners at the end of the day. We may have to agree with this since they have somehow helped their community and family — that alone speaks of them being winners.
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Who is Bo?
Okay, so, who actually is Bo and what did he do to make him deserving of the award? He is an 18-month-old bloodhound who works together with his human partner, Sergeant Rowland, at the Gastonia Police Department in North Carolina. Since he’s been in the police department, he was a k-9 dog. He helped in solving crimes and saving lives — far different from his life before when the police department picked him up in the litter back in 2023.
Rowland and Bo shared a deep connection since he was able to bring the dog home as part of their training. Rowland’s kids get to play educational games with Bo with them in the backyard. Not only did Wowland share a deep connection with Bo, but also his children.
Bo was the first bloodhound dog at the North Carolina police department, where they’re known to breed German Shepherds to be part of their K9 force and pair them with their police officers.
Now, some of you might wonder what adventures Bo has taken to become an applauded K9 dog in their department and one to be nominated for the American Humane Award. First, he was able to track a missing child with autism and located a patient with dementia, as written in his official bio on the American Humane website.
Other heroic achievements include tracking down an elderly patient during the cold winter night and finding a 7-year-old child who was held at knifepoint, as per his bio.
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From The Club
I believe that each dog appears to be unique, and his law enforcement ability and senses make Bo one of his kind. I’ve never actually met a bloodhound police dog, as most K9s that I meet are either German Shepherds or Labradors. With all of these achievements as a K9 dog, I believe that Bo is deserving of the title.
