GAC Family will honor America’s top performing Police and Military K-9 Heroes in an all-new special “K-9 Hero Awards.” Hosted by Larissa Wohl alongside US Army Veteran and certified K-9 Trainer, James Craigmyle, “K-9 Hero Awards” will premiere on GAC Family on Thursday, May 12 at 5pm ET. The special presentation is created in partnership with Project K-9 Hero, an organization dedicated to providing assistance for our nation’s heroic working dogs.
“K-9 Hero Awards” showcases the incredible achievements and devoted service of Police K-9s, Military Working Dogs, Fire Department K-9s and Search and Rescue K-9s at the Local, State and Federal levels. K-9 Heroes are crowned in seven categories: Patrol Apprehension, Narcotics Detection, Tracking and Trailing, Firearms Detection, Search and Rescue, Accelerant Detection, and Explosives Detection. Award winning K-9s in each category will receive free medical coverage for life from Project K-9 Hero.
Project K-9 Hero is a national nonprofit 501c3 organization, whose mission is to provide medical care, food, and death benefit assistance for our nation’s retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs. Project K-9 Hero also helps K-9s who need a home after their service, through rehabilitation and adoption. Project K-9 Hero is actively engaged with Members of Congress to pass a law that grants federal funding towards the medical care for retired working dogs through the K-9 Hero Act.
“K-9 Hero Awards” is part of GAC Family’s broadening commitment to quality, pet centric programming that raises awareness for important causes supporting animal welfare in America. In February, GAC Family announced “Great American Rescue Bowl” a new special slated to air in 2023 which will showcase kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs available for adoption at shelters across the country.
“K-9 Hero Awards” is produced for GAC Family by Pleasant Street Entertainment.
See below for the full list of 2021 K-9 Hero Awards Recipients.
K-9 Hero Awards Recipients:
Patrol Apprehension Award
K-9 Chief/ Nick Stewart
Agency – Moses Lake PD
Moses Lake, WA
Narcotics Detection Award
K-9 Asha/Jaime Garcia
Agency – Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, TX
Edinburg, TX
Explosives Detection Award
MWD Eros/Paige Lewis
Agency – US Army 947th Military Police Detachment (Washington D.C.)
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Firearms Detection Award
K-9 Titan/Daniel Kaase
Agency – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Dallas Field Division
Brock, Texas
Search and Rescue Award
K-9 Bella/Barbara Weakley Jones
Agency – Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, KY
Louisville, KY
Accelerant Detection Award
K-9 Dolley/Bud Herndon
Agency – Loudon County Fire Marshals Office, VA
Ashburn, VA
Tracking/Trailing Award
K-9 Rusty/Chris Robinson
Agency – Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, SC
Greenville, South Carolina
K-9 Flash Legacy Award
K-9 Duke/Ed Soares
Agency – Menlo Park PD, California
Menlo Park, California