VOTE FOR ME: A LETTER FROM JOHN D

I am a nominee for The American Humane Association 2013 Hero Dog of the Year.  I started life in a shelter, then got adopted and started my career as a Search and Rescue dog 4 1/2 years ago.  I find missing and deceased people during tragedies. I also get called in for water recoveries after someone has drowned. I am the one who finds the victim so their family can have closure.  It is always terribly sad, but I feel it's my calling to help people. One of those searches made a very deep impression on my heart.  A mother whispered to me that I was her only hope to find her child. She put her faith in dogs. Then she hugged me and we looked straight into each other's eyes. There was a bond I can't describe, but it was there. At that moment, I made a silent promise that I would not let her down.

I  went out on the river and we searched for hours. Each time we got to a certain place on the water, I dipped my head and touched it with my nose. Everyone on the boat knew what that meant. But the tough part for a search team is that you can't confirm anything to the family until the victim is brought up out of the water and identified. Sometimes we find a person, but it isn't the person we thought we were looking for. Sometimes, it is too dangerous to recover the victim and there is nothing you can do. But I'd made a promise and I knew who I had found.  I had to figure out a way to gently tell that mom that her son was no longer missing, but he would never come home again.

Read More