Honoring the Courage of Four-Legged Warriors

The American Humane Association (AHA) awarded its K-9 Medal of Courage to five dogs this past week for their exceptional service in the U.S. military. After multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, spent searching for explosives and chewing up insurgents who regard them as unclean (dogs: 1, radical Islamic terrorism: 0), four of the wolfish warriors are looking forward to retirement and dignified TSA work.

Capa, Alphie, Coffee, and Ranger were in attendance, wearing, presumably, their most formal dress collars and leashes. Each is estimated to have saved 250 lives. The ceremony took place in the foyer of the Rayburn Office Building, which was packed with members of Congress, the press, and interns, a group of whom showed up late demanding, “where are the puppies? I was told there were puppies.”

This was the dogs’ evening to celebrate. Beer, red and white wine, cheese and crackers, and platters of hors d'oeuvre were kept out of reach. But thoughtfully, so were the chocolate and chicken bones one might normally enjoy at an evening event.

Gabe, a blond lab, the fifth recipient, passed away in 2013 and received the medal posthumously. “He has crossed over the rainbow bridge,” in the words of AHA’s President and CEO, Dr. Robin Ganzert. According to his bio on AHA’s website, Gabe completed 210 missions in Iraq, and saved many lives by locating 26 weapons and explosives caches, “out of a love for his country and the people of the United States.” Gabe’s “dad,” Army Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Shuck, now has the Lois Pope K-9 Medal of Courage to display alongside his heroic dog’s other distinctions as “American Kennel Club Heroic Military Working Dog in 2008 . . . runner up in the American Humane Association Military Working Dog category for the 2011 Hero Dog Awards,” American Humane Hero Dog 2012, and “40 awards and coins of excellence” from the U.S. military.

“We believe it is vitally important to recognize and honor the extraordinary feats and acts of devotion these heroic animals perform each and every day for the cause of freedom,” said Dr. Ganzert.