2020 Hero Dog Awards voting going on now

Voting for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards is going on now.

Voting for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards is going on now!

What are the Hero Dog Awards? Well, they’re awards given to dogs by American Humane, and the winners get to go to Los Angeles for filming of a special that airs on the Hallmark Channel each fall.

There are seven categories nominees can fall under: Law Enforcement Dogs, Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Military Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, Guide/Hearing Dogs and Shelter Dogs.

Voting takes place on the Hero Dog Awards website, and can be done once per day. Voting runs until midnight Pacific time on Saturday, May 7, and will determine the top three in each category.

In the Law Enforcement Dogs category for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards, we have

• Cody from Newport News, Virginia, a female German Shepherd former military working dog who has worked security at LPGA events and NBA games.
• Denny from Lindenhurst, New York, a Beagle who works at JFK Airport sniffing out prohibited edible items that may carry infections or diseases.
• Axel from Scranton, Pennsylvania, who was adopted to help his veteran owner readjust to civilian life, but quickly became an excellent K9 officer in his own right.
• Vader, from Haworth, Oklahoma, who helps police officers learn how to work with canine partners, and also doubles in teaching students how to handle things like active shooter drills.

In the Service Dogs category, there were 133 entrants.

In the Therapy Dogs category, there were 51 entrants.

In the Military Dogs category for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards, we have:

• Blue II from Lawrenceville, Georgia, a retired veteran who served in Afghanistan and Japan.
• Ali from Kings Bay, Georgia, who has worked for the Coast Guard and at Super Bowl 54.
• Rek from Sarasota, Florida, a retired veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and now patrols the yard for rogue squirrels.
• Zorba from North Richland Hills, Texas, a retired Navy MWD who suffers from arthritis in his back.

In the Search and Rescue Dogs category for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards, we have:

• Kusse from Sheffield, Alabama, a 3-year-old German Shepherd who worked in recovering suvivors from the recent tornadoes in Cookville, Tennessee.
• Remington from Montgomery, Texas, who worked for many years as a search and rescue dog and in public relations for fire departments. He is a cancer survivor who has undergone treatment at Texas A&M Vet Med.
• Boogie from Troy, Texas, a Bloodhound who primarily finds missing persons with special needs. Her favorite reward on completing a mission is hugs and pets.
• Diezel from Troutman, North Carolina, a GSD/Belgian Malinois mix who finds missing persons across the entire Tar Heel State.
• Little Man from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a Pit Bull who was found in the wreckage of the 2013 Moore tornado who now works in a variety of roles in assisting search missions.

In the Guide/Hearing Dogs category for the 2020 Hero Dog Awards, we have four black Labrador Retrievers as candidates:

• Beethoven from Loveland, Colorado, whose person has something called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, where the body literally burns itself inside out.
• Aura from Brunswick, Maine, a hearing for an Afghan War veteran.
• Kannon from Madison, Wisconsin, a guide dog.
• Kissable Katie from Palm Coast, Florida, a Seeing Eye Dog and medical alert dog.

In the Shelter Dogs category, there were 209 entrants, including our friend Holland the Pup.

Celebrity ambassadors for the Hero Dog Awards include Danielle Fishel (Topanga from Boy Meets World), former Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney and World’s Most Amazing Dog judge Lisa Vanderpump.

Be sure to vote for your favorites! Again, the special will air sometime in the fall on the Hallmark Channel.