Rest in peace Hurricane: Most decorated K9 in US history dies
FILE - US Secret Service dog, Hurricane, has been honored with a Medal for devotion to duty by the UK’s leading veterinary charity, PDSA, for protecting the then President and First Family from an intruder who attempted to gain access to the White Ho
WASHINGTON - The country’s most decorated K9 has died.
Hurricane, a Belgian Malinois, died earlier this week. He was 16 years old.
A very good boy
The backstory:
Hurricane joined the United States Secret Service Emergency Response Team Tactical Canine Unit in 2012.
During his service, Hurricane was awarded the USS Award for Merit, the DHS Award for Valor, the PDSA Order of Merit, AMC Top Dog in 2016 and is the first dog in history to receive the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal in 2022, according to the K9 Hurricane website.
Hurricane’s latest award landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most decorated K9 in the United States.
This furry hero was also famously known for taking down a White House intruder during former President Barack Obama’s term.
Protecting and serving
Dig deeper:
Secret Service canine Hurricane poses for retirement photo on White House lawn. (DHS)
Hurricane took a beating when he helped detain Dominic Adesanya, the man who jumped the White House fence in October 2014.
Both Hurricane and Jardan, another Secret Service K9, were punched and kicked during the incident.
While both dogs appeared to come out of the takedown relatively unscathed, Hurricane’s handlers said he began to have hip issues and was eventually forced to retire early.
What they're saying:
"Hurricane showed extreme discipline and focus from day one of his training, and we knew he was going to excel in performance at the highest levels. I believe the intruder would have hoped Hurricane was not on duty because from that day on, he will know to not mess with a man's best friend," Deputy Chief Richard Macauley, United States Secret Service, Special Operations Division, previously said.
Six years after the White House incident, a nonprofit was set up to honor Hurricane.
The nonprofit provides retired law enforcement and military dogs with "subsidized veterinary care so they can live a long and healthy life."
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the K9 Hurricane Heroes website, the New York Post and previous reporting from FOX 5 DC. This story was reported from Los Angeles.