 Jake, a Canine Hero
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Sept. 5, 2003 — Canine heroes from seven countries and Puerto Rico were honored recently in Washington, D.C. at a Canine World Heroes Tribute held for the top service dogs in the world.
Among the dogs honored at the ceremony was Crazy Joe, a narcotic detector dog with Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, who received the most votes out of the six U.S. finalists.
Crazy Joe, a yellow Labrador who was adopted from an animal shelter, has worked for the Customs and Border Protection department for six years and is currently assigned to JFK International Airport in New York.
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During his career, Crazy Joe has uncovered over $10 million worth of illegal drugs. He also serves as a demo dog used to teach school children about the dangers of narcotics.
Among the other dogs honored at the medal ceremony were Gemma, a search and rescue dog from Great Britain, Buhn-gye, a search and rescue dog from South Korea, Yuma, a former search and rescue dog who is now a pet-assisted therapy dog from Mexico, Shadow, a hero dog from Canada, Gem, a guide dog from Brazil, and Popeye, a pet-assisted therapy dog from Puerto Rico.
All of the dogs honored at the ceremony also placed their paw prints in cement as part of a Canine World Heroes Walk of Fame.
Pedigree Food for Dogs created the Paws to Recognize program in partnership with Wal-Mart to recognize the 15,000 service dogs working in the world today.
Chris Jones, Marketing Director for the Pet Food Division of Masterfoods, which makes Pedigree, said, "We hope that Paws to Recognize helps to increase awareness and appreciation of the many services these dogs perform and the valuable contributions they make to our lives."
Melissa Seide Rubin, vice-president of field and disaster services at the Humane Society of the United States, said, "Some of the dogs nominated were adopted, and we hope to inspire many more people to consider adopting from a local animal shelter when they're ready to bring a pet into their home."
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