Did you know that there are dogs in the Secret Service?
Over the weekend, a retired Secret Service dog named Hurricane was honored for his heroic work in London. The PDSA, the U.K.’s leading veterinary charity, awarded Hurricane a PDSA Order of Merit for helping save President Barack Obama and his family from a White House intruder in 2014. Hurricane is the first non-British animal to win.
So, Hurricane and his former handler/now-owner needed to get to London. British Airways decided to fly them there in style, as seen in the video below:
What was Hurricane honored for?
There’s more on Hurricane’s time as a Secret Service dog here. The story of Hurricane’s act of bravery, meanwhile, straight from BA, is below:
“US Secret Service Special Operations Canine, Hurricane, is famed within his Unit for his outstanding drive, determination and courage. He may be small in stature, but his power and tenacity know no bounds.
“On 22 October 2014, these attributes were tested to the limits. Canine Handler Officer Marshall Mirarchi and Hurricane were on duty at the White House with the US Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT). Suddenly and unexpectedly, a man vaulted the White House fence and sprinted across the lawn, towards President Obama and his family.
“The man’s intentions and state of mind were not known, but it is the job of the Secret Service to prevent any threat to the President.
“The first attempt by a Secret Service canine team to stop the intruder was unsuccessful but fortunately Officer Mirarchi and Hurricane were stationed nearby and ready to offer their support. Seeing the first struggle, Mirarchi gave the command and Hurricane flew into action. He made contact with the suspect, intending to push him back to the perimeter fence.
“In the ensuing struggle, Hurricane was kicked, punched and swung through the air. Despite this violent, repeated assault, his jaws were locked onto the suspect’s arm and he never gave up. He continued to drive forward and finally grounded the intruder, enabling armed officers to take him into custody.
“Though severely battered, Hurricane refused to be beaten and carried out his duties faultlessly.”
