Congratulations are in order for one special hound! The winner of the 2024 American Humane Hero Dog Awards was exclusively revealed NBC’s Today Show this month, crowning bloodhound Bo as America’s top hero pup.
Bo is a police dog who works alongside Gastonia Police Department sergeant David Rowland in North Carolina. They were both being featured in-studio on TODAY when Bo was announced as this year’s American Humane Hero Dog, and Rowland expressed his surprise around the news.
“I didn’t think we were going to win, I was just blessed to be up here with Bo, the American Humane, to just, you know, to tell our story and what Bo has accomplished in our community and the amazing nose of a bloodhound,” Rowland shared.
Bo was initially up against 25 fellow canines for the 2024 American Humane Hero Dog title, who the non-profit organization American Humane recognizes as dogs accomplishing “extraordinary things,” like saving lives in combat or assisting human companions with tasks and goals.
The police pup was chosen as the winner among four other finalists, including military dog Niki, service dog Sampson, therapy dog Dayo and shelter dog Penny. Each finalist was the winner of their own respective category: Law enforcement and first responder dogs, service and guide or hearing dogs, emerging hero and shelter dogs, therapy dogs and military dogs.
Meet Bo
Bo is an 18-month-old male bloodhound who works alongside Rowland at Gastonia Police Department in North Carolina, according to American Humane. The K-9 has been helping solve crimes and saving lives since he was just 8 months old after he was picked from his litter in 2023 by the police department.
Rowland initially bonded with Bo by bringing the pup home as part of his training, and his kids played educational games with him in their backyard, per American Humane. Bo is notably the first bloodhound at the North Carolina police department, where classic law enforcement breeds like German shepherds have historically worked at, according to the organization.
According to Bo’s official bio, shortly after starting at the police station, Bo tracked down a missing 11-year-old child with autism and located an elderly patient with dementia. Other heroic achievements mentioned in his bio include tracking down an elderly patient during a cold winter night, and finding a 7-year-old child taken at knifepoint.
CEO of American Humane Robin Ganzert said while on the Today Show that all the dogs are winners, at the end of the day. “They’re all winners to us, actually, all winners.”
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