Died – 2\/17\/25
\nHandler – Marshall Mirarchi<\/p>\n
An American hero has died.K9 Hurricane, a 16-year-old Belgian Malinois who was the most decorated dog in U.S. history, has passed away.\u201cAs much as we knew this time was coming there was no way to prepare. We miss him so much. A huge hole that can never be replaced,\u201d his handler, Marshall Mirarchi, said Monday.A former Special Operations Canine with the U.S. Secret Service, K9 Hurricane became the nation\u2019s most decorated dog for taking down a White House intruder in 2014 when President Barack Obama and his family were inside.Following his heroic act, Hurricane was medically retired in 2016 due to the injuries he sustained during the incident.In recognition of his valor, Hurricane received numerous honors, including the United States Secret Service Award for Merit, the Department of Homeland Security Award for Valor, the PDSA (People\u2019s Dispensary for Sick Animals) Order of Merit, and the American Medical Center Top Dog. He also made history as the first dog to receive the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal, which earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.Hurricane and Mirarchi were also awarded the Secretary\u2019s Award for Valor by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson for their efforts in protecting the Obama family.After his retirement, Hurricane\u2019s legacy lived on through the foundation Hurricane\u2019s Heroes, established in his name to help cover medical expenses for retired working dogs. Since 2020, Hurricane\u2019s Heroes has cared for over 150 retired military and government working dogs.Before his passing, Hurricane was honored on Feb. 11 by Southwest Airlines, which flew Hurricane back home to Washington, D.C., on its Freedom One plane.Hurricane was also reunited in the White House with his old USSS working team. They presented Hurricane with a plaque and an American Flag which flew at the USSS K9 Training Center.In honor of Hurricane\u2019s life, the non-profit Hurricane\u2019s Heroes will continue to raise funds to cover the medical expenses of retired K9 heroes.\u201cOur nonprofit which is Hurricane\u2019s legacy is more important to us now than ever before,\u201d said Mirarchi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 2\/17\/25 Handler – Marshall Mirarchi An American hero has died.K9 Hurricane, a 16-year-old Belgian Malinois who was the most decorated dog in U.S. history, has passed away.\u201cAs much as we knew this time was coming there was no way to prepare. We miss him so much. A huge hole that can never be …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[52],"class_list":["post-17526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wa"],"yoast_head":"\n