Police dog Hurricane in 2014.Photo:Peter Summers/Getty
Peter Summers/Getty
Hurricane, who became the most decorated police dog in United States history after defending former PresidentBarack Obamaandhis familyfrom a White House intruder 2014, has died. He was 15.
Hurricane, who retired in 2016, was not only an “amazing” Secret Service dog and later, a positive force through his namesake non-profit — which provides retired police and military dogs with veterinary care — but he also had an “uncanny ability to read people,” per the caption.
“Rest easy hurricane,” the tribute concluded. “You were a damn good boy.”
The White House also honored the retired Secret Service dog, calling him “a true American hero” in a tribute on its officialInstagramaccount. “The most decorated K-9 in U.S. history, he bravely defended the White House and spent retirement helping other working dogs through @K9Hurricane,” the post read in part. “His legacy of courage and loyalty will live on.”
“The second we pulled through the gates he would jump up and spin around from the back seat, knowing he arrived at work,” the organization said. “He loved patrolling the grounds and loved hanging out with his brothers on the Emergency Response Team.”
The non-profit also said that the day he stopped the White House intruder was “the proudest moment of his life.”
Hurricane’s career-defining moment occurred on Oct. 22, 2014, when an intruder, later identified as Dominic Adesanya, climbed over the fence of the White House complex, according toThe New York Times.
After scaling the fence, the intruder fought off another Secret Service dog before running into Hurricane, who eventually wrestled him to the ground, perThe New York Times. Secret Service agents were then able to apprehend Adesanya and take him into custody. He later pled guilty to a trespassing charge.
Hurricane, the police dog who protected the White House from an intruder in 2014.Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
According to his handler, Mirarchi, the 2014 incident — during which the intruder came within 100 yards of both Barack, 63, and then-first ladyMichelle Obama— left Hurricane with damaged hips and swelling in his legs, and he could never jump the same again,The New York Timesreported.
The intruder “beat Hurricane really bad — but Hurricane did not give up,” Mirarchi told the newspaper after the pup’s death. The injuries he sustained while neutralizing the intruder also led to his retirement two years later, according to news outletWNCT.
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But, no matter how trying or traumatic, the canine never took his work home with him, Mirarchi toldThe New York Times. “What made Hurricane so special,” the handler said, “was that he could be so ferocious and brave, yet be so loving and kind at the same time.”
“He could be biting and doing apprehension all day long,” he added, “and when he comes home, he was this loving, caring, kind soul.”
source: people.com
