On Oct. 6, Gabe, a weapons sniffing dog at Fort Jackson who conducted 210 combat missions in Iraq – and has more than 20,000 Facebook friends – will be cooling his paws at the Beverly Hills Hilton with the likes of Betty White and Whoopi Goldberg.
The 10-year-old lab mix — who was rescued as a puppy from a Houston shelter just one day before he was to be euthanized — is the 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog in the military category. Now he and his handler, Sgt. 1st Class Charles “Chuck” Shuck, will face off against other service dogs, from guide dogs to search and rescue dogs, for the title of American Humane Association Hero Dog of the Year before the panel of celebrity judges.
WOW! Absolutely amazing story.