Every dog has its day, and 7 of the nation’s bravest dogs are hoping that day will come for them on September 16 at the American Humane Hero Dog Awards®, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation. These dogs are all competing for the honor of being named 2017’s American Hero Dog, the highest honor a dog can receive. 

Dog lovers across the country visited www.herodogawards.org and voted once per day for their favorite dogs in each of seven categories. The 21 semifinalists (the top three in each category) were chosen through the first round of voting, which ended May 3. A second round, featuring a combination of public and celebrity voting, narrowed the field even further to the seven category finalists. The final round of public voting is now taking place until August 30, 2017 at www.herodogawards.org.

The winning dog in each category will be flown to Los Angeles and celebrated at a red carpet, star-studded awards gala on September 16, when this year’s American Hero Dog will be revealed. The sixth annual Hero Dog Awards will be hosted by James Denton and Beth Stern and will air nationwide as a two-hour special on Hallmark Channel this fall.

The seven categories for 2017 are: 

1. Law Enforcement/Arson Dogs, sponsored by the K-9 Courage Program™ from Zoetis

2. Military Dogs, sponsored by the K-9 Courage Program from Zoetis and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation

3. Therapy Dogs, sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food, the official pet food of the 2017 Hero Dog Awards

4. Service Dogs, sponsored by Modern Dog magazine

5. Emerging Hero Dogs, a category that pays tribute to ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, sponsored by Merial, maker of NexGard® (afoxolaner) Chewables

6. Search and Rescue Dogs

7. Guide/Hearing Dogs.

Winners in each category will earn $2,500 for their designated charity partner and the overall winner’s charity partner will win an additional $5,000 prize. Each charity partner is dedicated to celebrating the role of working dogs in our lives, and like American Humane, celebrates the importance of the human-animal bond.

For more information visit www.herodogawards.org