'Very Good Boy' Honored For Heroic Efforts In Subduing A White House Intruder In 2014

WASHINGTON, DC — Hurricane, a former K-9 officer in the U.S. Secret Service's Uniformed Division, was recognized Wednesday for neutralizing an intruder who had climbed the White House fence on Oct. 19, 2014, according to a release.

Around 7:20 p.m., 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez 0f Copperas Cove, Texas scaled the fence at the north side of the White House complex.

Gonzalez made it all the way to the North Portico doors, according to authorities. At the time of the incident, President Obama and his family were on their way to Camp David, Maryland.

The Washington Post later cited multiple sources who said that Gonzalez, who was armed with a knife, ran past the guard at the front door of the White House, before being tackled by a counter-assault agent, according to the Associate Press.

Hurricane's fellow K-9 officer Jarden was the first to encounter Gonzalez, who fought back and seriously injured the dog.

Although Hurricane was also seriously hurt during the encounter, he eventually forced Gonzalez to the ground so that his human colleagues could to take the man into custody.

On Wednesday, Hurricane was one of six dogs to receive the Distinguished Service Medal during the Second Annual Animals in War and Peace ceremony.

The event, which was hosted by the Angels Without Wings, Inc./Animals in War and Peace, the Livingood Group LLC, and the U.S. War Dogs Association, to honor the sacrifices and heroism of service animals in the U.S.

“On every shift of every day, we at the Secret Service strive to uphold five core values; Duty, Honor, Loyalty, Justice, and Courage,” said Uniformed Division Assistant Chief Michael Buck, in a release. “They are the five points of our agency’s star, and on a dark night in October 2014, they were embodied by a very good boy named Hurricane.”

A Belgian Malinois, Hurricane became a member of the Secret Service’s Emergency Response Team Tactical Canine Unit in November 2012.