(COLORADO SPRINGS) — We are Southern Colorado, and last month, we said goodbye to the most decorated K9 in our government’s history, K9 Hurricane.
Although the American hero has died, his heroic acts aren’t done yet. His legacy lives on through retired police and military dogs like K9 Broc.
“These dogs are heroes. High-performance athletes that were heroes,” said Southern Colorado Officer Brian Kelly, who worked with and takes care of Broc.
Officer Kelly and K9 Broc have found lots of criminals and narcotics in the Pikes Peak Region.
“He’s in retirement now. So obviously, he takes advantage of the liberties that are afforded to him, where he can just… be a dog,” said Officer Kelly.
However, retirement for hardworking dogs like Broc often comes with an unfortunate reality.
“They do just a lot of things that are hard on their body. So after they retire, we incur all the costs,” said Officer Kelly.
Hurricane’s retirement came shortly after being rushed to the ER, all because he put his life on the line to stop an intruder at the White House.
“He got picked up all the way (to) head level, six foot, slammed on the ground, punched, kicked. He got beat pretty bad, but he never, never gave up. I watched something with a heartbeat willing to die for me, and that that’s the most special moment of my life,” said Marshall Mirarchi, Former Secret Service Special Operations K9 Handler.
Caring for Hurricane in retirement could’ve been very expensive for Mirarchi, but with the national attention, charities stepped in to cover his veterinary costs.
“I got this overwhelming feeling of guilt that, I can’t have this special care and treatment and community for my dog, when all his brothers and sisters out there working don’t have the same thing,” said Mirarchi.
That’s when the non-profit Hurricane’s Heroes was born. It provides medical coverage to retired law enforcement and military dogs since the government does not. Mirarchi is headed back to D.C. next week to advocate for a bill that would establish a grant program to help retired federal working dogs get the medical care they need.
“A lot of times when these dogs retire, they’re beat up. They’ve been through a lot. They don’t make it too long,” said Mirarchi. “So we try to step in and make sure that the dogs get as many years as they can possibly get because those moments are so special.”
They’ve raised almost a million dollars since 2019. If you’d like to donate to Hurricane’s Heroes, you can pick up his treats at Pet Pantry, and profits will go toward his nonprofit. You can also click here.
Since laying Hurricane to rest, the non-profit has a new sense of purpose to serve the heroes on their wait list.
“That was the last thing I said to him before he passed away, that, ‘you know, you served your purpose, your job is completed… We’re going to all carry on your legacy and your mission,'” said Mirarchi. “If they could talk, they would be like, ‘Take care of all the other dogs. Keep doing that.’ So I know that’s what he would want.”
