K-9 Officers2024
K-9 Bear
Bexar County, TX
Patrol K-9 who tracked an armed suspect through dense brush at night, holding the subject until officers arrived — preventing a foot pursuit that could have ended in gunfire.
Honor Roll
All Award Recipients
Every Ruff Rough Hero Award honoree — the dogs, people, and teams whose courage defines what ordinary survival can become.
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Civilian Rescuers2024
Maria Lopez
Houston, TX
Waded chest-deep through floodwater during Hurricane Beryl evacuation to carry a stranded family dog to higher ground. Reunited with owners that night.
Search & Rescue Teams2024
South Texas K-9 SAR
Hill Country, TX
Volunteer team that located a missing hiker overnight in mountainous terrain — credited with saving the hiker's life within the predicted survival window.
Disaster Responders2024
Harrison & The RV Crew
Gulf Coast
Honored for sustained disaster basecamp operations — supporting field teams with supplies, power, and shelter across multiple Gulf Coast hurricane responses.
Community Heroes2024
Volunteer Drone Pilot Corps
South-East Texas
Recognized for 80+ free Drones4Dogs searches in the past year, locating dozens of lost dogs and mentoring new FAA Part 107 pilots joining the program.
K-9 Officers2023
K-9 Rex
Austin, TX
Military Working Dog veteran honored for service alerting on a roadside IED moments before vehicles passed — preventing catastrophic convoy injury.
Civilian Rescuers2023
The Garcia Family
San Antonio, TX
Heard barking from a neighbor's smoking home, broke a window, and brought two dogs out before the fire department arrived. Family was away — both dogs survived.
Search & Rescue Teams2023
FEMA USAR K-9 Team
Multi-state
Honored for alerting on a void space following a structural collapse — rescuers extracted a trapped survivor after 22 hours.
Disaster Responders2023
Wildfire Reunification Lead
Western US
Coordinator who set up an evacuation-zone reunification database, matching displaced pets with returning families — hundreds reunited in the first week.
Community Heroes2023
The Decade Foster Family
Texas
Recognized for fostering 200+ medical-needs dogs over ten years, providing recovery space for animals shelters could not keep alive — every dog adopted out.
K-9 Officers2022
K-9 Luna
Dallas, TX
Federal agency K-9 honored for sustained career detecting illegal narcotics at port-of-entry checkpoints, contributing to dozens of major interdictions.
Civilian Rescuers2022
Anonymous Kayaker
Corpus Christi, TX
Paddled into rough surf after seeing a dog swept off a jetty — recovered the dog and got it safely to shore. Declined naming, accepted award on behalf of all bystanders.
Know the Next Recipient?
Nominations are open year-round across all five categories. Review the categories or jump straight to the nomination form.