Top Ten Finalists for Fourth Annual Dogs of Valor Awards

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) created the "Dogs of Valor" award in 2008. The purpose of this national award is to pay tribute to courageous canines who performed a heroic deed to help a person in need. Each year, the HSUS accepts Dogs of Valor nominations for any companion or working dog residing in the United States at the time of their heroic act.

This year, the HSUS received 69 entries for the Fourth Annual Dogs of Valor Award. Though these 69 touching tales of four-legged devotion and heroism all perfectly illustrated the amazing human-animal bond, the HSUS staff narrowed the field down to the Top Ten Dogs of Valor Finalists in early February.

How the "Dogs of Valor" Winner is Chosen

To select the Top Ten Finalists, the HSUS evaluated each dog based on the courage they showed while heroically helping a human in need, as well as the significance of their deed. Using these same criteria, celebrity judges Charlotte Ross, Chris Riggi and Jon Prescott will decide which of these 10 devoted dogs should be crowned "Valor Dog of the Year."

In addition to the Grand Prize Winner (the Valor Dog of the Year), the celebrity judges will also select a First Runner Up and a Second Runner Up. Starting March 4th the public gets to cast their vote for the winner of this year's People's Hero Award (via the Humane Society of the United States website). The Valor Dog of the Year, Runner Ups and People's Hero Winner are scheduled to be announced on March 14th.

Dogs of Valor Top Ten Finalists

This year's four-legged finalists hail from all areas of the United States, from West Coast pooches in Portland, California and Idaho, to Illinois, Michigan and Texas, and all the way over to Florida. Size is not a determining factor for the Dogs of Valor Award, as the finalists range in size from a tiny Chihuahua to a Pit Bull to a Golden Retriever. Pedigree is also inconsequential, with both purebred dogs and mixed breeds vying for the title of Valor Dog of the Year.

What all of the 10 Dogs of Valor Finalists do have in common, however, is an unwavering desire to protect their human guardians. The plucky pups displayed immense courage and selflessness, whether helping to save their owners from a fire, downed power line, heart attack, diabetic coma, biking accident or an intruder.

The Dogs of Valor Judges

Charlotte Ross is a two-time Emmy nominated actress (for the soap opera Days of Our Lives) who's also renowned for playing a tough-talking Irish Detective on NYPD Blue, and participating in PETA's "I'd rather go naked" campaign.

Actor Chris Riggi is best known for roles in Gossip Girl and the movie Vampires Suck, a spoof of the Twilight series. Actor Jon Prescott had a long-running role on As the World Turns, as well as stints on CSI: New York and 30 Rock.

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