The American Humane Hero dog awards are an annual competition the honors and recognizes heroes on both ends of the leash.

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The competition recognizes ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things. Hundreds of pooches compete but only one dog will be awarded the American Hero Dog title.

It's time to show some well-deserved props and big congratulations to Hansel, a 4 year-old-arson dog from Millville who came out on top as the nation's number 1 Law Enforcement and Detection Dog of the Year according to the Press of Atlantic City.

Hansel the pit bull with now advance to the finals of the 2021 Hero Dog Awards and will now compete for the American Hero Dog Title with 6 other canines and their human companions this fall. The two-hour show will be broadcast nationwide from Palm Beach, Florida on the Hallmark Channel.

K-9 Hansel was seized when he was only 7 weeks old from an alleged dogfighting ring in Ontario Canada. Hansel never fought and was scheduled for euthanasia. Hansel then found his way to the Dog Playing For Life shelter in Florida.

Next up for Hansel was intensive training including 16 weeks of scent training before winding up with the Millville Fire Department. One of Hansel's specialties is being able to recognize 14 different ignitable liquid odors.

Best of luck to Hansel and Millville Fire Marshall Tyler Van Leer who will now compete this fall for the 2021 American Hero Dog Title. You can vote for K-9 Hansel once a day until September 7th!

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