Not All Heros Walk On Two Legs

SAN BERNARDINO >> The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley is proud to announce their 2016 Pet Hero Award recipients: Chandler, a terrier mix from Redlands; Chet, a pit bull from Devore; and Jojo, a German Shepherd San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department K-9. All three pets will be honored during the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley’s Walk for the Animals, on Saturday, May 21st at San Manuel Stadium (280 South E Street, San Bernardino). The event will take place from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., with the awards presentation scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Scheduled to emcee this year’s Pet Hero Ceremony will be NBC4 Southern California, Inland Empire News Bureau Chief and Reporter, Tony Shin! Shin is an Emmy award-winning reporter, primarily covering stories originating from the Inland Empire. This event is free to attend and community members are encouraged to come show support for these local pet heroes. Chandler was nominated by his owner, Donna Waller, for saving her life. After a car accident, resulting in a serious head trauma, Waller had been having terrible headaches. One night she collapsed and was unconscious for 5 hours. Chandler rushed to her side and licked her face until she awoke and stayed with her until someone arrived to call an ambulance. The paramedic attending to Waller told her that if it had not been for Chandler she would not be alive. Sadly, Chandler passed away in March of this year. Donna Waller will be accepting Chandler’s award in his honor. Chet was nominated by his owner Noretta Barker, for saving her and her pets life on two separate occasions. After seeing Chet running around her neighborhood, Barker set up a feeding station to catch him. She had been told by neighbors he had been thrown from a moving vehicle. About 8 months after Barker caught Chet, she was outside in a separate area with her smaller dogs. They encountered three coyotes. Trying to save her pets, Barker fell and injured her knee, landing with her head a few feet from one of the coyotes. She started to yell for help, when Chet cleared a 5 foot fence and engaged all three coyotes, chasing them away. Three months later Chet again saved the day by alerting Barker to her severely low blood sugar as she slept. The paramedic who attended to Barker that day also told her that Chet saved her life. Chet, along with Noretta Barker, will be presented his award during the Walk for the Animals. Jojo was nominated by the Walk for the Animals planning committee for his heroic service to our community. Jojo, a 4 year old German Shepherd, was trained in explosive detection and tracking. Jojo, along with his handler, Detective Brad Phillips, helped find hidden weapons, tracked, and exposed wanted felons, and identified explosive objects. Most recently, Detective Phillips and Jojo helped clear the Inland Regional Center after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino. In January, Jojo died in the line of duty while performing a warehouse search. Detective Phillips will be accepting Jojo’s award, along with his new K-9 Wolf, in Jojo’s honor.