K9 Hurricane – U.S. Secret Service

Died – 2/17/25
Handler – Marshall Mirarchi

An American hero has died.K9 Hurricane, a 16-year-old Belgian Malinois who was the most decorated dog in U.S. history, has passed away.“As much as we knew this time was coming there was no way to prepare. We miss him so much. A huge hole that can never be replaced,” his handler, Marshall Mirarchi, said Monday.A former Special Operations Canine with the U.S. Secret Service, K9 Hurricane became the nation’s most decorated dog for taking down a White House intruder in 2014 when President Barack Obama and his family were inside.Following his heroic act, Hurricane was medically retired in 2016 due to the injuries he sustained during the incident.In recognition of his valor, Hurricane received numerous honors, including the United States Secret Service Award for Merit, the Department of Homeland Security Award for Valor, the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) Order of Merit, and the American Medical Center Top Dog. He also made history as the first dog to receive the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal, which earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.Hurricane and Mirarchi were also awarded the Secretary’s Award for Valor by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson for their efforts in protecting the Obama family.After his retirement, Hurricane’s legacy lived on through the foundation Hurricane’s Heroes, established in his name to help cover medical expenses for retired working dogs. Since 2020, Hurricane’s Heroes has cared for over 150 retired military and government working dogs.Before his passing, Hurricane was honored on Feb. 11 by Southwest Airlines, which flew Hurricane back home to Washington, D.C., on its Freedom One plane.Hurricane was also reunited in the White House with his old USSS working team. They presented Hurricane with a plaque and an American Flag which flew at the USSS K9 Training Center.In honor of Hurricane’s life, the non-profit Hurricane’s Heroes will continue to raise funds to cover the medical expenses of retired K9 heroes.“Our nonprofit which is Hurricane’s legacy is more important to us now than ever before,” said Mirarchi.

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Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
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