A rescued shelter dog named Canyon now finds the missing — and the ASPCA just named him Dog of the Year

Canyon was a stray in Mississippi, waiting in a shelter. This week in New York, he received the ASPCA's Dog of the Year Award for his work as a certified search-and-rescue dog, deployed to disasters including the Maui wildfires, Hurricane Helene and the 2025 Texas floods. His handler, Christy Bormann, credited the shelter workers who first spotted his potential. The 2026 Humane Awards also honoured Aiden and Pearl, two miniature therapy horses who have spent a decade visiting hospitals, nursing homes and schools, and Detective Kyle McLaughlin with Kelly, his rescued Standardbred patrol horse. Second chances, it turns out, can be trained to save lives.