Hurricane, the Secret Service K-9 praised for protecting former President Barack Obama and his family from a man who hopped the White House fence back in 2014, has died at the age of 15.
The all-black Belgian Malinois was the most-decorated White House K-9 in history, receiving multiple honors for his service over the years, reports The Washington Post Thursday.
Hurricane became famous after the incident at the White House, when he spotted Dominic Adesanya, 23, climbing over the fence and lept into action. He bit into the man's arm and held on, even while the suspect kicked and punched at him, as well as slamming him into the North Lawn.
Still, Hurricane pinned Adesanya to the ground until authorities arrested him.
His trainer, Marshall Mirarchi, said he worried that Hurricane would die from his injuries, as he was bruised and bloodied in the assault and was never the same again.
But while Hurricane was praised for protecting the Obamas, Mirarchi, who was working that night as a Secret Service officer, said he saw a dog "that was willing to die for me."
"He knows: 'Dad is behind me. Do not let this guy get to Dad,'" he said.
Hurricane was six years old when the White House incident occurred. The intruder fought off another Secret Service dog, Jordan, but Hurricane jumped into action.
Mirarchi said Hurricane died in Alexandria, Virginia, on Feb. 12.
He told The Post that on Feb. 11, he and Hurricane flew from Colorado to Baltimore, where Secret Service members who worked with him greeted him as Mirarchi rolled him in a wagon, as he was struggling to walk.
On Feb. 12, he visited the White House for the last time, where he was presented with a plaque with his name on it and an American flag.
Mirarchi would not say if Hurricane was euthanized, but he said he and about a dozen of his former Secret Service colleagues surrounded him as he died.
Hurricane retired in 2016.
"He could work and be the hardest, most ferocious, fearless dog," Mirarchi, 41, told The Post. "Then two minutes later, he could be sitting in your lap, just wanting to get pet."
Hurricane joined the Secret Service’s K-9 unit in November 2012, when he and Mirarchi were paired.
And Hurricane loved his job, said Mirarchi, recalling that after the was promoted to White House duty, he would spin around, excited, when they drove onto the grounds.
Adesanya was sentenced in July 2015 to time served and a year of supervised release after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted area. His family said he struggled with mental illness and wanted to talk to Obama about spying devices he thought were in their Maryland home.
The Department of Homeland Secuirty awarded Hurricane and Mirarchi with the Secretary's Award for Valor in November 2015, with Hurricane retiring the next year. Mirarchi's retirement came in 2017, as he said he was struggling to work without the dog.
But even with Hurricane being retired, the honors continued.
The Animal Medical Center in New York City named Hurricane as one of its top dogs in December 2016, which covered his postretirement medical bills.
The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a British veterinary charity in October 2019, awarded Hurricane its Order of Merit, the animal equivalent of the Order of the British Empire. He also received a Distinguished Service Medal from Animals in War and Peace.
Mirarchi. meanwhile, has founded the nonprofit K9 Hurricane's Heroes, which gives retired K-9 dogs free veterinary care. He has also partnered with Kinetic Dog Food on a bacon-flavored treat, Hurricane Bites, and says he wants to keep his beloved K-9's name alive by sharing his story.