Duke has been serving the U.S. military since he was a puppy, but it’s time for the heroic hound to retire. Navy Officer Adriana jumped at the chance to adopt the dog while deployed together at a military base in the Middle East. Paws of War, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting military members and veterans with pets and pet transport overseas, is hoping to help raise enough money for Duke to make it home in time to spend the holidays with his forever family and begin retired life the right way.

At the start of November, we reported on how flying with a dog could get more complicated when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended a temporary ruling to effectively ban the import of dogs from 113 countries to prevent animals at high risk of rabies from entering the United States. The ban also applied to Americans and their canines traveling abroad and re-entering the U.S. after their trip. However, the CDC has eased this ban effective December 1. The update allows dogs who received their inoculations from a U.S.-licensed veterinarian to return to the U.S. as long as they are microchipped, healthy and at least six months old. Proof of vaccination will also be required.

Animal rights group Dog Meat Free Indonesia and local police officers intercepted a truck en route to an illegal slaughterhouse on the Indonesian island of Java. Rescuers were horrified to discover 53 dogs tied up in sacks with their mouths bound together in the back of the truck. This is the first large-scale raid on an illegal canine slaughterhouse. Dog Meat Free Indonesia is determined that it will be a turning point in the illegal dog meat trade in the country after the arrest of a notorious dog meat trader. Emergency veterinarian assistance was administered and the dogs were immediately transported to a temporary shelter. Sadly, one dog passed away on the journey.

Whether it’s a statue or an award, it’s important to honor our four-legged heroes for selfless acts, even if they occurred more than 75 years ago. Lawrence Township in New Jersey is naming a new dog park after a WWII canine hero who lived long in the memory of one local American soldier. Stationed on a small island in the South Pacific, the late James Hewitt was part of a unit that adopted a captured German Shepherd named Moose, who had been trained by the Japanese army. Moose went on to be trained by the U.S. Army K9 Unit, before he dove on a hand grenade and gave his own life to save his handler in 1945. The township’s superintendent of Recreation, Nancy Bergen, was so touched by the story she decided to honor Moose by naming the new space “Hero Dog Park.”

Tipping the scales at over 150 pounds, Tyler the Great Pyrenees was mistaken for a polar bear by the children at Sandyston-Walpack Elementary School when he first walked through the door. Across the country, therapy dogs like Tyler have been helping children through the pandemic by keeping them company and even getting involved in classroom activities. Tyler’s starring role in a local news feature led to 40 schools in the region reaching out to replicate the program in their own classrooms.