1. Adak
Adak, a German shepherd, served with the U.S. Department of State and with the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years, sniffing out explosives. On Jan. 14, 2008, Adak worked during an active terrorist attack on a Kabul hotel, helping Americans evacuate victims and find terrorists.

2. Bella
Bella is a law enforcement/arson dog who works in Fort Bend County, Texas, southeast of Houston. Bella's specialty is accelerant detection, and she has put that skill to good use. At the site of a residential fire where a body was found, Bella alerted investigators to the presence of fuel in a master bedroom. Laboratory-Confirmed evidence of gasoline, helping detectives get a confession from a suspect for arson and murder.

3. Bretagne
Bretagne has had a long and distinguished career as a search and rescue dog. Bretagne has been deployed at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks; the Winter Olympic games; and the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in 2005. Bretagne retired in 2008.

4. Bruno
Bruno was part of a K-9 unit for the Anaheim, California, Police Department on March 20, 2014, when he was shot in the face by an armed suspect before the suspect was shot and killed by Bruno's handler. Police believe the suspect would have shot Bruno's handler had the K-9 not taken the bullet. Bruno died two years later because of complications from the gunshot wound.

5. Charlie
Charlie is a Labrador retriever who helps American service men and women recover from injuries. Located in Goose Creek, South Carolina, Charlie performs many tasks such as helping service members returning from war zones with their balance; retrieving items; and providing hearing impairment support. Charlie's human partner considers him her "armor" and credits him with helping her overcome devastating injuries suffered in combat.

6. Chi Chi
Therapy dog Chi Chi is the poster dog for survivors. The golden retriever was found in a garbage bag in South Korea with her legs bound and worn to the bone. Chi Chi had to have parts of all four legs amputated but was able to adapt to her custom prosthetics. She also has had surgery to remove cancer tumors, making her a cancer survivor as well.

7. Chopper
Chopper, a Labrador retriever, was deployed to Afghanistan from October 2013 to March 2014 with the Marines to detect improvised explosive devices. While serving there, one of the escort vehicles bearing Chopper was struck by a blast and the dog suffered head injuries. He recovered and is working to detect explosives at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

8. Diva
Diva, a Belgian Malinois, is a search and rescue dog with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Diva searched for people who might have been swept away during the mudslides in Montecito, California, in January, and was also in Mexico City to find survivors from a 7.1-level earthquake last year.

9. Kobuk
First responders had to race against time to save an elderly woman lost in the Maine woods.  Kobuk, a search and rescue German shepherd, led rescuers to Ruth Brennan, a 77-year-old woman with diabetes and dementia who was lost for two nights without food, water or her medications.

10. Kota
Kota is a police dog in Virginia who is relentless in fulfilling his duty. Kota was hurt falling through the ceiling of a home in pursuit of home-invasion suspects. Still, the German shepherd helped in completing the arrest. Kota required surgery and underwent physical therapy.

11. Sgt. Taker
Sgt. Taker is a bomb-detection dog who saved many soldiers' lives during tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Sgt. Taker struggled with the stress of his experiences as well as with injuries. He retired from duty in 2012 and became a therapy dog.

12. Suma L469
Suma L469 is a retired military dog who served for nine years with the Air Force in Afghanistan. Suma L469 searched for improvised explosive devices and was credited with saving up to 200 military and civilian lives.

13. Sgt. Fieldy
Labrador retriever Sgt. Fieldy was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 to track down improvised explosive devices. Sgt. Fieldy found many explosives, including a 60-pound plastic barrel containing homemade explosives. The canine is credited with saving many lives while stationed in Afghanistan. Sgt. Fieldy retired in 2014.

14. Ruby
A teenage boy from Gloucester, Rhode Island, went missing. After human search efforts failed to find the teen after 36 hours, the Gloucester police requested Ruby, an Australian shepherd/border collie, be brought in. Ruby found the teen. Coincidentally, the boy's mother had worked with Ruby years earlier while volunteering with the Rhode Island Society for
Protection of Animals.

15. Edo
On New Year's Day in 2016, Los Angeles Police Department pursued two murder suspects when they broke into a home occupied by a father and three children. K-9 Edo entered the house after gunshots were heard. The K-9 confronted one of the suspects who fatally shot himself in the head. Officers later found out the suspect had shot the two children but was interrupted by Edo. Both children survived.