It appears that Hercules isn't the only one who transformed into a hero in an instant.
Come meet Hansel, a joyful pit bull with a heart-warming smile. Hansel was rescued at the age of 7 weeks from an alleged Canadian dog fighting ring and was about to be euthanized. Thankfully, he was adopted by a Florida shelter before being taken in by the Philadelphia-based Throw Away Canines Project, which trains dogs to become K-9 officers.
Tyler Van Leer, a Millville Fire Department firefighter, is now in charge of Hansel. Van Leer was seeking a department dog that could aid them with fire detection and serve as a community ambassador. When a police officer and Carol Skaziak, the founder of Throw Away Dogs, heard about this, they brought Hansel to the firehouse in September. After meeting, the two became best buds.
Since graduating in January 2020, Hansel has conducted over 3000 searches after focusing on smell training at the academy. He is now an arson detection dog, capable of detecting flammable materials such as kerosene and lighter fluid.
Images by: Savannah Young and Erik Larson
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