Not all superheroes wear capes – the search for our next canine heroes begins

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) is on the lookout for heroes of the furry, four-legged variety, with applications now open for the 2024 RAS Canine Hero Awards.

Presented annually at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Canine Hero Awards honour the exceptional acts of courage, devotion and selflessness performed by our loyal companions, from saving lives and keeping communities safe, to providing ongoing medical or emotional support to those with special needs. 

Entries are open to NSW residents across two categories:

• The Companion Dog Award recognises dogs trained for support or assistance work, or even treasured pets, who have demonstrated the canine-human bond in an extraordinary manner.
• The Service Dog Award is open to canines who have displayed exemplary commitment while on duty for a service or government organisation. 

Sydney Royal Domestic Animals Chair, John Bryson, says the awards are a fantastic celebration of man’s best friend. 

“The Canine Hero Awards provide a special opportunity for us to recognise the admirable deeds and range of services that dogs provide, and to share their wonderful stories with the wider community”, John Bryson said. 

“These stories highlight the remarkable bond between dogs and humans, but they also bring attention to the incredible work that goes into training these animals. It can take years and many thousands of dollars to train service and therapy dogs, and much of the work relies on donations.”

The 2024 Canine Hero Award winners will each receive a $1500 cash prize, courtesy of the Australasian Animal Registry (AAR), and will have their stories and photos featured in the Dog News Australia publication and the Dogs NSW Journal. 

Winners will be invited to accept their awards at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Monday, 1st April 2024, alongside the prestigious ‘Best in Show’ awards for the Sydney Royal Dog Show. 

Past recipients of the award include NSW Police Dog ‘Ulrich’, who tracked down an elderly man missing for three days following an accident, and last year’s winner ‘Lola’, a Labrador rescue retrained as an assistance dog, who transformed the lives of Australian military veterans with PTSD. 

Applicants wishing to enter the 2024 Canine Hero Awards, will need to fill out the entry form on the website (rasnsw.com.au), and send to the RAS, with a high-resolution picture of the dog and its owner. 

Entries will close on Friday 26 January, 2024.