Harley The Chihuahua Named American Humane Association’s 2015 American Hero Dog!

This year’s American hero dog may be small, but he carries the weight of a giant heart.

After more than a million votes from the public and opinions from an expert panel, a Chihuahua named Harley from Berthoud, Colorado has not only won the hearts of America, but has been crowned the top title of “American Dog Hero” at the 2015 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, beating out 170 others.

Source: @Harley_Mill_Dog

Harley spent 10 years living in a small cage in a puppy mill before being rescued and finding his furever home.

His decade there was as unpleasant as you could imagine. Through the many years of horrendous neglect and abuse, Harley wound up with a diseased heart, a mouth filled with rot, a fused spine, a broken tail, gnarled toes, deformed legs, and a missing eye. The missing eye was the result of his cage being power-washed with him in it, something that is all-too-common in puppy mills.

Source: @Harley_Mill_Dog

Despite his difficult past, Harley has become an inspiration to not just people, but also to other dogs.

His long battle of physical and emotional recovery led to a campaign called “Harley to the Rescue,” which has raised enough funds to save and provide medical care for more than 500 puppy mill dogs in the past two years.

Source: @Harley_Mill_Dog

As a spokes-dog against puppy mills, Harley has informed people all over the country about the terrors of these horrible places. He also makes public appearances at events and schools.

The Hero Dog Awards were created to honor the powerful relationship between dogs and people and acknowledge extraordinary acts of heroism performed by ordinary dogs. You can watch them on October 30, at 8PM/7PM Central on Hallmark Channel.

Source: @Harley_Mill_Dog

As you’re waiting for the airing of this year’s awards show, take a look at the winners from last year…