Stache is a Certified Cadaver Dog that has spent his life performing successful searches and solving cases. The four-year-old black Labrador Retriever and his handler Jim McCans are part of the United States Police Canine Association and have worked two dozen searches, including a trip to Mississippi to help locate victims of Hurricane Katrina and helping to solve a missing person case in Philadelphia.
The team has provided assistance in Iraq by searching for missing American service men and women. So far, the team has made nine recoveries. The dangers in Iraq are all too real as the two experienced a close brush with death when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded in their path in Owesat, Iraq. Stache lost his hearing as a result of the explosion, but has since recovered and has returned home to the United States.
For his service and bravery, Stache was nominated for an ASPCA Humane Award. He was presented with his award during their annual Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City this past October. “It was a very risky mission for Stache and his handler, and we wanted to recognize Stache for his heroic efforts,” said ASPCA spokeswoman Emily Bran. As the winner, Stache traveled with the McCans family to New York and received a special ASPCA Presidential Service Award nameplate.