Hero Harris was adopted from a shelter by Marty Harris. Since then, Marty and the Yellow Lab have worked feverishly to bring therapy and love to those around the Albany, GA area. Marty is the founder and Hero is the founding animal of Paws Patrol, a volunteer organization of pets and their owners who promote healing through the human-animal bond. Hero and Marty visit the ill, lonely and disabled in the Albany area.
Hero participates in the Paws to READ (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program which was created to improve the literacy skills of children with the assistance of registered therapy canine reading companions, in a fun and relaxed environment.
In addition to being an adoption promoter and a canine blood donor, Hero is involved with Project Hero, a program at the Albany Regional Youth Detention Center in which at-risk youth is taught to train and socialize animals from the Humane Society of Terrell County. These students are urged to use positive reinforcement that eventually carries over into their own lives. The bond between Hero, the other dogs and the kids helps to give them a basis for future relationships as well as helps them set productive goals for the future.
For his devotion to those whose lives he touches, Hero was named the Hero Animal of the Year by the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association which honors and celebrates the human-animal bond and the ways animals enhance our lives. He was nominated by Dr. Ira Roth of the Cat Clinic of Albany in Georgia. Hero also recently won the 4th Annual Pedigree Paws to Recognize Program and has been named the Albany Volunteer of the Year.