Hurricane, the Secret Service Dog Who Protected Obama White House from Intruder in 2014, Dies at 15

Hurricane, who became the most decorated police dog in United States history after defending former President Barack Obama and his family from a White House intruder 2014, has died. He was 15.

The Belgian Malinois died on Wednesday, Feb. 12, according to a joint Instagram post shared by police dog equipment supplier Ray Allen Manufacturing and K9 Hurricane’s Heroes, a non-profit founded and run by the late dog’s longtime handler, Marshall Mirarchi.

“Today we say goodbye to our friend, a hero and one of the best good boys out there,” the caption read in part.

Hurricane, who retired in 2016, was not only an “amazing” Secret Service dog and later, a positive force through his namesake non-profit — which provides retired police and military dogs with veterinary care — but he also had an “uncanny ability to read people,” per the caption.

“Rest easy hurricane,” the tribute concluded. “You were a damn good boy.”

The White House also honored the retired Secret Service dog, calling him “a true American hero” in a tribute on its official Instagram account. “The most decorated K-9 in U.S. history, he bravely defended the White House and spent retirement helping other working dogs through @K9Hurricane,” the post read in part. “His legacy of courage and loyalty will live on.”

In the comments, K9 Hurricane’s Heroes added that the former Special Operations Canine “absolutely loved every day working at the White House,” where he also visited one last time before his death, according to The New York Times.

“The second we pulled through the gates he would jump up and spin around from the back seat, knowing he arrived at work,” the organization said. “He loved patrolling the grounds and loved hanging out with his brothers on the Emergency Response Team.”

The non-profit also said that the day he stopped the White House intruder was “the proudest moment of his life.”

Hurricane’s career-defining moment occurred on Oct. 22, 2014, when an intruder, later identified as Dominic Adesanya, climbed over the fence of the White House complex, according to The New York Times.

After scaling the fence, the intruder fought off another Secret Service dog before running into Hurricane, who eventually wrestled him to the ground, per The New York Times. Secret Service agents were then able to apprehend Adesanya and take him into custody. He later pled guilty to a trespassing charge.

According to his handler, Mirarchi, the 2014 incident — during which the intruder came within 100 yards of both Barack, 63, and then-first lady Michelle Obama — left Hurricane with damaged hips and swelling in his legs, and he could never jump the same again, The New York Times reported.

The intruder “beat Hurricane really bad — but Hurricane did not give up,” Mirarchi told the newspaper after the pup’s death. The injuries he sustained while neutralizing the intruder also led to his retirement two years later, according to news outlet WNCT.

In recognition of the bravery he displayed while protecting the former first family — and throughout his career — Hurricane received numerous honors, including the United States Secret Service Award for Merit and the Department of Homeland Security Award for Valor, per WNCT. He also earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming one of the first recipients of the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal.

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But, no matter how trying or traumatic, the canine never took his work home with him, Mirarchi told The New York Times. “What made Hurricane so special,” the handler said, “was that he could be so ferocious and brave, yet be so loving and kind at the same time.”

“He could be biting and doing apprehension all day long,” he added, “and when he comes home, he was this loving, caring, kind soul.”