USRC is happy to announce that Staff Sergeant Summer of the Amtrak Police Department (APD) has advanced to the second round of voting for the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Voting is taking place from May 23 until July 18, 2019 and USRC would like to encourage everyone to vote for Summer daily.

Summer is a highly decorated 8-year-old female Labrador Retriever. She retired from the United States Marine Corps in March 2013 after serving several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Specialized Search Dog. While deployed, Summer conducted a substantial amount of routine patrols, searching and positively identifying countless weapons caches and improvised explosive devices; swept and cleared routes for the troops; and was involved in limitless fire fights with insurgents. This exposure to a war zone environment and other traumatic events led to Summer being diagnosed with canine PTSD in December 2015.

Since 2014, Staff Sergeant Summer and Sergeant Micah Jones K122, USAF, Ret. have been a TSA K-9 team for APD at Union Station. Summer and Sergeant Jones are responsible for the safety and security of Amtrak passengers, personnel, and infrastructure. On a daily basis, they conduct tactical train rides from Washington, DC to New York City, perform sweeps and protection for VIPs and foreign dignitaries, and provide mutual aid with surrounding police departments during bomb threats.

In 2018, Sergeant Jones nominated Summer for an American Humane Hero Dog Award in the Military category. She made it through to the second round of voting; however, Summer did not win. As Summer has dedicated her life to serving, first with the United States Armed Forces and now with APD, Sergeant Jones has nominated her for the Military Hero Dog Award again this year.