As I walked to meet K-9 Ultra, a five-year-old explosive-detection canine and one of the finalists of the 15th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards, I ran through my list of questions in my head:
“How do you stay so focused during a mission, even in the presence of clear environmental distractions like squirrels and birds?”
“Do you always comply with your handler’s commands?”
And—
“Is that behavior transferable to my civilian dogs?”
Except then I arrived. The camera was rolling. My tennis-ball microphone was on. I stood next to K-9 Ultra and her handler, Maritime Enforcement Specialist First Class Alaina Whitaker, and the first question that blurted out of my mouth was:
“So… does he know any tricks?!”
He. He!
Not only is “does he know any tricks?” the most cliché canine interview question ever—especially for a Hero Dog finalist who literally protects our country—I also called Coast Guard K-9 Ultra a boy. Which immediately reminded me of a recent moment when my husband was talking about the CEO of a new tech company and I said, “Well, did he—” referring to the CEO. My husband quickly corrected me. The CEO was a she. Right. Duh!
Except—it’s not like these ratios are equal yet. Corporate leadership is still overwhelmingly male. Government leadership is still overwhelmingly male. And the other day, I went to the basketball courts at Equinox to shoot hoops and some guy asked me if I was there for a volleyball sign-up—which I was not. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the military is still very male-dominated, which is another reason, among many, that Whitaker and K-9 Ultra’s work matters so much.
“Ultra doesn’t really know any tricks,” Whitaker laughed. “She searches for bombs. That’s her only major skill.”
Oh. That’s it, Ultra? ONLY bomb detection?
While most dogs are busy detecting ball under couch again (please retrieve for me, human) or food on plate, Ultra—the German Shepherd–Dutch Shepherd mix—has been trained to detect explosives, protecting major public events like the Super Bowl and the New York City Marathon.
During one vice-presidential motorcade, Ultra was responsible for clearing an entire route under intense time pressure. Her focus and precision ensured the area was secured well ahead of schedule. Ultra is also trained to deploy from helicopters wearing goggles and a helmet, lowered by hoist over open water, attached securely to Whitaker.
Meanwhile, my dog Oscar’s greatest act of “heroism” was the day he made it his mission to protect us from Central Park geese by launching himself into the pond. Don’t worry—the geese did not detect this as a threat. They watched the splashing doodle more amused than afraid. My husband had to roll up his Lululemon pants and swim after Oscar in a very non-impressive, non–Coast Guard–style mission.
“She protects New York City—the greatest city in the world, and one of the busiest cities in the world,” Whitaker said. “We’re out here all the time protecting ports and waterfront facilities, showing that there’s more to the Coast Guard than just boats.”
It was an honor to be in the presence of Whitaker and Ultra—an empowering female duo deeply committed to serving the country and encouraging more women to see themselves in military work. Whitaker shared that out of the 18 handlers in the Coast Guard, five are women—and that number continues to grow each year.
“Being in the military and working as a maritime enforcement specialist is very male-dominated,” Whitaker said. “Showing that I can do the job just as well as everyone else is so important. Females can do this job. We are just as good. There is nothing holding us back.”
On the walk home, I thought about something I once heard from a dog trainer: a good working dog is a good working dog. In professional K-9 programs, dogs aren’t selected based on sex—they’re chosen for drive, focus, resilience, and nerve strength. Which, of course, is the way it should be.
To follow more of Whitaker and Ultra’s work and service, you can find them on Instagram—where I was particularly delighted to see many of their videos set to Taylor Swift, making ME1 Alaina Whitaker, of course, the very best kind of hero: a relatable one. To learn more about the American Humane Hero Dog Awards, visit americanhumane.org/hero-dog-awards.
