BLACKWOOD - A heroic South Jersey Rottweiler named Gunther has earned a lot more than a doggy treat.

Gunther, who's owned by John Hunt of Blackwood, is one of five dogs nationwide to win an Award for Canine Excellence (ACE) from the American Kennel Club.

Gunther was the winner in the therapy dog category in the 2019 competition.

The 6-year-old dog was honored for providing comfort to communities following some of the country's worst mass shootings, according to the AKC.

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Hunt founded Crisis Response Canines last December with the goal of establishing "a nationwide network of canine crisis response teams who can be deployed immediately where they are needed most," according to the nonprofit's website.

But Hunt and Gunther have been working together long before the organization was founded.

The pair were deployed to Orlando, Florida, after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016. They also responded following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, and after the nation's worst-ever mass shooting outside the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas in 2017.

"During deployments, John and Gunther spend long days working with the victims and their families and spend their nights comforting the EMTs, police, firefighters, and on-site support crews," the AKC said on its website.

Hunt, who is the corporate director of security for Atlanticare, also works with Gunther to cheer up patients and caregivers. The pair also helps train a number of organizations on deployment management for active-shooter cases.

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Gunther and the other ACE winners will be honored at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin in Orlando on Dec. 14-15. It is the nation's largest canine event.

“The extraordinary stories of the 2019 ACE Award winners illustrate how dogs touch our hearts and lives every day,” Doug Ljungren, President of the AKC Humane Fund, said in a statement. “Each of these five dogs have changed the life of a person, and in some cases an entire community and deserve to be celebrated. The ACE Awards give us an opportunity to show our appreciation for all that dogs do in the service of humankind.”

Sheri Berkery is the trending reporter at the Courier-Post, covering the topics that people are talking about on social media and in real life. If you think you have a story idea that’s a “talker,” contact her at 856.486.2673 or sberkery@gannettnj.com

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