Secret Service Dogs ─ The Heroes Who Protect the President of the United States

In an age fraught with terrorism, United States Secret Service canine teams risk their lives to safeguard the president, vice president, their families, visiting heads of state, and a host of others. Unprecedented access to these heroic dog teams has allowed a fascinating first-time-ever look at a very special breed of heroes.

Wherever the president goes, there will be dogs. They’ll be there no matter what the country or state. They’ll be there regardless of the political climate, the danger level, the weather, or the hour. 

“If you let down your guard on the job,” says Special Agent Bill Glady, canine program director, “it can change the history of the world.”

It’s a burden Secret Service dog handlers take extremely seriously regardless of their specialty. Tactical dog handlers on the White House lawn, handlers whose dogs sniff for explosives around the world, and those who walk their amiable floppy-eared dogs up and down Pennsylvania Avenue all live one common mantra: Not on my watch. Or my dog’s.

“What is really on our shoulders is almost unbearable to think about,” says U.S. Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) dog handler Luke Kuklick. Until now, this clandestine, intriguing world has remained largely invisible to the public.

Secret Dogs immerses readers into the heart of this elite world of canine protectors: the painstaking selection of dogs and handlers, their grueling year-round training, their exciting missions around the world, and, most important, the bond—the glue that holds the teams together and can mean the difference between finding bombs and terrorists or letting them slip by.

“These animals will gladly run into a hail of gunfire,” says Secret Service ERT tactical canine unit supervisor Jon Stewart. “All they ask in return is for their handlers to throw the ball with them, pet them, and talk to them in an embarrassingly high voice.”

Secret Dogs shines a spotlight on some of the Secret Service’s most unforgettable canine heroes, from Hurricane, a Belgian Malinois with four titanium teeth, to Roadee, a little terrier mix with a big attitude. It’s a must-read for dog lovers and anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most captivating programs of the United States Secret Service. 

Maria Goodavage, veteran journalist and author of the New York Times bestsellersSoldier Dogs and Top Dog, lives in San Francisco with her family and yellow Lab, Gus Kilroy.