Hurricane was a Secret Service Belgian Malinois on duty at the White House. In October 2014, a man jumped the north fence. Hurricane charged in and took repeated kicks and punches. He pinned the intruder on the lawn until agents arrived. He medically retired in 2016 and went home with his handler - the most decorated dog in US history.

The Secret Service Dog Who Tackled a White House Intruder

4 views·Posted 1 month ago·Updated 11 minutes ago

When Dominic Adesanya vaulted the White House north fence on the evening of October 22, 2014, he had about three seconds before a 65-pound Belgian Malinois turned his sprint into a fight for his freedom.

The Dog Behind the Badge

Hurricane was six years old, a black Belgian Malinois assigned to the US Secret Service Emergency Response Team. He had joined the unit in November 2012, trained for exactly these moments. His handler was Officer Marshall Mirarchi. The two had worked together through hundreds of hours of perimeter patrols and training drills at the White House grounds.

Twenty Seconds on the North Lawn

Adesanya hit the ground running after clearing the fence. Hurricane and a partner dog charged without hesitation. The intruder kicked him repeatedly. He punched him. He grabbed Hurricane and tried to swing him off the ground. Hurricane held on. He kept the intruder pinned until Mirarchi and fellow agents arrived and made the arrest.

Both dogs were treated for bruising. Hurricane's injuries were more significant than first reported, and the long-term damage would take months to become clear.

Awards Across Two Countries

Hurricane received the USSS Award for Meritorious Service in 2014 and the DHS Secretary's Award for Valor in 2015. In 2016, he received the Animal Medical Center Top Dog Award.

In 2019, at the British Parliament, he became the first US dog to receive the PDSA Order of Merit, a prestigious British award for outstanding devotion and service. In 2022, at the US Capitol, he received the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal.

Each award added to a total no working dog in American history had reached before.

Going Home

Hurricane was medically retired on September 20, 2016, and was adopted by his handler Mirarchi - the two had worked together since 2012. In retirement, he became the public face of K9 Hurricane's Heroes, a nonprofit supporting working dogs and their handlers.

In 2023, Guinness World Records certified him as the most decorated dog in US history. He died on February 12, 2025, at approximately 16 years old, with the mission behind him and his handler by his side.

Source:Guinness World Records

Enjoyed this? Get a new fact every day.

Follow FunFactz for the best ones in your feed.

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram X

or get one in your inbox

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Hurricane the Secret Service dog do at the White House?

Hurricane was a Belgian Malinois assigned to the US Secret Service Emergency Response Team. In October 2014, he tackled and held down an intruder named Dominic Adesanya who had jumped the White House north fence, taking repeated kicks and punches until agents could make the arrest.

What awards did Hurricane the Secret Service dog receive?

Hurricane received the USSS Award for Meritorious Service (2014), the DHS Secretary's Award for Valor (2015), the Animal Medical Center Top Dog Award (2016), the PDSA Order of Merit from the British Parliament (2019), and the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal at the US Capitol (2022). In 2023, Guinness World Records recognized him as the most decorated dog in US history.

Who was Hurricane the dog's handler at the Secret Service?

Hurricane's handler was Officer Marshall Mirarchi of the US Secret Service Emergency Response Team. When Hurricane medically retired in 2016, Mirarchi adopted him, and the two remained together until Hurricane's death in February 2025.

What happened to Hurricane after he retired from the Secret Service?

After medically retiring in September 2016 due to injuries from the White House incident, Hurricane was adopted by his handler Officer Mirarchi. He became the public face of K9 Hurricane's Heroes, a nonprofit supporting working dogs and their handlers, and continued receiving honors until his death in February 2025 at approximately 16 years old.

What breed was Hurricane the Secret Service dog?

Hurricane was a black Belgian Malinois, a breed widely used by law enforcement and military agencies for their intelligence, speed, and high drive. Belgian Malinois are the preferred working dog breed for the US Secret Service and many special operations units worldwide.

Verified Fact

Verified Jun 28, 2026 · 6 sources checked

Source: Guinness World Records

Show verification details

Verified 2026-06-28. 6 sources checked: GWR death notice (primary), PDSA official press release, k9hurricanesheroes.org (handler nonprofit), Wikipedia Hurricane (dog), Fox News Feb 2025, ABC News Oct 2014. Primary source: guinnessworldrecords.com Claims checked: Incident date Oct 22 2014 (NOT Sep 19 Gonzalez incident): CONFIRMED. Intruder Dominic Adesanya unarmed north lawn: CONFIRMED. Conflation check - no knife/armed/inside-building language present: CONFIRMED clean. Hurricane and partner dog Jordan charged: CONFIRMED (ABC News 2014 names both). Adesanya kicked punched grabbed and swung Hurricane: CONFIRMED (PDSA: "kicked, punched and swung through the air"). Hurricane held intruder until agents arrived: CONFIRMED. Handler Officer Marshall Mirarchi spelling: CONFIRMED all sources. Joined unit November 2012: CONFIRMED k9hurricanesheroes.org. Six years old at time of incident: CONFIRMED ABC News 2014. Medically retired September 20 2016: CONFIRMED multiple sources. Mirarchi adopted Hurricane: CONFIRMED. K9 Hurricanes Heroes nonprofit: CONFIRMED. USSS Award for Meritorious Service 2014: CONFIRMED. DHS Secretary Award for Valor 2015: CONFIRMED. Animal Medical Center Top Dog Award 2016: CONFIRMED k9hurricanesheroes.org (was MISSING from article section - CORRECTED in this pass). PDSA Order of Merit 2019 at House of Lords (article says British Parliament - technically correct): CONFIRMED PDSA press release. First US dog to receive PDSA Order of Merit: CONFIRMED first international recipient. Animals in War and Peace DSM at US Capitol 2022: CONFIRMED. Guinness World Records certified 2023: CONFIRMED k9hurricanesheroes.org lists GWR as 2023 separate from 2022 DSM. Most decorated dog in US history: CONFIRMED GWR. Death date February 12 2025: CONFIRMED k9hurricanesheroes.org (handler nonprofit). Age approximately 16: ACCEPTABLE - GWR says 16; Wikipedia (born Apr 26 2009) and handler nonprofit say 15; genuine source conflict; approximately covers it. Engine=1 A-lane emotional-animal: CONFIRMED correct. Citation fidelity: source_url (GWR death notice) supports headline most-decorated + White House incident: CONFIRMED. Correction made: Article Awards section added missing Animal Medical Center Top Dog Award (2016) between DHS 2015 and PDSA 2019. No other fields changed. No scheduled posts existed to cancel. Gemini CLI unavailable - manual claim-source comparison against 6 sources performed instead.

More from Animals

View all Animals →

A homing pigeon shot through the breast with one leg hanging by a tendon flew 25 miles to save 194 men trapped behind enemy lines. The survivors carved him a wooden leg. He still stands at the Smithsonian today.

2k2 months ago

When the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001, a Halifax police dog named Trakr and his handler drove 15 hours from Nova Scotia to help. Buried under 30 feet of unstable rubble, Trakr found Genelle Guzman-McMillan - a Port Authority worker trapped for 27 hours and the last of the 20 live survivors pulled from the debris. Seven years later, a contest chose Trakr as the world's most "clone-worthy" dog. He died before the results arrived. In June 2009, five cloned puppies - Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu - were delivered to his handler.

3 months ago

Harry deLeyer arrived late to a 1956 horse auction. He paid $80 to save a gray plow horse already headed for the dog food factory. He later sold the horse to a neighbor. The horse jumped five foot fences again and again just to walk home. So deLeyer bought him back. Two years after that auction, Snowman was the national show jumping champion. He won it again the next year.

29 days ago

Trending

African giant pouched rats can screen 100 TB sputum samples in under 20 minutes. A lab technician takes at least four days to do the same work. APOPO trains these rats, called HeroRATs, to spot TB cases standard tests miss. They also sniff out buried landmines. Too light to set the mines off.

9 days ago

Surprise Me