Hurricane, Dog Who Protected Obama White House From Intruder, Dies at 15

U.S.|Hurricane, Dog Who Protected Obama White House From Intruder, Dies at 15

Hurricane, a fierce but affectionate Secret Service dog who subdued an intruder on the North Lawn of the White House in 2014, protecting President Barack Obama and lifting the spirits of an embattled Secret Service, died on Feb. 12 in Alexandria, Va. He was 15.

The death was confirmed by Hurricane’s longtime handler, Marshall Mirarchi.

A jet-black Belgian Malinois who loved Kong toys, Hurricane shot to a measure of canine fame a decade ago through his spirited defense of the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was around dusk on Oct. 22, 2014, when a 23-year-old intruder scaled the steel fencing at the White House complex and came within 100 yards of the president and the first lady, Michelle Obama, who were watching a film in the White House movie theater.

The man was about halfway across the North Lawn when he was met by another Secret Service dog, Jordan, a Belgian Malinois with a tan coat and a brown snout. The man managed to fight off Jordan but then faced Hurricane, who had raced his way from the east side of the lawn.

Hurricane pushed the intruder back about 60 feet before wrestling him to the ground. Secret Service agents soon arrived to take the man into custody.

The intruder, Dominic Adesanya, of Bel Air, Md., later pleaded guilty to a trespassing charge.

“He beat Hurricane really bad,” Mr. Mirarchi, who served in the Secret Service’s Special Operations Division from 2006 to 2017, recalled Tuesday. “But Hurricane did not give up.”