Animal rescuers from near and far gathered at Manhattan’s Pierre Hotel where they were honored by the ASPCA at its annual “Humane Awards” ceremony.

The “Dog of the Year”, is Pearl, who was given a second chance by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation , after being surrendered by her owner at a shelter.  Shortly after being certified, Pearl and her handler, Ron Horetski of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, were deployed to Haiti where they helped to rescue twelve people from the rubble of January’s devastating earthquake.

(Photo: Susan Richard)

The “Cat of the Year”, is Henry, a three legged kitty, whose own disability is helping to teach tolerance and resilience to others across the globe.  His books, “Henry’s World” and “What’s the Matter with Henry?”, written by owner Cathy Conheim, have generated more than $50,000 for various animal welfare groups.

Simpson’s co-founder Sam Simon was recognized for his Sam Simon Foundation, which rescues dogs from a local kill shelter in Los Angeles, and trains them to become certified service dogs for the hearing impaired, as well as for returning U.S. service members suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Also honored, the firefighters of FDNY Ladder 116 in Queens, who rescued 30 cats and dogs from a Memorial Day pet store blaze, Connecticut’s Julia Ryan and Clark Burgard who founded Animal Rescue Flights, Olivia Bouler of Islip, New York, whose artwork helped raise nearly $200,000 to save the birds endangered by the BP oil spill in the Gulf, and Kathleen Schwartz-Howe, who runs Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Maryland.

Meet all the honorees in the latest edition of All For Animals, with 1010WINS’ Susan Richard.