Hero Dog Awards: Beverly Hills Gala October 1 Decides Bravest Four-Legged in the Nation

The late and great Roselle.

Update: Yes, the posthumous winner was Roselle! Big cash prizes went to Roselle and others. See at bottom of second page.

The hairy competition has been pitched, with 453 heroic dogs from around the nation fighting it out for the eight finalist slots in the first American Humane Association Hero Dog Award to be handed out tomorrow, October 1, in Beverly Hills.

The judges will be torn, with sentimental favorite, white-whiskered elder guide dog Roselle -- made famous when she guided her blind human down more than 1,400 steps to safely escape the World Trade Center on 9/11 -- having quietly passed away in July. Will she get the posthumous nod? Here are the other seven Hero Dogs for your consideration:

Ricochet, hero dog and ace fund-raiser.

Ricochet, that surfing showoff from Escondido who, to her credit, is supposedly the only therapy dog in the world who surfs with disabled and special needs people.

Ricochet has something of an advantage thanks to loads of press and surfer chic.

Ricochet is not just a humanitarian but also a killer fundraiser, which Barack Obama and the various Republicans might like to know.

Sadie the bomb snuffler.

Sadie, a cop basically, is based in Westminster, Colorado where she works as a certified bomb-sniffer ("accelerant detection dog") for the Major Crimes Unit of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

This paramilitary pooch has assisted in many arrests and worked some 400 fire scenes.

Please see the next page for more Hero Dog finalists.