Dog Of The Month September 2023 - Yoda, A 4-Year-Old Belgian Malinois, Responsible For Capturing Escaped Inmate Danelo Cavalcante

ABC News - A fugitive who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison just days after being sentenced to life without parole in the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend was captured early Wednesday after he tried to crawl away and was taken down by a law enforcement K-9 named Yoda, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Danelo Cavalcante was captured at 8:14 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. He was found hiding in or near a large pile of logs behind a John Deere store in South Coventry Township, about 30 miles from a county-run prison where he escaped 14 days ago.

After being surrounded, he said Cavalcante did not surrender immediately. He said the fugitive tried to get away by crawling through thick brush while armed with a .22-caliber rifle he stole from a nearby residence Tuesday night.

Bivens said Yoda, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois from the Border Patrol team, was sent in and was able to help detain Cavalcante, biting him at least once. No shots were fired.

"The dog subdued him and team members from both of those teams immediately moved in," Bivens said. "He continued to resist, but was forcibly taken into custody."

He said Cavalcante was bitten on the scalp and was treated at the scene.

Look at what a bad ass Yoda is.

That look on his face says it all. Dogs just love the feeling of being needed, completing the objective, and being rewarded. You can tell Yoda knew he was getting steak later that night. What a good boy.

I really wanted to award it to this little nugget, Ciapuno from Poland, who's in a lot of hot water for going to town on a neighbor's cabbage patch.

But I decided he deserves his own blog. Which he will get tomorrow. What a great story this is.

Last months winner Stella continues to shine.

And Yoda made a great follow up.

We had a ton of submissions this month, all which I’ll list below as co-winners because all these good boys and girls deserve it. 

Dogs truly are the greatest.

Rest In Peace Louie

Just a reminder that there are great dogs looking for good homes all over the country. Adopting is the way to go. Lookup your area shelter and bring home your best friend today. If you’re in Chicago, there’s no place better than PAWS.