Since 2007, Cable New Network (CNN) has recognized individuals and groups for outstanding contributions to our planet and its inhabitants.
This year, two animal advocates made the top-five cut for 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. Honorees include Heidi Carman, founder of First Responder Therapy Dogs (FRTD) in San Raphael, California, and Tim Woodward of Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Californians are no stranger to wildfires and the traumas they wring among residents and first responders. When infernos swept across much of the state in 2020, Carman and her therapy dog, Kerith, braved the front lines to comfort firefighters. Since then, her nonprofit’s therapy dog teams visit first responders across the country helping them cope with on-the-job stress. The service is free.
Each day, firefighters, paramedics, dispatch teams, law enforcement and search-and-rescue personnel face extreme stress, PTSD, and depression. Suicidal impulses plague some. Carmen saw a need to provide respite and unconditional love to these professionals who may be reluctant to seek help. “Our therapy dogs provide the emotional support [first responders] need to navigate these intense experiences,” the website says. Since 2021, FRTD has certified more than 480 therapy dog teams across the United States and visited more than 150,000 first responders.
“It’s like an exhale for them just to be with a dog,” Carman told CNN. “I’ve seen happy tears, sad tears, a lot of smiles. … It’s just so nice for them to see something happy and alive and furry.”
An animal welfare worker, Woodward perceived the gaps in the system for responding to large-scale cruelty cases. Hoarding, puppy mills, dog fighting, natural disasters, cruelty, and neglect often exist on a scope beyond animal control resources’ capacity to combat them.
ARC answered a recent distress call from animal shelter authorities in Benton County, TN, where a hoard of dogs was dumped in a remote location. Vulnerable puppies and a pregnant dog were among those abandoned. The mother gave birth to and tried nursing a litter of nine under deplorable conditions. “Operation Gentle Rain” rescued 20 of the dogs and pulled six more at-risk dogs from local shelters. ARC mobilizes to rescue large numbers of abused and neglected animals from horrific conditions and give them a new lease on life.
“The change in the animals is always remarkable,” Woodward told CNN. “They come out of situations where they have no trust. Watching that animal learn to trust, it’s why all of us are committed to the work.”
Each of CNN’s top five honorees will receive $10,000. The 2025 Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000. Finalists’ awards are raised through the noted fundraising platform Pledge. The Hero of the Year Award is funded by the Elevate Prize Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to Make Good Famous. Additionally, the Elevate Prize Foundation will match all donations of up to $50,000 per hero to the top five finalists through January 4, 2026.
CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute, will air this Saturday, December 6, at 8:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time.