Hero Awards: Meet Charlie who was saved from euthanasia

PHOENIX - Friends of Animal Care and Control, a nonprofit that wants to end euthanasia, is giving hero awards that honor animals who have gone above and beyond. Last week we introduced you to stormy, a stray that survived harsh circumstances, and this week's heroic animal is Charlie, a chocolate lab bringing more than just companionship.

"When we first discovered Charlie, we really thought it was going to be a story about how he's brought companionship to a working dog," says Leanne Taylor, executive director of Friends of Animal Care and Control. She says Charlie was adopted by the Crater family initially to keep their service dog company. But it turned into much more.

"Our daughter who''s disabled is in and out of the hospital, and when she comes home, Charlie is right there to give love and kisses. it's a motivational thing, just having him around and knowing his story, the fact that he came off the street and had such a hard time, a hard start in life, but that he just encourages each one of us in our individual ways," says one family member. Charlie entered the shelter as a puppy with a terrible case of mange. His fur was almost gone, and his skin was torn and bleeding. He was set to be euthanized until another local shelter nursed him back to health and found him a forever home.

"There are hundreds of dogs out there that are being loved in families, and the fact that kagan is a service dog and it's brought attention to him is wonderful."

The Hero Awards, which will be held later on in the month, actually help the nonprofit raise money so they can provide free spray and neutering and hopefully end euthanasia one day.