Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles "Chuck" Shuck loved his dog Gabe.

The yellow Labrador befriended the former Lansford man in 2006 when the pair was preparing to deploy to Iraq.Over the next few years, they traversed the dangerous terrains of Iraq, completing 210 combat missions.An unbreakable bond between the two was created a half a world away, and following Gabe's retirement as a bomb-sniffing dog, Shuck welcomed him into his home and heart forever.Unfortunately, Gabe's life was cut short on Feb. 13, 2013 just five months after being named the 2012 American Humane Association's Hero Dog.At the age of 10, Gabe succumbed to cancer in the arms of his loving owner."Gabe was a wonderful partner and I miss him so much," Shuck said recently.To honor Gabe, Shuck has continued to help animals and spread the word to children through a number of charitable works, including saving hundreds of shelter dogs from being euthanized by sharing their photos with the thousands of fans Gabe had on Facebook in the hopes of finding adoptive families.His current campaign is to distribute at least 4,000 books about Gabe's story, published by Simon and Schuster, to military children in time for Christmas.Because of his dedication to animals and his love for his country, the American Humane Association chose to honor Shuck, who now lives in Waynesville, Missouri, last month during this year's Hero Dog awards in Beverly Hills, California. He was named the 2014 Humane Hero award recipient."Sgt. Shuck and Gabe saved an unknown number of lives, and they continue to do so even after Gabe's passing," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of the American Humane Association. "Sgt. Shuck is a leader in the humane movement and gives tirelessly to give animals a second chance at life.""When I found out that I was being honored, I was like what did I do?" Shuck said. "Saving dogs is my passion and the reward for this is seeing them get adopted or rescued."The award is a testament to the hard work of all of Gabe's fans, which hold the nickname 'Gabe Nation,'" he said. "The American Humane Association is one of the best organizations in the world and I am so proud to be associated with them and all they do for both children and animals."Shuck said he was proud to be able to bring light to these causes, as well as represent his hometown through his work."The people of the coal region are amazing and I am also grateful to the Army for always allowing me to represent them with my projects of helping animals," the 1997 Panther Valley graduate said."I am so proud to represent the (Panther) Valley because no matter where you go in the world, the 'bubble' will always be home."