Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Sydney Phoenix | Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist 1st Class Alaina Whitaker stands with K-9...... read more read more
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NEW YORK — Through crowded streets and hours of steady patrol, the pointy-eared canine never lost focus. Moving methodically past each vehicle, Chief Ultra froze at the last one. Nose lifted, body rigid, she alerted to the trunk of a car during the United Nations General Assembly. The item turned out to be emergency flares, nothing malicious, but for Ultra, it marked a milestone: her first real find after three years on the job. For her handler, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Alaina Whitaker, it was a moment of quiet pride and confirmation of countless hours spent training together.
Ultra’s performance that day was just one example of the precision and discipline she brings to every mission. Those same qualities, sharpened through years of training and real-world operations, helped the duo gain national recognition.
For the third consecutive year, a Coast Guard working dog stationed at Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) New York has risen to the top of the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Ultra and Whitaker earned the 2025 title in the military category.
Ultra, a nearly five-year-old fluffy German/Dutch Shepard mix, has served alongside Whitaker for three years now and was selected for the military category for her outstanding work as a Coast Guard explosive-detection canine. Her nomination highlighted her consistent performance across major national events, including the Super Bowl, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the Presidential Inauguration, and marathon security missions in the heart of New York City.
The American Humane Hero Dog Awards celebrate the nation’s most heroic canines across multiple categories, including military, law enforcement, therapy, and service. Whitaker submitted Ultra for consideration after encouragement from her command when the application period opened in August. At this year’s ceremony, Whitaker and Ultra joined several other finalists, including K-9 Harrison, Service Dog Donald, Lieutenant Dan, and Sergeant Bo, a therapy dog who was named the overall Hero Dog winner.
“Seeing how many people were supporting it and voting every day for her, especially my mom and the unit, was really cool to see,” Whitaker said with a smile. “It's just awesome to get the recognition and to be able to showcase what Coast Guard canines are doing. There are only eighteen of us in the Coast Guard, and the fact that the last three years in a row, the military category winner has been a Coast Guard canine is really amazing.”
The Coast Guard has a long history of military working canines, but Whitaker and Ultra’s partnership began only a few years ago.
Whitaker has a background in criminology and always knew she wanted to do something in law enforcement and with K-9s. When she graduated from maritime enforcement training in 2019, she applied for every K-9 solicitation that came out, patiently waiting to receive the call. When she finally did on a random Friday at the gun range, she knew her career was going to change for good. Within a couple of months, she was at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for her 12-week course.
“I wanted the biggest, meanest looking dog they had,” she laughed. “They gave me three dogs, one dog each day, for three days, to see how those pairings go. The first day, they gave me a ninety-pound German Shepherd, and I was so excited. Day two, they gave me an eighty-pound male, but he had too much power. And then on day three, they gave me Ultra. I looked at her and thought, ‘They gave me the runt of the class.’ But the second we started working together, I knew this was my dog. She's my best friend now.”
Since then, their connection has only deepened, proving itself during the demanding, high-profile missions they routinely support. Whether working long days sweeping vehicles or navigating large chaotic crowds, Ultra’s focus and Whitaker’s calm demeanor are always on point.
“A huge thing in being a handler is patience,” she said. “Everything starts up the leash. If the handler is stressed, the dog will be too. If the handler is having a bad day, the dog's also going to be having a bad day. They read off of our body language and our emotions. Being able to control my stress and being able to slow down and take a step back has definitely helped me be a better handler.”
Whitaker and Ultra aren’t doing it alone; the team behind them continues to grow. Petty Officer 2nd Class Kendall Ellington and K-9 Hector recently reported to MSST New York and now work alongside Whitaker and Ultra. Since graduating and reporting to the unit in July 2025, they have trained and supported several events together, safeguarding the public and strengthening the unit’s operational capability.
Ellington said she “hit the ground running,” deploying within her first week on the team. One of her first major events was the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan, where she and Hector were tasked with patrolling one of the concert venues. She said the logistics were completely new: managing a canine, navigating large crowds, and balancing public interaction with the requirement to hit key checkpoints for sweeps. She credits Whitaker for helping her adjust quickly.
“Her experience, her knowledge, and the way she juggles and balances everything made the difference,” Ellington said. “She was able to keep us focused and moving ahead, even in stressful situations. I think a lot of that speaks to her previous experience at the tactical law enforcement team, just being able to multitask above and beyond anything that I've ever seen.”
The Coast Guard’s canine program traces its roots back more than 80 years, beginning with dogs patrolling U.S. beaches during WWII after German spy landings and submarine sightings raised security concerns. As maritime homeland-security threats evolved, so did the mission of Coast Guard canines. Today, the service fields 18 globally deployable canine explosive detection teams trained for vessel and offshore operations, including helicopter delivery and shipboard searches, which both Whitaker and Ultra have performed firsthand.
The program’s history underscores the significance of today’s canine teams, making Ultra’s recognition even more meaningful. This award for Ultra means more to Whitaker than just recognition for their small team, but a win for the organization.
“I think it's more so showcasing the Coast Guard and the variety of jobs that we have to offer,” Whitaker said. “I feel like not many people see the Coast Guard and think canine, so showcasing how much we do with how few canines we have, deploying all over the United States, it’s really an honor to do that.”
The award highlights their capabilities, but everyone around them sees the true strength in their connection.
“They are very fluid in how they work together,” Ellington smiled, looking across the room to her coworker. “Alaina doesn't have to really give commands or tell anybody else what's happening; it's almost magical. You watch them work together, and there's just a kind of silence that falls because they're in their zone. They almost know what the other is going to do. It's really cool to see.”
Whitaker takes pride in her hard work, the long hours, and the dedication to getting and maintaining qualifications, so that Ultra can protect and serve.
“I am nothing without my dog,” she said. -USCG-
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2025 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 551902 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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