Hero dog honored after legendary career catching criminals: 'He's responsible for putting a lot of people in jail'
A heroic dog in Australia has been rewarded for his work in helping fire investigation teams and boosting the safety of his human co-workers.
Gandalf the detection dog is a more seasoned pup passing on his wisdom to the next generation of service animals — and now he has an award to prove he is indeed "a very good boy," as Australian Community Media (@australiancommunitymedia) highlighted on TikTok.
Australia's Fire and Rescue New South Wales announced in April that Gandalf, who has been with the department since 2018, was honored as the 2025 Canine Hero of the Year in the Service Dog category at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The team credits Gandalf with fearlessly going into hazardous areas and quickly pinpointing how the fires started. His work means investigators spend less time in those fire-ravaged areas, which can contain toxic chemicals that threaten human health.
Gandalf is able to quickly identify fire accelerants, helping him find evidence in arson and homicide investigations.
"This award is a fitting tribute to the work Gandalf has done for our team and the community," Tim Garrett, FRNSW canine team leader, said. "Gandalf has an incredible ability to work through chaotic, post-fire environments and identify the smallest traces of ignitable liquids."
The veteran pup's work is all the more essential as Australia grapples with the effects of rising global temperatures. In 2020, as bushfires devastated southeastern Australia during "Black Summer," World Weather Attribution found that human activities associated with a warming climate — such as the burning of dirty fuels — had raised the country's bushfire risk by at least 30%.
While upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and unplugging wallet-draining "energy vampires" are among the ways to reduce the heat-trapping pollution you generate at home, Gandalf's nose remains a powerful deterrent for potential fire-starting perpetrators, as he has worked a number of high-profile arson and homicide cases.
"He's actually responsible for putting a lot of people in jail," an announcer honoring the canine noted during the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show.
At the end of the year, Gandalf is retiring from the Fire Investigation and Research Unit. However, Siren, one of the veteran's mentees, is in the newest class of detection dogs.
What type of food do you feed your pets?
Conventional kibble
Canned
Fresh
Insect-based
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
"He's been incredibly tolerant and patient with his new excitable sidekick, Siren," Garrett said. "He's passing the baton in the best possible way."
Gandalf's prize money from his Canine Hero of the Year award will go toward Fire and Rescue NSW's Beat the Burn — an event focused on raising funds for the burns unit at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, per the department's Facebook.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
26 Products To Make Cleaning So Easy You *Almost* Won't Mind Doing It Anymore
Bioclean, a hard water stain remover for everyone who is just tired of trying to clean those cloudy glass shower doors, spot-covered fixtures, tile and grout, and more. It even works on pools! If you're not convinced, just hear from one reviewer: "Step one: Look at the pictures. Step two: Buy a lifetime supply immediately." A TikTok-approved, compact Levoit air purifier with a true HEPA filter because dust, pollen, and pet dander can get you DOWN (and sneezy) — and make it look like you haven't cleaned in ages, when you totally dusted yesterday. This'll suck so much out of the air, you just might find yourself dusting less often! And it can help your home smell fresher, too. A sink cleaner and polish formulated to use on stainless steel AND porcelain sinks (plus cast iron, corian, acrylic, and more) to restore that just-like-new shine *and* protect against further damage. It creates a water-repellant barrier, so instead of your morning coffee, lunchtime soup, and evening pasta sauce just sitting in the bottom of the sink, it'll actually rinse clean with ease. A fume-free oven cleaner you can spray on, leave for a minute, and then wipe away for an oven so clean, you'll think it was swapped out for a new model overnight. Time to reward yourself after all this cleaning with a cake. A Clorox toilet wand with disposable scrubby heads *preloaded* with cleaner so you can clean the whole bowl with one hand — and *one* product. A vacuum cleaner designed just for your car, because your ride deserves to be as crumb-free as your home. This lil' guy plugs into your 12V outlets and sucks up all of the dirt, dead leaf particles, McDonalds french fry salt, and all the other detritus accumulating on the floors and seats — it has three attachments for detailing in alllll the nooks and crannies. Dawn Powerwash, a borderline magical spray-on dish soap that BLASTS through tough grease and baked-on messes with ease. But it's not just for dishes — if you have a greasy range hood or backsplash, or you want to deep clean your cooktop or grill, this is *perfect* for that too, cutting through the toughest messes! The TikTok-famous Bissell Little Green carpet and upholstery cleaner that sprays on water and stain-fighting cleaner, then sucks it away to blast away years' of mess — on carpet *and* furniture. Reviewers love it for banishing pet stains, spills, and more — without having to waste a lot of their valuable storage space. The Chom Chom, because it's every pet-owning neat freak's dream that shedding exist. And this genius roller is the closest we can possibly get to that dream. It has a patented brush design (and *no* adhesive strips) to rid your lovely black sofa of all your furry friend's shedding in just a quick roll! A Furemover rubber broom that, despite the name, isn't just for those with shedding pets (although it's great for that) — as one of my BuzzFeed shopping colleagues knows first hand, it's also great at getting *human* hair out of carpet in just a few quick sweeps (once you realize how much hair is trapped never be able to un-know it). You'll be surprised how much more vibrant and clean-looking your carpets and rugs will be! The Pink Stuff, a TikTok- (and reviewer-) beloved cleaning product that miracles! Name your mess, and this mildly abrasive paste will take care of business — including but not limited to bathroom tiles, sinks, stove tops, painted walls, grills, and outdoor furniture. A 🙌 no-scrub, no-wipe 🙌 Wet & Forget cleaner if you love having a clean don't actually enjoy the cleaning process itself. Now you can keep your shower clean and mildew-free by spraying just *once a week*. And it's bleach-free, so no harsh smells! The Baseboard Buddy, an As-Seen-On-TV gadget that'll come through for you if you're TIRED of all the dust that accumulates on your trim and baseboard every. single. day. This guy is lightweight and has an extendable telescoping handle and 360° swivel so you can wipe surfaces clean with the contoured microfiber head *without* having to bend over or get down on your hands and knees, so you can get your heavy-duty cleaning done AND make regular dusting touchups easier too. A plant-based stainless steel cleaner to remove streaks, marks, residue, and fingerprints from all of your appliances with *one* wipe of the included microfiber cloth. And it helps keep fingerprints and smudges away — reviewers say the shine lasts for days! A Cerama-Bryte cooktop cleaning kit, which includes cooktop cleaning solution, a scrubbing pad, and a scraper so you can absolutely remove every bit of baked- and caked-on food from any smooth range — no matter how long it's been there and what other cleaning products and DIY solutions you've tried in the past. A Bissell CleanView bagless vacuum designed with a specialized brush roll for picking up embedded pet (and human) hair, powerful suction on carpet and hard floors, and an easy-empty tank so you don't have to (gag) touch all of that icky stuff. Or a Roomba robot vacuum that'll do the work *for* you, navigating around your home, picking up dirt, dust, crumbs, and pet hair so you can sit back and relax — and it even works with Alexa and Google Assistant so you can control it with your voice! Btw, compared to the older 600 series, this Roomba has 18x the suction, 33% more battery life, and map reports so you can see where Roomba cleaned! An automatic makeup brush cleaner with a textured silicone bowl to really get those foundation- and eyeshadow-caked brushes cleaner than ever — without a lot of elbow grease on your part. Just squirt in some makeup brush shampoo (I recommend the EcoTools one!) and water, plug 'er in, press the button, and away the bowl spins, scrubbing your brushes clean while you simply hold them in place! A three-part microfiber wand so you can dust your blinds, air-conditioner vent, and any of those other narrow, hard-to-reach areas quicker and easier than ever before. When you're done, just take the covers off and pop 'em right in the washing machine! A set of three scrubbing attachments for serious cleaning jobs on your to-do list — you can simply add an attachment to any power drill to make cleaning your tub, floor, appliances, or even the wheels of your car ridiculously fast and easy. A mold & mildew removing gel, because you don't need to get your whole shower redone once this is in your life. Just squeeze out and let this non-drip gel work its magic overnight — NO s c r u b b i n g. A deep-cleaning brush duo with a powerful scrubbing head for banishing grout discoloration with ease and a wiping blade to reach the crevices, crannies, and nooks that never get haven't at least since your last deep clean. A Iron Out rust stain remover you can use on interior *and* exterior stains from the bathroom to the concrete walkways outside, so you can make over your indoor and outdoor space. The formula clings to the stain — you don't even need to scrub! Microfiber cleaning cloths that'll become your best friends when it comes to *streak-free* cleaning — use them on your car, stainless steel, countertops, wood furniture, floors (reusable Swiffer sweepers, anyone?), metal fixtures, and wayyy more. You'll get a better clean and waste fewer paper towels and disposable wipes — you can put that extra money towards exciting plans. A Hoover PowerDash carpet-cleaning machine designed with pets in mind (but great for any household messes) that'll save you so much money on cleaning services in the long run. It can pick up deep-set stains, uses heat to ensure your carpets actually *dry* quickly, and is surprisingly compact and lightweight too! And a carpet cleaning and deodorizing solution you can use with a steam cleaner for a ridiculous level of deep clean. Not only does it knock out stains, but it's also biodegradable and nontoxic (and scented with essential oils). Puracy's all-in-one cleaning concentrate you can dilute and use on just about everything — floors, countertops, dishes, windows, laundry, and more — so you don't have to keep swapping out bottles in your linen closet.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Collage of 'Philippine traffic conditions' misuses Vietnam photo
The misleading collage was posted on Facebook on May 28 by a content creator who has previously shared pro-Marcos misinformation debunked by AFP. The post features two photos, with one showing a gridlocked intersection labelled "DUTERTE TIME". This is contrasted with a second photo of orderly traffic superimposed with an image of Marcos and labelled "PBBM TIME", using the current leader's initials. The post received over 30,000 reactions, comments and shares, and has circulated elsewhere on Facebook, X and TikTok. Marcos swept to power in 2022 after joining forces with the Duterte family in the elections that year but the alliance began crumbling almost immediately (archived link). The feud exploded into open warfare this year with the impeachment of Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, and the subsequent arrest and transfer of the ex-president, to face charges at the International Criminal Court at the Hague tied to his deadly drug war. Comments show people appear to believe the claim -- users showered praise on Marcos, whose popularity dropped steeply following his deputy's impeachment and predecessor's stunning arrest (archived link). "'Du-dirty' made a lot of mess. PBBM is fixing these now," one wrote. "It's obvious, under PBBM there is change and people are more disciplined," another wrote. However, the photo showing major congestion was not taken in the Philippines. A reverse image search of the image labelled "Duterte Time" found it shows a gridlock Vietnam's capital Hanoi (archive link). Chinese state-run media organisation published the photo with credits to state news agency Xinhua. It is captioned: "Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2015 shows a traffic jam on a main road in Hanoi, Vietnam. Heavy rains occurred early Tuesday morning in Hanoi left several streets flooded and caused traffic jam during rush hour. [Photo/Xinhua]." The area where the gridlock occurred was at the intersection of Le Van Luong and Nguyen Tuan streets as seen on Google Maps (archived link). The second photo of traffic credited to Marcos' government was taken from a video clip posted on May 26, when the government resumed its "no contact apprehension policy (NCAP)" for motorists in the Philippine capital, which uses CCTV to detect traffic violations (archived link). Text overlaid on the video says, "Commonwealth Now / May 26, 2025/ NCAP." Commonwealth Avenue is the country's widest highway which sees a high volume of traffic daily (archived link). The TikTok clip matches similar scenes at Commonwealth Avenue published by local broadcasters GMA News, Net25 and the Metro Manila Development Authority, the government agency managing traffic in Manila (archived here, here, and here). June 6, 2025 Minor tweak in headline to say 'misuses'
Chicago Tribune
16 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Ask Anna: How to make LGBTQ+ friends as an adult
Dear Anna, My girlfriend and I (both 28, together for three years) have a solid group of friends from college and work, but we're the only queer couple in the bunch. While our friends are supportive and inclusive, we're craving connections with other LGBTQ+ people who just 'get it' without explanation. The problem is, we're not sure how to branch out at this stage of our lives. We're past the club scene and dating apps obviously aren't the right tool for friendship. We've tried a few LGBTQ+ meetups but they skewed much older than us. How do we find our queer chosen family without it feeling forced or like we're abandoning our current friendships? We want to expand our circle, not replace it, but we're struggling to know where to start. — Bad at Finding Friends Dear BFF, The struggle is real. Regardless of sexual orientation, the older we get, the harder it is to make friends. This isn't your fault. When we're younger, socialization is built into a lot of our activities. As we age, that becomes less and less true. And depending on where you live, finding friends can be especially challenging, particularly if you're in a monogamous relationship, aka not doing the dating-to-friends pipeline. I have vivid memories of being 22 and making lifelong friends with random people on the sidewalk at Pride, getting swept into their friend group like some beautiful gay fairy tale. (Fairy gayle?) Alas, those days are over. Is it because I'm too jaded to strike up conversations with strangers on sidewalks? Or because everyone's buried in their phones? Probably both, plus the fun crushing weight of adult social anxiety. But fear not! Alternatives do exist. However, like getting abs or learning TikTok dances, a certain amount of effort must be invested to get anything worthwhile out of it. Let's talk apps, because as the cliche goes, there's an app for everything now, including queer friendship. Lex has a friendship/community component that (in my opinion) works way better than using it for dating. It's text-first, so you actually get to know people's personalities instead of judging their bathroom mirror selfie game. Plus, you can join group chats based on your interests — comedy shows, writing fan-fiction, rock climbing, erotic crochet (I mean, one can dream), etc. HER also lets you switch to 'looking for friends' mode, though you'll still get the occasional person who clearly didn't read your profile and propositions you anyway. And Bumble BFF exists too — not exclusively queer, but you can be pretty obvious about what you're seeking. For IRL connections, think beyond those generic 'LGBTQ+ Meetup' events where everyone stands around awkwardly eating gluten-free wafers. Look for activity-based groups where friendship happens naturally while you're distracted by actually doing something fun. What would you enjoy doing anyway that just happens to be better with other queer humans? Book clubs where you can argue about whether that character was actually gay or just 'really good friends,' hiking groups, volunteer work that doesn't make you want to cry. Many cities have queer sports leagues ranging from serious competition to less serious. (Drunk pickleball, anyone?) Gay bar trivia nights are clutch — nothing bonds people like collectively failing to remember who won Eurovision in 2019. Pro tip: Become the lesbian social coordinator you wish existed in the world. Host a casual Pride potluck and make each of your straight friends bring one queer person they know. Your allies probably have LGBTQ+ coworkers, cousins or that person from their yoga class who has a labret piercing and a rainbow carabiner. You'd be amazed how connected we all are through the gay grapevine. Check out local LGBTQ+ centers too — many have age-specific events so you don't end up feeling like someone's mom at a college mixer or someone's granddaughter at a retirement home bingo night. (Though I've done both and can say these events also have their charms.) Remember: Building chosen family is a marathon, not a sprint (unless you're really lucky and stumble into a friend group at karaoke night/a magical sidewalk). Start with one genuine connection and let it take as long as it takes to bloom. The beauty of queer friendship is real — that instant 'finally, someone who gets it' feeling when you don't have to explain why your heart quickens during certain Chappell Roan songs or watching Cate Blanchett do literally anything. Be patient and keep searching. Happy Pride. ___
