Photo credit: Zach Hilty/ BFA.com

On October 8, the ASPCA hosted the 2026 Humane Awards, celebrating both remarkable people and animal heroes nationwide who have made extraordinary contributions to animal welfare and to improving the lives of those around them. In attendance were honorees Aiden and Pearl, miniature therapy horses accepting the Equine Welfare Award, farm animal welfare advocate Craig Watts, New York City Police Department Mounted Unit’s Detective Kyle McLaughlin, Dog of the Year Canyon, and Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD). The family of Eloise “Lulu” Peck accepted the Kid of the Year award posthumously in her honor.

This year, we selected across six categories, including ASPCA Equine Welfare Award, ASPCA Kid of the Year, ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare Award, ASPCA Public Service Award, ASPCA Dog of the Year and the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award, named after the ASPCA’s founder, which is given to an individual or institution exhibiting exceptional leadership, compassion and commitment to…