Less than two weeks before she was scheduled to be euthanized at an overcrowded New Mexico shelter, a stray dog named Chloe was pulled from a euthanasia list and given a second chance. About three months later, on May 15, 2026, she became the first dog in history to take the U.S. Border Patrol's official canine oath of office, and today she spends her days comforting grieving federal agents and their families across the Gulf Coast.
From the Streets of Deming to a Death List
Chloe, a stray dog, roamed the streets of Deming, New Mexico, before she was taken in by the Deming County Humane Society on January 29, 2026, according to LiveNOW from FOX. At the shelter, she was placed on a euthanasia list and had less than two weeks left before the Animal Rescue League of El Paso stepped in and rescued her on February 10, 2026. As KTSM 9 News reports, Loretta Hyde, who founded the Animal Rescue League of El Paso, reportedly intervened after Chloe landed on that list and recognized something in the dog's abilities and potential.
Hyde founded the Canutillo, Texas-based shelter in 1995 as a volunteer-operated, no-kill operation, after she discovered hundreds of euthanized animals at a local municipal facility, according to the Animal Rescue League of El Paso's own account of its history. That founding mission — keeping animals like Chloe out of the euthanasia pipeline — set the stage three decades later for one dog to end up serving federal law enforcement personnel in crisis.
A Historic Oath in El Paso
Chloe was selected for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection canine program and completed a five-week Critical Incident Response Canine Handler Course in El Paso, per Eastern Shore Undercover. She graduated in May 2026 as a Critical Incident Response Canine, becoming, per KTSM, the first rescue dog to graduate from the Border Patrol's canine academy. Her oath of office was administered by Stephen D. Crump, director of the U.S. Border Patrol Canine Academy, making her the first canine ever to take the agency's official oath.
The Border Patrol launched the program in 2023 following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, and it is now known as the Critical Incident Response Canine Program, according to The Center Square. The initiative was built to help personnel recover from extreme workplace trauma.
Comforting a Grieving Family in Louisiana
Stationed at the Baton Rouge Station in the Border Patrol's New Orleans Sector, Chloe and her handler, Agent Miguel Carrillo, deploy throughout the Gulf Coast region to support frontline personnel, their families, and partner public safety agencies, the same LiveNOW from FOX report notes. In July 2026, that mission carried real weight: Chloe and Carrillo attended services for U.S. Deputy Marshal Drew Hanson, who was shot and killed while executing a federal arrest warrant in Alexandria, Louisiana, on July 13, 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
At those services, Chloe offered comfort to Hanson's wife, children, parents, colleagues, and other loved ones, KTSM reports. Adam Calderon, acting chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol's New Orleans Sector, said Chloe's story reflects service, resilience, and compassion. Beyond that loss, Chloe has also spent time with patients recovering from severe illnesses and people receiving hospice care during visits to area hospitals, according to the same outlet.
A Model Now Backed by Congress
Chloe's path from a shelter kennel to sworn federal service has already inspired a second rescue. The Animal Rescue League of El Paso announced in June 2026 that another shelter dog, named Hercules, had been selected to begin candidate training with the Border Patrol, according to a Petfinder listing tied to the rescue.
That local pipeline is now gaining national traction. On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan PEARL Act, directing Customs and Border Protection to create a three-year pilot program to adopt and train shelter dogs for its Support Canine Program, as reported by The Vindicator. The bill would formally codify the kind of shelter-to-service model that began with one stray dog's rescue in Deming, New Mexico, and a shelter in Canutillo, Texas, that refused to give up on her.
