Year in Review: Hudson Valley Heroes

This was the first year of Hudson Valley Post and we'd like to thank all of you for continuing to "follow the conversation" here at Hudson Valley Post.

It's been an interesting year in the local area, full of tragic murders, presidential hopefuls, fires, crashes and tales to warm the heart. Here are the stories we felt had the most impact on the Hudson Valley in 2016.

 
Hudson Valley Heroes
 

While the news in 2016 has been full of murder, crime and devastating accidents and fires, there are always moments that make you smile.

Cullen Malzo, 19, from Mahopac doesn’t think he’s a hero, but it’s hard to find a better word to describe him. On Nov. 10, Cullen was standing in his driveway when he heard a crash.

A car going 20 miles over the speed limit crashed and landed upside down in Lake Mahopac. Inside the car, two 17-year-old girls.

“It was a scary moment, I’ve never felt that scared before,” Cullen Malzo told Hudson Valley Post.

Cullen called 911, well he admitted he first typed in 911 to his phone’s calculator. He then really called 911 and, without hesitation, bravely jumped into freezing and muddy water. With a rock, he smashed a window, and pulled the girls out of their sinking car to safety.

State Sen. Terrance Murphy presented Cullen with one of the highest civilian honors, the New York State Senate Liberty Medal.

Or how about Kiah, the only police K-9 pit bull in the state comes from right here in the Hudson Valley. On the force Kiah fights crime and stereotypes every day!

Kiah began working in the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department in 2015 as a narcotics and missing person’s detection dog. She and her partner, Justin Bruzgul, also visit local schools and conferences to highlight the importance of animal shelters and animal rescue.

Kiah arrived in New York after her previous owner was arrested for animal cruelty. The four-legged furry friend was found beaten and abandoned in a parking lot in Texas.

Kiah was rescued and trained by Universal K9, an organization from San Antonio, Texas that rescues dogs, trains them for police work and donates them to law enforcement agencies across the country.

Funding was provided by the Animal Farm Foundation, a non-profit animal rescue and advocacy group based in Amenia. The foundation hopes to end the stereotypes associated with pit bulls.

Kiah was donated to the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department by thanks to the partnership between Universal K9 and the Animal Farm Foundation.