Juju, a 60-pound pit bull from Norfolk, Virginia, is Dogs on Deployment’s 2026 American Hero Pet of the Year, chosen from finalists that included dogs with formal service and search-and-rescue backgrounds. His owners, Melissa Sullivan and Joey Deaven, are using the title to push awareness about the organization — which connects service members with volunteers who’ll care for their pets during training or deployments — because too many military families still don’t know it exists.
But his title is a long way from where Juju started.
In May 2024, Melissa picked up Joey from his job at the Pentagon with an unexpected plan for the evening.
“We’ve got a rescue mission,” she remembers telling her spouse.
A social media post had alerted her that a roughly 2-year-old pit bull was hours from being euthanized at a shelter in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The couple raced over with their dog, Ellie, whose past trauma made her wary of other animals — the Sullivans needed to know the two could coexist before they could adopt Juju. They met without incident.
“I don’t know what he said to her at that moment,” Melissa recalled. “He knew he was on death row and she was his literal lifeline.”
Even then, the adoption nearly fell through. Because military families often maintain legal residency in one state while stationed in another, Melissa and Joey’s driver’s licenses didn’t match their current address — a mismatch the shelter flagged given a county ban on pit bull ownership at the time. Melissa called Pets for Patriots, a nonprofit that helps veterans and active-duty service members adopt shelter pets, and reached its founder directly, with about 20 minutes to spare before the shelter closed. The founder explained the residency discrepancy to the shelter, and Juju went home with the Sullivans that night.
It was while reviewing the Pets for Patriots website that Melissa first came across one of its partner organizations, Dogs on Deployment. She entered Juju in its annual contest on a whim, completing the application over WhatsApp with Joey while he was deployed aboard an aircraft carrier, with communication spotty and the deadline closing in.
Juju’s case for the title: before Joey’s deployment, he’d given the dog a job: protect Melissa and their home. Months later, while Melissa was home alone, a group that had been breaking into houses nearby tried the Sullivans’ door. Juju’s barking sent them elsewhere.
“I fully believe that this group of juveniles would have kicked in the door had he not been there,” Joey said.
Now the Sullivans are trying to get the word out about Dogs on Deployment. Melissa worked in communications before the move to Norfolk, and she’s used that experience all year, pitching interviews, briefing ombudsmen, and talking to shelters. The shelters keep telling her the same thing: sailors show up before deployment, ready to leave their pet, because no one told them there was another way to care for their animals.
“Sailors are coming in the day of, or the night before they deploy, and they’re surrendering their pets,” Melissa said. “They don’t know Dogs on Deployment exists.”
Through its Hero Pet Boarding Network, Dogs on Deployment matches pet owners with volunteer boarders at no cost for the boarding itself, though owners remain responsible for food, supplies and veterinary care. Despite its name, the organization supports all species and also offers financial assistance for qualifying veterinary and PCS-related expenses, which can be significant for families stationed overseas or in places like Hawaii.
The Sullivans want Dogs on Deployment added to the standard pre-deployment checklist, alongside powers of attorney and family care plans.
“There are resources available, but don’t wait until the last minute because there’s still some legwork involved,” Joey said.
“Pets are family,” Melissa added, “and they deserve to be with you throughout your military career.”
