The AKC Museum of the Dog has announced the winner of its Salute to Search & Rescue Dogs art contest:  Porkchop The Search Dog.

The illustration is a pen and marker piece by Sylvia Kim. It honors Porkchop, an Australian Shepherd from California who worked tirelessly during the search and rescue efforts following the collapse of the World Trade Towers.

“We were drawn to this submission because of the emotions on display in the piece. It showcases the bond between search dogs and their handlers, while also conveying vulnerability,” says Assistant Curator Jeana Wunderlich, “Search dogs are putting their lives on the line for the people they are helping, and I think this piece communicates that in a beautiful but understated way.”

The Wall Street Journal did a story about Porkchop in 2001:

“At a medical station bathed in floodlights, four doctors prepared one of the emergency workers for the long day ahead. They taped his legs and fitted him with new boots. They offered him food and checked his eyes, because acrid smoke and dust would be clouding and burning them in the coming hours. But mostly, they kissed his snout, rubbed his belly and said things like, ‘What a good boy, Porkchop!'”

Porkchop died in 2013. He was one of the last remaining 9/11 search and rescue dogs.

The museum also recognized four runners-up: At Day’s End by Michele Trifiro, Heroes of 9/11 by Holly H. Banks, Thank You, Bretagne by Lucy Wilks, and The Loyal, Determined, and Brave by Michelle Roskiewicz.

Porkchop The Search Dog and the runners up will be on display during the museum’s exhibit 9/11 Remembered: Search & Rescue Dogs. This exhibit honors the heroism of the more than 300 dogs that participated in the rescue and recovery efforts following 9/11. This exhibition runs through January 2.

For more information on the exhibit or the museum, please visit their website.

To purchase tickets for 9/11 Remembered: Search & Rescue Dogs, click here.