Emily Richmond

Kenai, a Bernese mountain dog mix was named "Dog of Valor" by the Humane Society of the United States' for alerting her family to a potentially deadly carbon monoxide leak.

This hero dog, who lives with her family in Erie, Colo., beat out nine other finalists for the national honor. The award recognizes dogs that exhibit "an extraordinary sense of courage or resolve by heroically helping persons in need," according to the HSUS.

Last winter, 14-year-old Kenai seemed more tired than usual after a day outdoors with her family in the mountains of Colorado's Western Slope. Kenai's owner, Todd Smarr, tells Paw Nation he thought she might have played too hard in the snow. But later that evening, after Smarr and his wife, Michelle, had settled down for the night in the basement of the vacation house they were renting with friends, Kenai began to whine and bark.

As Smarr tried to comfort Kenai, his friend Karen Hull who was also staying in the vacation home, got up and announced she was feeling ill. Smarr woke his wife Michelle to help, and moments later she collapsed in his arms. Smarr rushed to wake the rest of their friends and evacuate the house. The seven adults, two children and four dogs all escaped serious injury, although Michelle and Karen both required treatment in a hyperbaric chamber after being airlifted to a Denver hospital. They later learned the source of the carbon monoxide leak was the vacation home's oven.

Without the early warning from Kenai, Todd doubts that any of the house's inhabitants would have survived the night. Kenai is taking her newfound celebrity in stride. In addition to wining the "Dog of Valor" award, she was honored by the American Humane Association and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation.

"She's the same compassionate and loving dog as always," says Smarr, who is using the experience to remind people of the importance of installing carbon monoxide detectors.

The president's best friend has often been a pooch -- providing rough and tumble fun and companionship to offset the serious business of running the country. This year, the Newseum in Washington, D.C. explores that relationship, offering a closer look at the lives of the nation's "First Dogs." Cathy Trost, the director of exhibit development for the Newseum, spoke with Paw Nation:

The "First Dogs" exhibit is one of the Newseum's most popular shows. Were you surprised by the interest?
Everyone loves a good animal story. People want to know about our political leaders and the pets that humanize them.

So is the oft-repeated quote true? "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog?"
The quotation is often attributed to President Harry Truman, but he probably didn't say it. In fact, he was given an adorable cocker spaniel as a gift in 1947 and gave it away almost immediately. But of all the White House pets – and there have been hundreds of them – dogs have definitely been the most popular.

How much of a factor has Bo Obama been in the popularity of the exhibit?"
I'm not sure anybody was really ready for "Bo-mania." When President Obama was elected and we heard he had made that pledge to his daughters that a puppy would be coming with them to the White House, we saved a prime spot. And boy, did they deliver one cute dog!

What would you do if you found a baby kangaroo? If you're Christina Cooper, you'd turn your sweatshirt into a pouch, pick up the joey and step in as surrogate mom. Cooper is co-owner of the nonprofit Global Wildlife Center, a 900-acre preserve near New Orleans with nearly 4,000 animals. Cooper spoke with Paw Nation about raising "Skippy."

Skippy is a great name. How did you come up with it?
"Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" was actually a hugely popular children's television program in the 1960s in Australia. [The character] had all sorts of adventures and always saved the day. I took one look at him and knew he had to be "Skippy."

How did you find him?
At the Global Wildlife Center we have kangaroos in an area we call "Walkabout." We don't know if he fell out of his mother's pouch or if she prematurely expelled him, but he was lying on his side on the ground in the enclosure. We waited to see if any of the kangaroos nearby came to claim him before we picked him up.

How long was he supposed to stay in the pouch?
Red kangaroos are amazing creatures. They're born after a 39-day gestation period, and are about the size of jelly bean. They stay in their mother's pouch and develop for the next eight to 10 months. When we found Skippy in May 2009 he weighed about a pound, and we believe he was about 3 months old.

Remember Kenmore, the cat who used to hang around Boston's Kenmore subway station before he was finally given a home last December?

We do, and we were wondering how the formerly subterranean feline was handling his above-ground existence. So we got in touch with his owner, Karen Ingraham, the trolley operator who had become concerned about his safety in the subway and rescued him.

Ingraham tells Paw Nation that the first day in his new home, Kenmore didn't venture out of the carrier. Her older rescue cat, a friendly orange and white male named Lucky, helped to smooth the way for the newcomer.

"I put the carrier down and told Lucky, 'Come and see the baby,'" Ingraham said. "By the next day they were friends already."

Now, several months later, Kenmore is playful, curious and content, Ingraham tells us. He follows Lucky's lead and greets visitors to her home, instead of hiding under furniture as he did in the early days.

"He likes to look out the window. He and Lucky sleep together and play together, and when I pet him he purrs and purrs," Ingraham said. "I think he's happy to have a home."

The "ruff," tough and utterly adorable players take the field Sunday for Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VI, and referee Andrew Schechter will be back to keep the canine chaos in check. The Brooklyn native (and associate producer) of Puppy Bowl talks with Paw Nation about the big game for pet fans, including some exiting new additions for this year's match-up.

What will be familiar to viewers on Sunday?
The famous kitten halftime show is back again, as well as what we like to call the most innovative camera shot in sports: The water-bowl shot.

What are some of the new features for Puppy Bowl VI?
We're going to have hamsters piloting a miniature blimp above the field, which will give viewers a bird's eye view of the action. And for the first time ever we're going to have bunny-rabbit cheerleaders on the sidelines.

Was it hard to get the bunnies into the outfits?
Actually, none of the animals on Puppy Bowl wear clothes.

It sounds like that's a deliberate decision.
Absolutely. We like to keep them as natural as possible in a comfortable environment. That's what people tune in to see: Puppies being puppies.

Where do the players come from?
The filming takes place near Silver Spring, Md., just outside of D.C. Most of the puppies come from area shelters. We also have shelter dogs from Louisiana, Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma.