On May 14, 2025, Cornell Law School’s Jimmy Hardwick and Isaac Belenkiy ’24 were honored as Real Heroes in the Education category at the American Red Cross Southern Tier Chapter’s Annual Real Heroes Breakfast. The ceremony, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Binghamton, recognized individuals and groups who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion through selfless acts.

Hardwick, supervising attorney of the Veterans Law Practicum, and Belenkiy ’24, a former student in the practicum, were selected for their advocacy on behalf of Ana Chan, a disabled Army veteran whose service dog, a Great Dane named Rodgers, had been sentenced to death following an alleged biting incident. The two were chosen from among many nominees for their “courage and unselfish character” in rescuing Rodgers.

“I am grateful for the recognition of Isaac’s tremendous work securing the safe return of Rodgers to our client,” said Hardwick. “It was a case neither of us will ever forget.”

The Southern Tier Chapter honors heroes from Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Sullivan, Tioga, and Tompkins counties in New York, and Susquehanna County in Pennsylvania, across twelve different award categories. This year’s honorees included a man who ran into a burning building to save a disabled woman and a group of classmates who used their lifeguard training to rescue a friend from drowning.

Chan, who suffers from a traumatic brain injury and partial blindness, relies on Rodgers for stability, safety, and daily support. After a neighbor accused Rodgers of biting her, a judge deemed him dangerous and ordered him euthanized.

Hardwick and his colleagues recognized that Chan would significantly benefit from having Rodgers back.

They spent hours interviewing neighbors in Bath, New York, who testified that Rodgers was well-behaved during walks. They collected affidavits and found a dog behavior expert who testified that Rodgers was not dangerous and that the initial bite was defensive. Even the mailman vouched for him.

“We had a list of witnesses who said Rodgers is a big dog but a good boy,” Hardwick said. “He’s not really capable of the bite they were talking about.” They argued that the second bite was a case of mistaken identity involving another large dog nearby.

Under Hardwick’s guidance, Belenkiy led the legal response. The practicum team gathered witness statements, secured expert testimony, and filed an appeal after the initial ruling. “This case was a significant part of my last semester at Cornell,” Belenkiy said. “The appeal was probably the last written assignment I submitted.”

The appeal was successful, and Rodgers returned home after nine months—under specific conditions—just in time to celebrate his fourth birthday on Veterans Day.

“When you saved his life, you saved my life, too,” Chan told Hardwick.

Now, the team is also working to upgrade Chan’s VA disability status.

“It’s better than winning the lottery,” Chan said. “It’s so nice in the evenings just relaxing with him on my lap.”