An undated photo of Renice Zimmerman and her dog Leader, who was named the USO’s Canine Volunteer of the Year. (Nikki Jones/USO)

A certified therapy dog from USO Fort Eustis in Newport News, Va., that can be counted on to provide emotional support to service members and their families was named the USO’s Canine Volunteer of the Year.

Leader, a 7-year-old rottweiler and retired Grand Champion show dog, along with her handler, Gold Star spouse and Army veteran Renice Zimmerman, were announced as the winners March 11 in a video by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and his famous pit bull Miss Peaches. Over 6,400 votes were cast for Leader in an online polling by the USO from Feb. 9-28.

“She’s a therapy dog, and one of the best ones. The best part is she doesn’t care about any awards or anything. She’s just happy to serve. The only thing she needs from me is to get her from point A to point B, and she does the rest,” Zimmerman, who is a nurse for Semper Fi & America’s Fund, told Stars and Stripes last week.

Leader’s nomination by USO Fort Eustis came as a surprise to Zimmerman, who didn’t know until her dog was among the top 10 contenders. She said any of the nominated dogs would have been equally deserving and are a good representation of what therapy dogs can do.

“Everyone at Fort Eustis is over the moon excited that Leader won. I can’t think of anybody else who deserves this more than Renice and Leader,” said Nikki Jones, center operations specialist at USO Fort Eustis.

Leader and Zimmerman have contributed over 130 volunteer hours with the USO’s Canine Program at Fort Eustis since August 2023. More than 100 USO canine volunteers collectively contributed over 5,000 volunteer hours in 2024, according to the USO.

An undated photo of Leader, a seven-year-old rottweiler who was named the USO’s Volunteer of the Year. (USO)

Leader and Zimmerman are both dedicated to doing all sorts of work with the USO, including being present at deployment and homecoming ceremonies to engage with service members and their families for comfort and morale boosting. In March 2024, the duo helped send off Fort Eustis troops before they deployed to Gaza for a humanitarian aid mission.

“No matter what time, day or night, we do our best to be there,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said Leader “has a knack” for picking out people who need her the most. She has the ability to connect with people of all ages — but especially with children.

“She [Leader] really connects and looks at people so they feel noticed,” she said. “She just has that ability to make everybody feel important. If I take her and drop her leash when she’s in a room, she’ll literally go from person to person and say hello all on her own. But she’ll sit and hang out with somebody that she feels needs more from her.”

Leader, who is a crisis response dog, also works with the American Red Cross, Mutts with a Mission and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

“Renice and Leader do so much more outside of the USO, too, which just shows the dedication that Renice specifically has toward our service members with all the different groups that she volunteers with,” Jones said.

For Zimmerman, her volunteer work with Leader is a way to continue staying connected with the military community after serving in the Army and becoming a Gold Star spouse in 2006.

“The military has always been my passion. From having an active-duty spouse to being a widow, I don’t wanna lose that connection. The military is a major part of my life,” Zimmerman said.

Leader and Zimmerman will continue volunteering with the USO Canine Program in the future. Zimmerman has an 8-month-old puppy in training who she plans to also certify as a therapy dog.