Long Island's Christie Brinkley to host this year's Hero Dog Awards

Bridgehampton supermodel Christie Brinkley will host American Humane’s 13th annual Hero Dog Awards, which honor everyday canines and specially trained dogs that have done extraordinary things.

The awards, held at The Breakers Palm Beach resort in Florida, will air Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. on the cable network FYI, with a repeat that Sunday at 1 p.m. on sister network A&E. Celebrity stylist Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye”) co-hosts.

“I've dedicated my life to championing the cause of animals, and it is with great privilege that I embrace the opportunity provided by the American Humane Hero Dog Awards telecast,” Brinkley, 69, said in a statement to Newsday Wednesday. “This platform serves as an ideal nationwide stage to pay homage to these extraordinary canines and bestow upon them a voice for a single, remarkable evening.”

“Christie has spent her entire life advocating for animal welfare and that's exactly what we do here at American Humane,” added president and CEO Robin Ganzert. “It's an honor to have her join us at the ‘Oscars for Canines’ where we celebrate these heroes on both ends of the leash.”

The Hero Dog Awards from the 146-year-old American Humane organization, which monitors animals on the sets of TV and film productions, recognize such canine actions as “saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or helping people achieve their goals.” The competition’s five categories are: “Law Enforcement and First Responder Dogs," “Service and Guide/Hearing Dogs,” “Therapy Dogs,” “Military Dogs” and “Emerging Hero and Shelter Dogs.”

Nominees and winners are chosen by the American public, voting at the American Humane website. On Monday, the organization announced on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that this year's overall winner was USO therapy dog Maverick, a European Blue Great Dane. Based at the USO branch at the U.S. Army’s Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Maverick and his fellow Great Dane colleague Apache lend their presence to base personnel coping with trauma, including service members on suicide watch, and children attending funerals for their parents.

Brinkley’s animal advocacy has included designing pet collars for a benefit for North Shore Animal League America and serving as creative director for Pet Life Unlimited's Senior Pet Adoption event at the Manhattan shelter Animal Haven on May 23. In 2012, the lifelong vegetarian was honored by the South Fork Natural History Museum in Sag Harbor for her years of work on behalf of marine life. The following year she was named the Pet Philanthropy Circle’s Humanitarian of the Year.

Brinkley's current dog is mixed-breed rescue Chester, from Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.