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Dogs are capable of astounding heroic acts. These thirteen stories will inspire you, touch your heart, and also make you wonder: How in the world did the dog know to do that?! (Maybe you can help this author understand.)
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1. Shana: Follow Me, Folks.
When a violent snowstorm slammed the Enchanted Forest Wildlife Sanctuary, the the couple in charge of the rescued animals stepped outside to check something. Then trees fell and trapped them, leaving them exposed outdoors. They had no gloves. They had no scarves. They had no coats. They were both 81 years old. For two hours, the married couple kept warm by hugging, until out of the snow popped Shana, a dog they rescued from a puppy farm. One bark: “Come with me!” The frozen couple climbed into the foot-high hole and Shana pulled them through to 20-foot tunnel. (Twenty. Foot. Tunnel. Of snow!) It took two agonizing hours to crawl to the other end and they finally made it back to their house…which now had no power or heat. Shana lay next to the couple and kept them warm–and alive. Later that morning, firefighters arrived and kept staring at the tunnel, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like it.” It took Shana’s paws five months to heal.
2. Max: Sorry About Your Arm.
Jack Farell woke up one night on his kitchen floor. His arm was bloody, and his his adopted German shepherd, Max, was biting him. The 80 year-old man used his good hand to call 911. When emergency personnel arrived, they quickly realized that Max was not attacking Farell; he was saving his life. The house was full of gas, and Jack stepped out of bed only to pass out from the deadly carbon monoxide. Max knew something was wrong and dragged the man from the bedroom to the kitchen, presumably aiming for the door, and that’s when Jack woke up.
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3. Duke: Wake Up Already!
With their nine-week baby girl snug in her bassinet, Jenna Brousseau and her husband went to get some much-needed sleep themselves. In the middle of the night, their dog, Duke, jumped on their bed. He was shaking uncontrollably. Realizing this was completely out of character for the dog, the parents got out of bed and checked on their baby. She wasn’t breathing! The parents made a fast and frantic call to 911 and emergency responders arrived and revived the baby girl. They took her to the hospital where she recovered, and the parents looked at Duke as the hero. Dear Reader, share your thoughts: How did Duke realize she wasn’t breathing?
4. Rufus and Target: Bomb Blockers
When Chris Duke was a National Guardsman serving in Afghanistan, three stray dogs saved his life and the lives of his entire unit. As a suicide bomber approached the men, Sasha, Rufus, and Target, the stray dogs (if you didn’t figure that out) started acting erratically. Then the trio attacked the bomber who blew himself up before entering the barracks! Sasha sustained mortal wounds and had to be euthanized. Rufus and Target recovered, and when Chris Duke returned home, he started a fundraising campaign to bring the two heroes to America. Rufus went to live with Duke, and Target traveled to Arizona to live with Sgt. Terry Young, another soldier the dogs saved. However, one day Target ran away from her yard. She got picked up by animal control and taken to a shelter. Sgt. Young learned where she was and paid the fine, but before he could retrieve her, the dog was mistakenly euthanized.
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5. Toby: Allow Me To Help.
Debbie Parkhurst started choking on an apple. She tried performing the Heimlich maneuver on herself. It didn’t work so she began beating her chest. That’s when her two year-old golden retriever, Toby, stood on his hind legs and with his front paws, pushed Debbie to the ground. Then, incredibly, the dog began jumping up and down on the woman’s chest. Out popped the apple. “I literally have paw print-shaped bruises on my chest,” she said afterwards. Reader, how did the dog know to help and how to help? Reference.com says that, “Dogs are, by instinct, pack animals that thrive in a social hierarchy. The dog owner is the pack leader, and any perceived or actual threats to the owner are addressed through protective behaviors by the dog.” What do you think of that answer? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
6. Sissy: Now What?
Nancy Franck owned two miniature schnauzers. The woman underwent surgery for cancer, and she needed a couple weeks to recover in an Iowa hospital. This was too long of a wait for Sissy, one of two schnauzers. Saturday night, Sissy took off. The little dog traveled 20 blocks in unfamiliar territory and arrived in the lobby of the hospital where Nancy was recovering. A location the little dog had never before visited. Above is surveillance footage of the little dog standing in the hospital lobby. How did Sissy accomplish that? Put your response in the comments. Next is a funny hospital story.
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7. Zander: Over The River And Through The Woods
It was nighttime when John Dolan’s cell phone buzzed. Dolan was laying in a hospital bed in Good Samaritan Medical Center wondering who could be calling. His wife was surely asleep at home at that hour. He answered. It was a man who worked at Good Samaritan Medical Center. The man said that he had Dolan’s dog, Zander, a 70 pound white husky. Not realizing Dolan was a patient upstairs, the worker said told Dolan to come to the hospital quickly to claim his dog. When Dolan explained that Zander must have found his way to the hospital by himself, a trek that included crossing water and a highway, both men were amazed at the dog.
8. Kelsey: This Makes For A Memorable New Year’s
Around 10:30 p.m. on a cold New Year’s Eve in Michigan, a man ran from his house to grab another log to throw in his fireplace. He slipped and fell and broke his neck. He was all alone, save for his Golden Retriever, Kelsey, and he was wearing only pajamas and slippers. Ninety minutes later, he heard the celebrations from distant neighbors but they could not hear his screams for help, nor the dog’s continued barking. Kelsey climbed onto her owner to keep him warm throughout the long night with temps well below zero. The next morning, a neighbor found the two and called 911. When he arrived at the hospital, the man’s core body temperature was under 70°F, but he survived, thanks to his loyal dog, Kelsey.
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9. Psycho Does Something Crazy
In this story, Psycho saves the day. Little Maya Delarosa was playing in the mud with her sister when they heard a hiss and a rattle…and it wasn’t a toy. It was a rattlesnake, and it was about to strike. That’s when Psycho entered the picture, and by “enter” we mean he leapt onto the scene. The Chihuahua-poodle mix tipped the scales to only ten pounds, but it’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog. And this dog was known to pick fights with trucks and much bigger dogs. On this day, he leapt in between the two-foot killer snake and the girl and took the hit…right in the eyelid. The sisters survived, and so did Psycho, but the damage was so severe, Psycho had to lose his eye.
10. Trackr To The Rescue
After the World Trade Center towers came down in New York City on September 11, 2001, America (and the world) held their breath waiting to hear news of survivors. One man and his dog couldn’t just sit there and wait. They drove 14 hours from Halifax to Manhattan to help. James Symington and Trackr arrived and started searching. Trackr found somebody! It was Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the woman who would wind up being the last survivor pulled from the rubble. Trackr was hailed as a hero and later was cloned to produce other lifesaving dogs. (Interesting side note, Mrs. Guzman-McMillan recalls a man named Paul holding her hand before Trackr found her, reassuring the pinned woman that help was on the way. Nobody knows who Paul was.)
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11. Put Down The Gun!
The 63 year-old owner of a German shepherd decided to take her own life. (This is not recommended for anybody.) She went into her backyard in Sorgues, France, with a loaded pistol. When she picked up the gun and pointed it at herself, her very aware and loyal pet charged the woman and, as police later said, “diverted the shot.” The bullet still hit her in the chest, but not fatally. Her husband found her injured but conscious, and now she is alive and (hopefully) well thanks to her incredibly smart German shepherd.
12. Che: Fire Protection
Late one night in Philadelphia, on a street of row homes, a dog was barking. It woke neighbors who knew this was out of character for their neighbor’s older dog. They looked out the window and saw the was house on fire. When the fire department arrived, they found Che, a mixed breed, laying on top of his owner, Andrea F. Bulat. Both were unconscious, but Bulat was burned pretty badly. Che climbed on his owner to protect her from the flames. Firefighters were able to revive both with oxygen.
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13. George: The Best Dog
This isn’t actually a hero story, but it’s an honorable mention. When Laura and James Russell were at the altar, the Best Man realized he forgot the wedding bands. He ran out of the crowded room, and that cued a video for all the surprised guests, the priest, and the wedding couple to see. It was George, the groom’s bulldog, receiving a phone call, waking him from his afternoon nap. The Best Man told him to bring the wedding bands. In the video, the pooch grabs the rings, a shower as well as a tiny suit to arrive to the wedding “appropriately.” Then he runs to the hall where everybody is watching this unfold on the screen, and he successfully delivers the rings. Of course it was all staged, but it was still funny how this dog saved the wedding day. You can see the video here.
[Featured Image Credit: theverybesttop10.com]
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