Ever experienced a heroic dog in action before?
Heroes come in many different forms. They can be superheroes, policemen, firefighters random civilians, or even dogs! Yes, many of our canine friends are heroes too. Think about the dogs in the military, police K-9 dog units, or even service/guide dogs that dedicate their lives every day for a good cause. Those dogs are all considered heroes, no?
However, just like humans, normal dogs who are not necessarily part of a service/organization are also definitely capable of miraculous heroics. There are countless stories of heroics committed by your everyday dog, whether it be them saving their parents, their fellow pets, and even other beings. There are just too many cases to list down.
As such, this list will showcase 10 of the most inspirational, miraculous and well-known cases of such dog heroics.
1.) Maya (Pit Bull)-
(Source: The Dog Guide)
We heard of superheroes and cops regularly saving he courageously saved her parent from a male attacker in her home.
Angela had just come home from her birthday party when a shadowy figure from behind suddenly decided to lunge forward and attack her, eventually reaching out to strangle her after she yelled out to deter/scare him. Luckily for her, Maya sensed her danger and came out to her rescue. The normally calm and collected pit bull started chomping down his arm in a brave attempt to chase off the perpetrator. Initially, he tried to fend off Maya with one hand and strangled Angela with the other. However, Maya proved to be too much for the attacker and he eventually retreated. The attacker, Anthony Easley, was caught a few months later- by examining a sample of blood collected from Maya herself.
Maya received widespread praise after this incident became public knowledge, and had subsequently been named hero dog of the year 2008.
2.) Brutis (Golden Retriever)-
(Source: Fatherly)
Brutis was a 7 year old golden retriever that valiantly saved a young child from a venomous coral snake as it was slithering dangerously close to him. He quickly snatched up the snake and went away before the snake could get to the boy. As a result, Brutis suffered a near-deadly bite from the snake but eventually made a full recovery. Venomous Coral snakes are known for being one of the most poisonous snakes in North America, and it could have been fatal had it bit the child. Luckily, Brutis did not hesitate for a second longer and risked himself anyways.
His heroics did not go unnoticed, and he was soon flown to Los Angeles to receive the National Hero Dog award.
“When we give an award like this, we’re looking for something extra, something that would make people wonder why a dog would do what he did.” said the committee who awarded him this award.
3.) Ginny (Schnauzer)-
(Source: NBC news)
Ever heard of a canine who has a huge soft spot for felines? Ginny the Schnauzer certainly fits that criteria! Ginny is very well known as the dog who saves cats. And no, she didn’t just save one cat- she had saved hundreds!
Getting off to a rough start in life, she was rescued on the verge of death and adopted by a depressed man called Philip Gonzalez. He soon realized how special his dog actually was. Turns out, Ginny was on a very special mission. Throughout the years, she had saved cats from all sorts of dangerous situations. Such famous escapades that made some headlines including: throwing herself down a pipe to save 5 kittens and saving a kitten through broken glass which resulted in her sustaining injury to her paws. During the course of her life, she had saved roughly 900 cats from all over the place- be it alleyways, shelters, buildings, dumpsters, you name it. Her life goal was always to be out in the world, offering aid to whoever needs it.
4.) Shana (German Shepherd/wolf mix)-
(Source: Petslady)
An elderly couple, Eve and Norman Fertig, was taking care of animals on their sanctuary grounds when a freak snowstorm suddenly trapped them 200 ft away from home and in freezing temperatures. Luckily for them, Shana was there to save the day! With some determination, she dragged the couple through 200ft of snow in order to get them back to warmth and safety. She even stayed around after the long crawl in order to keep the couple warm and safe before the firemen rescue team arrived.
Of course, she received widespread praise for her heroic deeds and was subsequently awarded the Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment’s Hero’s Award- an award usually reserved for humans.
5.) Belle (Beagle)-
(Source: The Sydney Morning Herald)
‘911, what is your emergency?’
Kevin Weaver was suffering from diabetes during this time, and had a trained beagle named Belle to assist him with many things like detecting his blood sugar level at all times. One day, he suddenly suffered from an intense seizure and collapsed. In an awe-inspiring moment, our canine hero quickly grabbed the nearest phone and bit down the numbers ‘911’. Due to her heroic actions, her owner was eventually rescued. After her heroics, Belle had since been awarded the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, which is given to someone who used a cellular device to save a life, prevent a crime or help in an emergency. Of course, it goes without saying that she is the first canine recipient of the award.
“There is no doubt in my mind that I’d be dead if I didn’t have Belle,” said Weaver, who had recovered from his symptoms since.
6.) Roselle (Labrador Retriever)-
(Source: BARk magazine)
There were many heroes that stepped up during the 9/11 tragedy, and amongst them was one very special Labrador Retriever named Roselle. She was trained up as a guide dog for the blind and had subsequently been sent to live with an owner was named Michael Hingson.
One day, they were in the WTC building as the horrific incident happened- two hijacked aeroplanes crashed into the building, leaving the building a crumbling, towering inferno. As Hingson was impaired- he obviously struggled to get out of the building and his efforts seemed to be doomed. However, that was when Roselle valiantly jumped into action. Roselle actually guided her owner and 30 other people out of the building itself, utilising and guiding them through the stairway in order to make a quick escape! She was never scared, nor was she fazed as the rubble fell and people were getting injured- she focused on the goal and eventually led the people out with the help of several fire rescue members they found on the way. Roselle even managed to get her owner back to his house via train and acted as if nothing happened after they reached home, even attempting to cheer him up by playing with him!
Of course, her efforts did not go by unnoticed. She received widespread praise and several awards for her heroism, including the Dickin award and posthumously awarded the American Hero dog of the year for the year 2011. Inspired by her actions, Hingson wrote a book of their 9/11 experience entitled “Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero”
For all about service dogs, read our write up on man's best friend on duty!
7.) Eve (Rottweiler)-
(Source: Buzzpaws)
This story takes place all the way back in 1991.
Katie Vaughn, a 41 year old paralyzed woman, had just begun to smell smoke in the car- obviously a very suspicious sign already. Soon enough, her intuitions were right as she detected smoke pouring out of the engine compartment. She tried assembling her foldable wheelchair in order to escape but the smoke eventually grew too strong, overwhelming her. Luckily, her Rottweiler was there to rescue her! She quickly grabbed her by the leg and had managed to pull her out of the van before it caught fire and ultimately exploded! Luckily, they made it just in time and Mrs.Vaughn did not suffer from any injuries, although Eve suffered some burns on the pads of her paws as a result of her heroic deed.
8.) Toby (Golden Retriever)-
(Source: BBC)
Would you believe me if I told you that a dog actually saved his owner’s life by using the Heimlich Maneuver (abdominal thrusts)? I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t, but that actually happened.
Debbie Parkhurst, 45 years old when the incident took place, was enjoying an apple when a big chunk of apple suddenly got lodged in her throat. She first attempted to perform a Heimlich Maneuver on herself, but she failed to get the piece out and desperately resorted to beating her own chest.
Luckily for her, Toby, her 2 year old Golden Retriever, took notice of this and decided to take the initiative. He quickly got up on his hind feet, brought his owner onto the ground, and started jumping up and down her stomach with force. This led to the apple piece eventually being coughed out of Mrs.Parkhurst’s throat, saving her life.
Besides the bruises that Toby inflicted in the process of saving her life, she was unhurt otherwise and is very thankful for her dog’s reaction.
9.) Clobberhead (Greyhound)-
(Source: Huffington Post)
Ever had someone repay your kindness/kind deeds towards them? I am here to tell you that humans aren’t the only ones capable of reciprocating kindness towards them.
Two months after Clobberhead was adopted by the Cramer family, he literally prevented a potentially deadly disaster using his sharp senses. With his ever-efficient nose, he knew from the very start that something was wrong in the house. He displayed some weird behaviours in order to grab his owner’s attention- behaviours such as avoiding a certain room or refusing to go out of the house. Finally, someone in the family, Erin Cramer, took heed of these strange behaviours and went to investigate. Clobberhead led the way, guiding her to some shocking discoveries. She discovered two major faults in her home- a gas leakage and her hot water heater giving out sparks. These 2 hazards combined would have destroyed not only her house, but her surrounding neighbour’s houses as well.
Thanks to Clobberhead’s smart thinking, several houses were saved from a catastrophe. Imagine the disastrous consequences had they decided not to adopt him that day. Sometimes, an act of compassion and kindness certainly goes a long way.
10.) Killian (Labrador Retriever)-
(Source: MSNBC)
As a parent, I am pretty sure that any parent will search high and low for a responsible, reliable and loving babysitter to take care of their baby.
Both Benjamin and Jordan Hope thought they had found the perfect babysitter in Alexis Khan when they checked her profile and past experiences. In fact, they were so confident in her abilities that they even hired her for future babysitting sessions for the next 5 months! Little did they know though, that Killian was aware of the true horrors behind Khan.
In truth, Khan was an abusive babysitter who would constantly scold the baby and slap the baby around, sometimes risking injury. In order to alert his owners of this travesty, he began to display aggressive behaviour whenever Khan came around for the job, sticking close to the baby. He even tried to attack her on one occasion, and the parents had to separate Killian from the babysitter. Luckily, they began to grow some suspicions regarding Killian’s behaviour and subsequently hid an iPhone underneath the sofa. The recording only confirmed what they had always dreaded.
Due to Killian’s actions, Alexis Khan was arrested, sentenced, and had her name registered on the child abuser registry. Killian saved a baby’s life and had inadvertently prevented any future children from being hurt by her in the process.
Do you know any other dog heroes, or perhaps been saved by one before? Leave your experiences in the comments below!
