Every now and again a heartwarming story emerges of a dog who defied all odds and expectations to perform some type of heroic act. These “tales” can brighten up your day and make you realize that man’s best friend can also be a lifesaver.
Here are the stories of seven dogs who performed heroic feats recently:
1. Finn — This lovable German shepherd mix was adopted last October from a shelter in North Carolina. One evening his owner was driving back from a friend's house with Finn in the car when they were involved in a bad accident, according to the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Finn's owner suffered a broken pelvis, foot and ribs while the dog broke his leg. Despite this, the Finn managed to crawl out of the wreckage of the vehicle and ran to the highway where he managed to grab the attention of passerbys who he then led back to the car.
"My boyfriend tried to carry him to safety to get him to the EV but he wouldn’t let them until I was in the ambulance it wasn’t until the next morning that I was able to see my little buddy but the minute we saw each other we both hobbled to one another sobbing," Finn's owner said. Both survived the ordeal.
2. Todd — Last year Paula Godwin was walking her golden retriever, Todd, in Arizona when a rattlesnake slid onto their path. Todd acted immediately, jumping between the snake and his owner, but was bitten in the process, USA Today noted. Godwin rushed her canine friend to the hospital, where he was treated for the bite. His face swelled up dramatically but he made a full recovery.
3. Buddy — This sweet Mississippi pooch has saved his owner's life twice already. During the first incident, his unnamed owner had an allergic reaction to prescription medication and lost consciousness. Buddy jumped onto his owner's chest and persistently alternated between barking and licking his owner's face. "Once I came to and realized I was having an allergic reaction to the medicine, my face had started to swell and my lips were turning blue. I was able to get my neighbor and call 911," Buddy's owner wrote for on the American Humane Hero Dog Awards website. The second incident took place in December. Buddy's owner suffers from sleep apnea and has to wear a CPAP mask but on that night the device somehow came off and Buddy's owner stopped breathing. The heroic dog once again sprung into, jumping and barking until his owner woke up and was able to call for help.
4. Bella and Sadie — A 62-year-old woman in Florida, Maureen Hatcher, said she owes her life to her two Labrador retrievers Bella and Sadie, who saved her when she suffered a stroke earlier this year. A curious Sadie walked into the room where her owner was lying on the floor and immediately knew something was wrong. Hatcher recalled telling the labs "mommy needs help" and the two dogs immediately ran out of the house to alert the neighbors, WOIO noted. They caught the attention of Alexandra Naspolini, who found Hatcher unconscious and nearly unresponsive. Hatcher was rushed to the hospital and has since made a full recovery.
5. Hank — At first Hank's owners were annoyed when their dog woke them up in the middle of the night with his persistent barking but when they looked out the window, they saw a raging fire devouring their backyard. And it was spreading quickly, Metro noted. The family's father recalled how his wife and two children were fast asleep while he had been wrapped up in a movie. They would not have even noticed the blaze until it was too late if it were not for Hank.
"The fire spread to the back of our house the same minute the firefighters got the hoses to it," Hank's unnamed owner said. "A minute or two more, and it was gone. Instead, everyone is safe, and we still have a house. It’s black and crispy on one side, but it’s totally intact."
6. Sadie — Earlier this year police received a call about a pit bull on the loose in Tuckahoe, New York. When they came across Sadie wandering the streets, they had no idea that the clever canine was actually looking for help. The pit bull bolted back to her home nearby, police in town, where there was a gas leak, CBS2 reported. Sadie's owners were not at home and police believe the dog had escaped to alert passerbys to the leak.
7. Axel — Last year Axel a German shepherd-Akita in Manchester, England, became a hero after he saved his 86-year-old owner from a robbery, BBC News reported. Joyce Ackerley was attacked in her garden by an intruder who hit her on the head then tried to grab her necklace. Axel immediately intervened. The usually placid pup bit the robber then chased him down the street and away from Ackerley. Police later told Ackerley that the attack could have ended very differently if it were not for her dog.
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