Dogs are considered man's best friend for good reason. These stories about dogs doing their part to save the day will warm your heart. You won't believe how far some pups will go to save someone they love.
Katrina Saved A Man From Drowning
Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters to strike the United States in recent history. It shook the entire southeastern region of the United States and impacted the lives of millions of Americans forever. But out of sadness, there were plenty of uplifting stories of hope and the kindness of strangers. A perfect example is Katrina, the ironically named Labrador who saved a man from drowning in dangerously high flood waters. She risked her own life to get him to safety. Thankfully Katrina was rescued shortly after by a Red Cross rescue team. Later that year she received a Genesis award and a standing ovation from thankful citizens.
Shana Saved Her Elderly Owner From A Snowstorm
This incredible wolf-German Shepherd mix was rescued by her caring owners when she was abandoned at just two weeks old. Little did they know seven short years later it would be Shana doing the rescuing. Shana saved her 81-year-old owners, Norman and Eve Fertig from a treacherous snowstorm in upstate New York in 2006. The Fertigs got stuck under a fallen tree during a power outage. Shana tunneled a hole and pulled her owners to safety. Then used her own body heat to keep the couple warm until the fire department could arrive. "It was the most heroic thing I've ever seen," Norman told Fox News.
This Pit Bull Saved Her Owner From An Attacker
Awarded 2008's honorable Dog of the Year Award isn't an easy feat but Maya did it. Maya, a pit bull, was honored with the award for saving her female owner from a vicious male attacker. Maya's owner and single mother, Angela Marcelino was coming home late from celebrating her birthday when a male attacker came up behind her forcing himself onto her. She was helpless and fearing for her life until she saw the little white fur of her beloved pooch behind the man. She told Maya to attack and that she did. She charged and bit the man, causing him to run away.
Honey, The Bravest Cocker Spaniel
The absolutely adorable English Cocker Spaniel pup, Honey was also awarded Dog of the Year for saving her owner, Michael Bosch from a deadly car accident. Both Michael and Honey were trapped in his SUV, which flipped upside down and landed in a ravine. Knowing Honey was his only Hope, Michael summoned the strength to release Honey from the rubble, thinking she could find help. At only five months old, Honey ran over a half a mile from the scene, attracted the attention of a man and brought him back to rescue Michael. Without her, he would have died.
Napoleon Gave 6 Kittens A Second Chance
In a twist of events, the lovable pooch, Napoleon didn't rescue his owner but actually a batch of newborn kittens from drowning in a dangerous Michigan lake. Napoleon, a notoriously bad swimmer - like most English bulldogs - ran across the street from his home and leaped into the water. His owner was shocked as she saw him dragging a big burlap sack back across the street. When she looked inside she saw that Napoleon had courageously saved six tiny kittens. She was able to nurse four of the kittens back to health, sadly two passed away from the trauma and took them to the local shelter, where they were adopted by loving families.
Rocky Stopped A Bullet With His Paw
Rocky, a Lakewood, Colorado police dog made headlines when he famously caught a 20-year-old burglar and saved his squad from a stray bullet in the process. He made national news for ferociously tackling the burglar and pinning him down as he shot at his fellow police officers. Unfortunately, a bullet lodged itself in Rocky's front paw, but all of his human co-workers were left unharmed, thanks to his bravery. Rocky served six dedicated years in the police department, despite his wounded paw and he helped capture many more perpetrators throughout his heroic career. He was beloved by his co-workers and community.
Eve Pulled Her Paralyzed Owner From A Burning Vehicle
Rottweilers have a reputation for being scary, vicious dogs but Eve proves that these pups can actually be gentle giants. Eve pulled her paralyzed paraplegic owner, Kathie, out of a burning vehicle seconds before the truck exploded. Kathie was driving a newly-purchased pickup truck when it began to fishtail out of control. Soon after she gained control, the truck was filling with noxious gases and smoke. Unable to easily jump out of the truck, Kathie was trapped. That's when her loyal companion jumped into action. She pulled her from the truck by her ankles and dragged her forty feet away to a nearby ditch right before the truck exploded.
Neo Saved His Owner When She Went Into Shock
Eleven-month-old Siberian Husky, Neo earned the title hero when he helped save his owner, Marci Snead. Marcie, a diabetic with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis went into hypoglycemic shock out in the middle of the wilderness and took a pretty serious tumble. Neo ran to the nearest building he could find, where he grabbed the attention of several people who followed Neo back to where Snead had fallen. Within moments, an ambulance was called and the women carted off to a nearby hospital, where she recovered completely. Turns out, Siberian Huskies are pretty smart sidekicks to have around.
Kankuntu Saved His Owner From Thieves
It might sound like a nightmare or a Hollywood film but it's a true story. Kankuntu saved his family from armed pirates at sea during a vacation. His owner, Peter Lee was hijacked on his 41-foot yacht by a group of dangerous thieves. Thankfully his pooch, Kankuntu who Lee says "thinks he's a lion," jumped into action. He ferociously attacked the gunmen until one of them shot and stabbed the pup between his shoulder blades. Thankfully he survived and was quickly nursed back to health. His family was left unharmed and carried on their journey with the pup on board.
Small But Mighty
Don't let his pint-sized pup fool you - Junior is as big of a hero as any of the other dogs on this list. The 14-year old Shih Zhu mix saved a house full of people from a deadly fire by creating quite a ruckus. After a fire erupted in the home of his owner Madelous Davilmar in the middle of the night and neither Madelous or his six guests staying at the time woke up, Junior took action. He barked as loudly as possible waking everyone up in the home. 201cJunior2019s a quiet dog and he started making a lot of noise,201d Davilmar said. Thankfully enough noise to wake up the whole house. They were all about the safely escape in the nick of time.
Miley Saved Her Whole Family From Carbon Monoxide
Arkansas puppy, Miley saved her family from toxic carbon monoxide poisoning thanks to her persistence. Owner, Stacie Pitts was so annoyed when Miley kept waking her up. Time after time again She tried to go back to sleep and get Miley to quiet down. But each time, Miley would make a fuss and wake her up again. Finally, Stacie realized that something was terribly wrong. Stacie woke up her entire family, and found that they were all nauseous with severe headaches. The went to the hospital and discovered that Miley had saved them from deadly poisoning before any permanent damage was done to their lungs.
This Golden Retriever Performed The Heimlich Maneuver
Golden retrievers are known for their sweet family-friendly personalities but one Maryland pup proved that they're pretty darn smart too! Debbie Parkhurst was sitting at home reading her newspaper and snacking on an apple when disaster struck. A large piece of the fruit was lodged in her throat and her breath was quickly cutting out. Toby, her 2-year-old pooch came to her rescue by performing a dog-version of the Heimlich maneuver on her until the apple dislodged itself. He repeatedly jumped up and down on her chest until she successfully spit it out. Debbie said she even had paw print bruises on her chest from the rescue.
Angel Is A Real Angel
A very luck Canadian boy was saved from a cougar attack by his aptly-named pooch, Angel. Eleven-year-old Austin Forman was playing in his backyard with his puppy around 5:30 p.m. when an unforeseen danger crept into his space. A vicious cougar leaped at the boy but Angel stepped in to help. Angel was able to fend the cougar off long enough for Austin to safely slip back into the house. She sustained some serious injuries like deep cuts and bites across her head, neck, and shoulders but was nursed back to health by her loving and very appreciative family.
Zoey Saved A Baby From A Rattlesnake
The saying "big things come in small packages" is especially true when you consider the story of Zoey, a five pound Chihuahua who saved a baby boy from a poisonous rattlesnake in Colorado. Booker West, a 1-year-old boy was splashing his hands in a birdbath in his grandparents' northern backyard when a three-foot-long snake slithered up to the toddler and got too close for comfort. He rattled his tail and went to strike the baby. Zoey jumped in the way just in time and took the bites. Although she sustained a serious bite above her eye, Zoey is fine and the baby boy was left unscathed.
Who Rescued Who?
Peety was the subject of an adorable 2016 Youtube video about the transformation and the impact that animals can have on our lives. Peety transformed his owner, Eric O'Grey's life by inspiring him to be the person he wanted to be. Before meeting Peety O'Grey was a 320-pound middle aged man with diabetes and hypertension. Advised by one of his doctors to get a companion, he adopted Peety who was an obese middle-aged dog - how fitting. Within one year of each other's company, Eric lost 140 pounds and Peety lost 25 pounds. "I think about it now: Who rescued whom? Did I rescue him, or did he rescue me?" says Eric.
Flash Helped Find A Missing Woman
Adorable Flash, a 10-month-old Patterdale terrier, left home one night to help police officers in the search for a missing elderly woman Brampton, Darlington, England. After officers searched for the woman for more than fourteen hours, Flash found her in a matter of minutes. The pup sniffed around before laying down next to a hedge and directing officers his way. The woman was inside the bush, unharmed but visibly distressed and confused. After a short stay in the hospital, she returned safely to the care of her family and Flash returned to his. He was later rewarded by officers and community members for lending a hand... er, paw.
"Layla Saved My Life"
Ex-Inmate/Veteran Budhi Blair had seen his fair share of trouble. He suffered from severe PTSD after returning from the Middle East which caused him to lash out and assault police officers and his wife, eventually leading to his arrest. While in jail he met Layla, a pit bull who was mangled in a bad car crash. He saw himself in dog form - abused and discarded. He took Layla under his wing and never looked back "That dog saved me," he said. "Layla saved my life. That dog was better than Prozac for me," he explains. He started a dog training program in jail that paired prisoners with abused and troubled shelter dogs.
Nellie Saved Her Family From Intruders
Nellie, a four-year-old black lab and service dog won a national award, the Heroic Hearing Dog of the Year thanks to her bravery. Nellie saved her owner, a 48-year-old hearing impaired single mom, Gill, and her two children from an intruder on a family vacation. Trained to aid Gill in her everyday life - hearing when her doorbell rings or her baby daughter cries - Nellie is a vital member of their family. But she really proved her love when she woke Gill in the middle of the night and signaled an emergency. When Gill put her on glasses and hearing aids in she saw that a man had entered her room. Nellie protected Gill's children as she demanded the man leave.
Fearless Nyla Risked Her Life
Thanks to their keen senses dogs can sniff out danger long before their humans even realize something is wrong. Nyla is yet another great example of a dog that risked her own life to save her owner from a deadly fire. When Sheila found herself surrounded by smoke and flames, unable to see in front of her, Nyla courageously guided her toward a nearby door, barking whenever Sheila lost track of her. She was able to safely get Sheila out of the burning home. While her home and belongings were destroyed, Sheila looks at the bright side. She says "Nyla could have left anytime. Instead, she chose to stay and risk her own life and face death to save me."
Xena The Warrior Puppy
Extremely neglected and abused dog, Xena arrived at a shelter weighing only four pounds and minutes away from dying from starvation. Now, just a few short months later she's the constant companion, best friend, and therapist for Jonny Hickey, an 8-year-old boy with autism. Jonny's mom says he's made immense strides thanks to Xena's company. "He is the happiest child that I2019ve ever seen him be in eight years,201d she said. Jonny, now a chatterbox, was for the majority of his life, non-verbal. Xena has built up his confidence and he has showered her with love and attention. What a perfect pair.