hero dogs Archives - Page 2 of 6

Hero Pit Bull Stabbed While Protecting Dog Dad from Home Invaders (He’s OK)

Around 10 p.m. Thursday night, Aubrey Christopher was awakened by the growling of his usually docile 1-year-old Pit Bull, Blue.

When Christopher got up to see what was the matter, he saw three strangers standing on the porch of his Kansas City, Mo., home. One man had a gun, and another was holding a knife.

Christopher ran to his kitchen to find something to protect himself with. In the meantime, Blue burst through the screen door.

The Pit Bull scared off the criminals, but was stabbed in the neck in the process.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Christopher told KCTV. “It was terrible. I called the police and wrapped a pillow case around his neck to try to stop the blood.”

With help from the Kansas City Police Department, Christopher rushed Blue to Union Hill Animal Hospital.

“He’s such a sweet dog,” Dr. Christina Belew, the veterinarian who treated Blue, told KCTV. “He was licking the hospital staff as they were treating his wounds. Everyone fell in love with him.”

Blue is now recovering at home with his grateful dog dad.

“If it wasn’t for him, I’d be a dead man,” Christopher told KCTV. “I’m just so glad he’s going to be okay.”

The Union Hill Animal Hospital offered a discount for Blue’s emergency treatment. The $600 bill was paid by the nonprofit Frankie’s Friends, according to KSHB.

To make a donation to help Frankie’s Friends help save more heroes like Blue, click here.

Photo via Frankie’s Friends

Guide Dog Who Saved Mom from Being Hit by Bus Is ASPCA Dog of the Year

When the driver of a mini-bus apparently didn’t see Audrey Stone, who is blind, and her guide dog, Figo (pronounced FEE-go), walking across a street in Brewster, N.Y., four months ago, the Golden Retriever jumped toward the vehicle to shield Stone.

“I don’t know if (the driver) thought (Stone) was going to move faster, but it looks like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her,” Paul Schwartz, who witnessed it all, told the Journal News June 9.

Both Figo and Stone were hit by the bus, but thanks to the guide dog’s heroic action, they both survived.

“There were 15 EMTs and people all around her, and the dog didn’t want to leave her side,” Schwartz said. “He was flopping over to her and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either. She kept screaming, ‘Where’s Figo?’ We kept telling her he was fine.”

Stone suffered several fractures, and Figo’s right front leg was severely cut.

After Stone was taken by ambulance to a hospital, Schwartz said Figo seemed kind of lost. Firefighters put Figo in their truck and took him to Middlebranch Veterinary, where he had surgery on his leg. A generous, unidentified benefactor paid all of Figo’s vet bills.

Once he recovered, Figo was returned to his original trainers at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind to make sure the scary incident hadn’t affected his ability to continue working as a guide dog for Stone.

He passed all the tests with flying colors, including a walk down the street where the accident had occurred.

Today, after all those months apart, Stone was finally reunited with Figo — who, she’d told the Journal News, deserved a purple heart.

“Oh, my good boy. You’re home — finally!” Stone said as she petted him, the Associated Press reports.

“Basically, he would have died for me, doing what he did,” Stone said.

Although Figo won’t be receiving a purple heart, he is getting another prestigious honor for his heroic act. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) announced today it has named Figo its Dog of the Year.

“The 2015 Humane Awards honorees exemplify perseverance and incredible dedication to helping both animals and their owners – reminding us of the value animals bring to our lives, and the loving protection we owe them in return,” said ASPCA President and CEO Matthew Bershadker in a press release.

The Humane Awards Luncheon will be held Nov. 12 in New York City.

Photos via Twitter, Twitter

Stray Border Collie Prevents Girl from Being Hit by Truck

As a group of children played alongside a street in Oklahoma City, a little girl stepped off the curb. A stray Border Collie who’s been nicknamed “Angel” darted in front of her, stopping the girl in her tracks.

Angel had seen what the little girl did not: a truck speeding toward her. The truck clipped Angel, fracturing his leg.

“He really was a watchdog,” Charles Saxton, who witnessed Angel’s heroic deed, told KOCO. “That truck came speeding down. They always do. He saved her life. Saved her from getting hit. I don’t know if it would have killed the girl or not, but it mangled the dog pretty bad.”

Another witness, Alfredo Carrasco, said Angel had been hanging around the area for about three weeks. He and other neighbors fed him.

“It just showed up,” he told KOCO. “Real pretty dog, black and white. I don’t know who it belongs to, but he was real friendly.”

Angel is now being cared for by the Oklahoma City (OKC) Animal Welfare Department. A generous veterinarian has offered to pay for the surgery needed on the Border Collie’s leg, and according to the OKC Animal Welfare Department’s Facebook page, Angel has already been adopted and will be going to his new forever home today.

“It really shows the power of the human-animal relationship,” the department’s superintendent, Julie Bank, told KOCO. “It shows how much animals are really in tune to what we’re all about. Angel really is a hero dog that saved a bunch of kids.”

Photo via Twitter

Guide Dog Calls 911 and Saves Blind Woman from House Fire

When Yolanda, a guide dog who lives in Philadelphia with a blind woman in her 60s, smelled smoke coming from the basement early yesterday morning, she called 911 on a specially equipped phone.

She then woke up her dog mom and led her out of the house, saving her life — for the second time. Last year, Yolanda called 911 when her dog mom fell and lost consciousness.

The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Yolanda is also being treated for smoke inhalation by Penn Vet, according to a tweet this afternoon from the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, a Philadelphia nonprofit that provides relief for displaced pets & their pet parents.

The two may have lost their home, but they still have their lives — and each other.

“Yolanda is a superhero!” the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team wrote on its Facebook page yesterday. I couldn’t agree more.

Photo via Facebook

Rescued Dachshund Saves Kentucky Family from House Fire

During a severe thunderstorm early Tuesday morning, lightning apparently struck a house in Frankfort, Ky., sparking a fast-moving fire.

James Meadows, his wife and two grandchildren were fast asleep at the time. But thanks to Lacy, their 6-year-old rescued Dachshund, the family lived to tell the story.

“Lacy barked and woke me up,” Meadows told LEX 18. “I walked out of the bedroom, and I see the couch and behind the couch was glowing.”

Meadows was able to get his two-legged family members and two of their three dogs out of the house before it was engulfed by flames. Tragically, the third dog did not survive.

“We rescued Lacy, so she rescued us back,” Meadows told LEX 18 as he scratched the Dachshund’s ears. “She’s a hero in my book.”

A GoFundMe.com account has been created to help the Meadows recover from the loss of their house. To make a donation, click here.

Photo via LEX 18