2008 Hero Dog of the Year Award

Somehow, this morning, I decided to look on the web for the dog hero of 2008 and amazingly, I found that really, a dog has been awarded with the Hero Dog of the Year 2008!

I mean, it was just a random search and I did not expect it to turn up any results but it did. I thought that it would be a police rescue dog or something but NO, this is a pit bull that had saved her owner from assault one day in mid-2007, when she was attacked from behind when she was entering her home.

I am always moved by stories like these, true animal hero stories that seem like they came from the movies or something. Here is a pit bull, a breed that is so ferocious that I think that some countries banned it.

I keep telling people that animals are like people and they do know when we are in need of help, they do understand our feelings and such but these are only what another animal lover would understand.

To read the full account of Maya and how she saved her owner's life and why she was honoured as the Hero Dog 2008, visit the official website of National Dog Day. You can also read about the Hero Dog of 2007, Moti, and of 2006, Honey.

Pax the Hero

I love animals, especially dogs, and have kept dogs almost my whole live. I love reading anything that has to do with dogs, how to train them, how to keep them happy and healthy.

Here is another hero story I'd like to share with all animal lovers. It was written by Pauline of Maine, USA.

My hero is a Golden Retriever named Pax. He was born in California and now lives in the state of Maine. He was donated to be a public relations dog for the Prison Dog Project of Pathways To Hope.

His registered name is Cinnabar's Peacemaker and he has two obedience titles: CDX, which means Companion Dog Excellent, and TD, which means he is a certified Tracking Dog.

Pax goes into prisons and visits the inmates and the guards. He helps us show the inmates how they can raise and train a dog to help the disabled. He helps break down hard hearts. He makes people laugh. He delights the guards, staff and inmates by opening doors, turning on lights and doing other tasks that make a handicapped person's life more comfortable.

Pax also helps people learn how to care for dogs. Dogs love us unconditionally, so we have to remember that they depend on us to care for them properly, which means feeding them on time, keeping them groomed, and cleaning up after them when taking them for walks. It is especially important to obedience train dogs so they will be good citizens.

Pax lives in the woods of Maine where he loves to run and play, but he also travels to many places. He even travelled on a plane to Rome. He visits children in schools. He is always happy and greets everyone with great joy, not caring who they are are or what they have done in their life. He sees people as friends. Because he has not experienced abuse or neglect, he sees the world much differently than we might see it.

You can see many more pictures of Pax on my web page, Pathways To Hope. Just click on "Prison Dog Project."

Thank you for letting me share about my hero, Pax, an extraordinary dog whose mission in life is to be a peacemaker.

Source: HERE

Psychic Hero Dog Named Bear

I am always left in wonderment that an animal's sixth sense is a lot stronger than a man's. Somehow animals will know beforehand, if a tragedy is going to happen. And we wonder, "How do they know first?"

Lester Bowling of Boaz, Alabama was working on his van and had it jacked up on a regular car jack.

Normally Bear (a loving black lab) was made to stay inside the house, so where he came from or how he got out is still a mystery. But anyway, Bear came up to Lester and started jerking on his jacket and pulling him out from under the van.

Lester thought maybe he was just playing, but Bear wouldn't give up and just started pulling and jerking him harder until he got him clear of the van, that moments later came loose from the jack and fell to the ground.

Where Lester's head was positioned, under the van, it would have been crushed.

How Bear knew something was going to happen will always be a mystery, but Lester thank the heavens for having such a loving pet that saved his life.

Yes, indeed, an animal's love is all giving and forever.

This story was submitted by Michelle Cooper.

Source: HERE

The Dog Hero - A True Animal Story

Every time I read an inspiring story like this, all the more I'm convinced that animals, especially dogs (sorry, I am biased), are more intelligent than we give them credit for.

Adapted from Animal Angels, by Stephanie Laland (Conari Press, 1998).

Kathie Vaughan was driving the used truck she had purchased that morning when it suddenly began to fishtail. She finally managed to bring the vehicle to a stop with a loud screech. But her troubles had just begun.

The cabin interior was filling fast with noxious fumes and black smoke. Most people could have simply jumped out of the vehicle, but Kathie is a paraplegic--paralyzed from the waist down by multiple sclerosis. Her truck was on fire and she knew she could be blown up at any moment.

Kathie shoved her Rottweiler Eve out the door, along with her wheelchair. But due to the thick black smoke, she could not find the wheels to the chair.

A throbbing panic overwhelmed her. She had to get out immediately, before the truck exploded. That’s when Eve, her dog, proved herself to be a true hero. Read the rest of the story here:

In danger of blacking out, Kathie suddenly felt Eve, refusing to desert her, grab her leg with her jaws. Eve firmly grasped Kathie by the ankle and dragged her ten feet to relative safety. Then the truck burst into flames. Ignoring the terrifying fire, Eve dragged Kathie to a nearby ditch.

A police car arrived on the scene. “You’ve got to get further away!” the policeman shouted to Kathie. The truck was on fire, the flames were approaching the gas tank; there was danger of a terrific explosion.

Kathie struggled to pull herself away from the truck and toward the police car. Her head and body ached with pain and she found she could hardly move. Eve bent close to her human friend, offering Kathie her collar. Then Kathie held tight as the determined dog dragged her forty feet to safety.

The firemen eventually extinguished the blaze. And Eve was awarded the prestigious Stillman Award for bravery.

Source: HERE

Dog Saves Disabled Owner From Fire

The true story of a selfless dog....

Dog saves disabled owner from fire
Washington
October 18, 2006

A dog rescued a disabled woman from her burning home in the US state of Wisconsin, but its devotion cost it its life when it returned to save the family cat.

Jesse, a Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, dragged its owner Jamie Hanson, 49, to safety after a fire broke out in her home yesterday in the town of Rhine.

Before pulling Hanson to safety, Jesse brought her the prosthetic leg she has worn since an automobile accident three years ago and a telephone to call the fire department, the Sheboygan Press reported.

When the dog pulled its owner to the doorway, Hanson said she heard the cat cry and the dog ran upstairs to get the cat.

"I screamed and I screamed for her, but then I just heard her whine and then I didn't hear anything more," Hanson said at a press conference.

Hanson had trained Jesse to assist her after she lost her leg in an accident. Both Jesse and the cat it tried to save died in the blaze.

"I never treated her like a dog," Hanson said.

"She was always like a child to me. She understood every word I ever said to her."

Another cat started the fire when it knocked over a candle, fire authorities said.

Hanson received moderate burns in the fire, which destroyed her 100-year-old home.

DPA

Source: HERE

Super HERO Dog

Aiyo such a sad story. A real Hero doggie.

We had a beautiful buff Cocker Spaniel named Muffy when my daughter was 2 years old. They were both playing in our fenced back yard.

I was weeding the garden a little way from them. Muffy starting barking & it got more & more intense! I looked over to see her standing in front of my daughter obviously barking down at something!

I ran over to see what was going on. As I got close enough I saw a snake striking Muffy over & over on the face & chest. I grabbed my daughter & ran for the house calling Muffy.

I went back & killed the snake with a shovel & then checked on Muffy. She was laying down & breathing very hard.

I scooped her up & we took her to the vet. The vet tried to save her, but she had taken in too much poison.

We had her put to sleep to stop the pain. It was very painful & sad to lose such a brave protector.

I fully believe she was guarding my daughter from what she knew was dangerous & gave her little life in the process! I know there in a brave little golden Cocker angel in heaven waiting to wag her little nub tail at us!/span>

By Jeana D. Atlanta, GA

Source: HERE

Saved by the Lab

While walking Boomer, my five-year-old Lab, on a street near my home, I stumbled into a pothole and broke both my legs. Though I screamed for help, no one was around. Boomer lay right down on the road and stayed there. I knew I needed medical help, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, "Home."

My 160-pound Lab dragged me, stopping now and then. Finally we made it to the house. My husband found me and called 911. I had rescued Boomer from a shelter. I never dreamed he would end up rescuing me.

-- Submitted by Bobbie Glover, Auburn, California

Source: HERE

Ben the Super Sheepdog

Robert Sinclair has asthma. After a very bad attack he collapsed in his room and couldn't even move. He couldn't go and get help, eat or drink. He lay there for a whole week and felt very poorly. He decided he had to get help and so he wrote a note, put it in a bottle and dropped it out of his window. He hoped that someone would find it and help him. He waited.

And someone did find it: Ben! Ben isn't a person, but a very intelligent border collie dog. Ben picked up the bottle in his mouth and took it home to his human friend, Brian. Brian read the note and rushed to find Robert. He also called an ambulance, which came and took Robert to hospital. Robert got better, thanks to Ben. He will never forget the amazing dog who saved his life.

Source: HERE

Thongdaeng, the Luckiest Stray Dog

Thongdaeng must be the luckiest stray dog in the whole world. Stray dogs near my house come and go. They get reported to the authorities and get shot down for nothing.

But for Thongdaeng, who was rescued by a Palace doctor, has been adopted by His Majesty, the King of Thailand. Can any stray top that?

Thongdaeng, an indigenous Thai dog who can pick and peel coconuts to drink the juice, has been described by the King as intelligent, loyal and always polite.

And, the King has also written a book about her, and the first print of 100,000 sold out within hours, making it a bestseller.

If that's not enough, the King has t-shirts printed with the image of Thongdaeng and her nine puppies, and the t-shirts, at 300 Baht each, are sell like hot cakes too. Proceeds go to charity though.

It's really wonderful for Thongdaeng to have such an affinity with His Majesty.