Dogs observe and know more than we realize. This becomes most evident during life-and-death emergencies where dogs display bravery, loyalty, and intelligence. These 10 stories will make you appreciate dogs more than ever.
10. Lucca
Lucca served six years as a Marine Corps military working dog, leading around 400 patrols sniffing out improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Lucca identified nearly 40, saving innumerable lives. As her final service act, Lucca lost a leg during an explosion. In 2016, she was the first US military working dog to receive the Dickin Medal for bravery and devotion.
9. Cheyenne
Senior Airman David Sharpe was living with undiagnosed PTSD when he adopted a pit bull puppy he named Cheyenne from a shelter. Months later, Sharpe sat on his kitchen floor with a handgun, on the verge of taking his own life. Cheyenne sat next to Sharpe and licked his ear, making him laugh. He later said that moment gave him a new reason for living.
8. Layka
In 2012, while clearing a Taliban compound in Afghanistan, a Belgian Malinois Army dog named Layka was shot four times with an AK-47 and lost a leg. The soldiers credited her actions with saving their lives. When they returned home, one of them, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, adopted the three-legged dog of war.
7. Sako
A car accident killed all the passengers except for a King Shepherd named Sako and his teenage owner. For 40 hours, the dog took care of his badly wounded master, leading him to water, fighting off coyotes, and keeping him warm, until rescuers found them. Sako was inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame in 2017 for heroism.
6. Major
A Labrador-pit bull mix named Major saved the life of his combat veteran owner who had been wounded in action. When his owner was overwhelmed with a seizure, Major stepped on his owner’s phone to call 911. The dispatchers thought it was a prank and hung up repeatedly. But tenacious Major called emergency services 10 times until responders finally came.
5. Todd
In 2018, during a hiking trip in Arizona, Todd, a golden retriever, received a rattlesnake bite to the face after putting himself between the pit viper and his owner. The owner had been unaware she was about to step on the deadly reptile. Other than a severely swollen snout, Todd survived the ordeal.
4. Buddy
An 87-year-old man in Boynton Beach, Florida, owes his life to a dog named Buddy. The elderly man fell and couldn’t get up. Sensing the danger, 12-year-old Buddy, broke through the screen door to escape and run to a neighbor’s house. Buddy alerted them to the danger and led them to the injured man, whom they were able to save.
3. Jazzy
In 2018, in Candor, New York, a Yorkshire Terrier named Jazzy noticed that her diabetic owner had fallen unconscious. Jazzy tried to wake him by nudging his chin and barking frantically. Jazzy’s barking alerted the man’s mother, who was able to revive him before he went into potentially fatal diabetic shock.
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2. Kelsey
In 2017, in the snowy, frigid Michigan wilderness, a man fell, breaking his neck. As he lay paralyzed, he expected he’d freeze to death. But his golden retriever, Kelsey, was determined to save him. She laid on top of him for 19 hours, keeping him warm, and barking incessantly until help arrived, long after he’d lost consciousness.
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1. Peanut
Peanut endured appalling abuse before being adopted into a loving home. In 2017, Peanut’s frantic barking alerted her owners to travel outside their Michigan home. They followed Peanut out into the cold and found a hypothermic 3-year-old girl near death. She’d wandered from an abusive home herself. When first responders arrived, the girl’s first words were: “Doggy.”
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