TAILS OF HERO DOGS

Dogs are more than just pets and on occasion go above and beyond the role we usually picture them in. Take a look at some examples of what some dogs have done, remembering, the dog you get may well have a "Hero" within him/her.

A dog has been honoured for bravery by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue following a fire at the Manor Park Centre Flats, Manor in Sheffield on Thursday, 15th November 2007 at 4.43 am.

Mac the dog was staying with his owners brother in one of the flats, when during the early hours of the morning he started barking persistently until the occupant got up to see what was wrong.  A fire was discovered in the entrance hall of the flats.  The man quickly raised the alarm, which enabled the other occupants of the flats to escape unharmed.

Mac has since been hailed a hero by the residents of the flats, along with Firefighters from Mansfield Road who attended the incident.

Mac and his owner were invited to Mansfield Road Fire Station on Tuesday 20 November 2007 to receive a Certificate and dog treats.

Station Manager Jeff Simpson, said:  "If the alarm hadn't been raised, it would potentially have prevented people getting out of the building and made it a much more serious incident.  We were there within five minutes of being called and luckily there were no injuries, so very well done to Mac".

 

May 09, 2007 12:00am

A NINE-year-old Jack Russell terrier George is being honoured with a posthumous bravery medal for saving five children from an attack by two pitbulls.

The medal from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) comes after US Vietnam veteran Jerrell Hudman said he was sending his Purple Heart medal to George's owner in New Zealand after hearing of the dog's bravery.

George, who had a heart problem, won fame after defending five children from the pitbulls in the small North Island town of Manaia a week and a half ago.

The two pitbulls rushed at the five children on the street, prompting George to charge the much larger dogs as the children escaped.

The Jack Russell was badly mauled by the two pitbulls and later had to be put down because of his extensive injuries. The two pitbulls were also put down.

The SPCA medal is usually awarded to people for their bravery in defending animals.

"George was a very brave little dog who almost certainly prevented severe injury, if not death, to at least one of the children,'' SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said.

"It's truly tragic that he paid with his own life for his instinctive act of courage.''

Hudman, 58, of Austin, Texas was a US Marine for 30 years and said he decided to send his Purple Heart to George's owner Alan Gay after reading the news on the Internet because the dog was "a little warrior''.

The Purple Heart is awarded to those killed or injured fighting for the US military.

(CBS) George Mitchell's dog may be one of the most unlikely heroes to emerge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Mitchell, 80, tells CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers that Frisky saved his life as Katrina was devastating the landscape.

The mutt, who's nearly blind now, is a schnauzer-poodle mix and, at 19, is the equivalent of 133 in human years.

He showed up on Mitchell's doorstep in Biloxi, Miss., as a pup and has been a member of the family ever since.

Bowers met Mitchell in a Biloxi hospital, and found Frisky in Mitchell's bed with him.

"This dog has been kinda spoiled," Mitchell says. "But it paid off. It really paid off. He took care of me, he sure did. When it counted most, this dog lived up."

Frisky did more than take care of Mitchell. The unimposing four-legged friend gave Mitchell reason to live when Katrina was slamming the Gulf Coast.

"My little friend and I had a party that night," Mitchell says. "We had a big party. We spent the night treading water and swimming. … This thing (Katrina) was the monster of them all. It had to have come straight from Hell.

"About four hours after I was treading water and all, I was about ready to let go, and I felt this real peaceful feeling, like, 'This is it.' Ya know? And I was about to let go and, all of a sudden, he was on that mattress and come running to the corner of the mattress, and he kissed me and kissed me and kissed me. And it kinda snapped me out of it, and I was able to come back."

Do dogs really understand loyalty? Do they really know when their owners are in danger and do they really try to save, protect and rescue them?

Dogs can't speak in a language we as humans understand but then the old saying that "actions speak louder than words" seems to express it very clearly.

No matter what you believe or want to disbelieve, a quick Google search of "Dog saves . . . " will surely give you some food for thought on the subject. But for now, just read a few stories of how dogs have been heroes, often unsung, in our world, not only today, but since time immemorial.

Just think, your "hero" could be waiting for you at the Aminal Shelter .