Dog Rescue Stories That Will Melt Your Heart
These unbelievably brave dogs remind us that heroes can come in fluffy packages.Dogs are truly magical. They love to play, be companions and get belly rubs. But they can also be straight-up heroes. From the beginning of humanity’s relationship with our canine counterparts, we’ve helped each other out. In exchange for food, we get companionship and hunting partners who can see and sense stuff long before we can.
Even in our modern ages, there are all sorts of dangers we don’t always sense coming. But our dog pals can. And even the smallest among them live to protect and care for their owners. Sometimes that means just giving cuddles when their owner is feeling down. And other times it means alerting them when something is terribly wrong. And still other times, it means the dog taking extra-dramatic action to try and help their beloved human stay safe and healthy.
Here are a handful of heroic tales about dogs that will make you want to snuggle your pup extra hard (or convince you to finally get one) because they’re truly the best.
A Dog Saves a Deer From Drowning
There was definitely some animal love happening here when Storm, the labrador retriever, risked his own life to save a drowning deer, which the owner captured on video.
Amazingly, the dog gently brings the deer to shore and even chases it down to make sure it’s recovered before going about its regularly scheduled walk. He was, no doubt, rewarded with plenty of extra pats for being such a good (and brave) boy.
A Small Pup Comforts a Fellow Little One
When the hero dog that would come to be called Peanut first arrived at a shelter, she had been badly abused and was in terrible shape. Thanks to the love she got from the shelter and her new family, she healed nicely. One fateful day, she was able to pay that kindness forward when she sensed something was wrong outside her home. Peanut went nuts, barking and trying to get outside and have her owners come with her.
Thankfully, they listened and went outside to see what all the fuss was about, only to find a naked toddler curled up in a ball and shivering. When the police arrived, the girl’s only words were “doggie.” The girl and her sibling were removed from the horrible situation and are under care now in a better one. The situation could have been even worse if Peanut hadn’t been there to let everyone know what was happening.
A Gentle Giant Saves a Family From a Fire
When “Big Ben” was rescued from a local shelter in Pittsburgh, the big mutt happily and quickly fit into his new pack. One night, his mom was away and a babysitter was in charge of the children, so he made extra sure they were all safe.
A fire had started in the apartment and, though everyone was asleep, Ben barked to wake up the babysitter until she realized the issue and was able to save everyone in time. Had it not been for Ben’s big heart and protective spirit, the babysitter and two children could have died in that fire.
Another Brave Dog Alerts a Family of a Fire
If it hadn’t been for the loud insistence of her pup, a mom of nine children could have had a real tragedy on her hands. Despite being sleep deprived and wanting to catch a little rest while her husband was away and she cared for her nine kids and two dogs on her own, one of her pups wouldn’t let her rest — and for a very good reason.
The dog was warning her that an electrical fire had started in her kitchen. She had enough time to grab her kids and get them to safety thanks to her pup’s warning.
After a Car Crash, This Dog Cares for His Teenage Friend
After a car veered off the road in the middle of the woods, the only two surviving passengers were a teenage boy and his four-year-old dog, Sako. When the boy came-to, he realized that he was badly injured and could barely move. Sako stayed by his side — literally cuddling with him to help keep him warm at night.
Plus, Sako helped the boy drag himself to a creek for water and even fought off coyotes. The dog’s actions easily helped save this boy’s life, and even earned a coveted medal for heroism.
This Dog’s Nose Saves More Lives Than Most Ever Will
A brave bomb-sniffing dog served all over Europe, including in Afghanistan. He was trained to sniff out bombs, and his efforts paid off on at least two occasions where he warned of life-threatening explosives.
He retired at eight years old and was awarded the most coveted military medal a dog can get for his heroism. And, hopefully, he got a treat or two after the ceremony.
A Dog Visit Turns Into a Family Rescue Mission
Family dogs can get a lot of credit for taking care of their owners in even the most difficult situations. But Bandit, a pomeranian poodle mix, was only visiting for the weekend while his mom was out of town when he ended up saving everyone involved from a really tragic situation.
Even though the family already had two animals, a dog and a cat, Bandit was the one who saved the day. Because of a mishap with a disinfecting hairbrush left on a stove, smoke and toxic plastic gas were rushing through the family’s home as they all slept. Bandit was the only one to pick up on the danger and barked on his temporary mom’s chest until she was awake and realized the problem. Even the freshly bought smoke detectors didn’t warn them as well as Bandit did. The family credits that little pup with saving their lives.
Hero, the Aptly Named Dog, Becomes a Hero
The scariest fires are always the ones in the middle of the night, when people are sleeping and could pass out from smoke inhalation before ever being aware of the danger. But thanks to this family's dog, Hero (who already had the name before he had earned the title), they were woken up in the middle of the night and saved from what could have been a tragic situation. Hero’s atypical barking alerted his mom that something was up, and he ended up saving all their lives.
This Family Dog Fights Off a Cougar and Lives to Tell the Tale
Even though Angel was only 18 months old, that didn’t stop her from going head to head with a cougar who threatened her human family member’s life. According to Angel’s family, she had been acting somewhat strange not long before she and her boy were hanging outside by themselves. All of a sudden, a cougar approached. Rather than run for help or leave her boy by himself, she went head on to protect him from the cougar as it charged towards them.
Luckily, help was able to get there quickly and assist Angel against the cougar. At first, she seemed mortally wounded, but when she finally did stand up, she immediately went over to her boy to make sure he was OK. She then got all the medical attention she needed to properly recover and, undoubtedly, received extra cuddles and belly rubs from her very grateful family.
A Pup Risks Losing an Eye to Save a Life
When a curled up snake was ready to pounce on some young kiddos playing in a backyard in Texas, a little furry dog named Psycho lept into action and intervened between the snake and the kids. He sustained a snake bite to his eye that would eventually cause it to be removed, but he won the hearts and ongoing loyalty of his family members whom he saved from danger that day.
Snakes Are No Match for Loyal Pups
Another dog, this time in Florida, kept his family safe when he kept a snake at bay in their own backyard. Although the family never saw the snake, the three snake bites on their rescue dog’s leg (revealed at the vet’s office) made it clear why the pup was acting so funny when the family was playing outside.
Instead of just running away and leaving the snake to roam and possibly hurt the family, the pup stayed and tried to fight it off, even at his own peril. Luckily, his family is very grateful and took excellent care of him throughout his recovery.
When a Young Boy Gets Lost, His Pooch Stays by His Side
When a young South Carolina boy went missing in the woods, his family quickly became distraught. He was gone for more than four hours — well into the evening — before they noticed the family pet standing guard outside a barn. When they went inside, the boy was totally unharmed and the loyal dog was rewarded for being the brave sidekick he was during the ordeal.
A Dog Puts His Swimming Skills to the Test
In just an instant, a life can change. That’s what one family learned when their toddler, who usually follows them everywhere, ended up missing. They went looking and found him in the family pool face up. He was floating there, but not by himself.
The family dog, Bear, was floating with his back under the boy to keep his head above water. The dog was being extra careful as if he truly understood how serious this situation was. The boy eventually did recover on the way to the hospital. The exam confirmed that the toddler did intake a lot of water before he got rid of it, which makes them believe that he was likely sinking before Bear went in to keep him afloat and, in doing so, save his life.
This Dog Scares Away an Attacker
When a man pushed his way into a woman’s home one day, he was messing with the wrong dog. The man grabbed the woman and began strangling her, but her dog wasn’t having it. The dog attacked the man with all the strength her 25-pound body could muster.
It was enough to distract the man so the woman could get her bearings and began attacking him back. Between the woman and her dog, the man was pushed out of the door, unable to harm them any further. Plus, a spec of blood on her dog was tested to get the DNA of the attacker, who was later charged and punished for his actions.
A Dog Pulls a Disabled Woman From a Burning Vehicle
While driving, a disabled woman who is paralyzed from her waist down, heard a pop in her car. Before she knew it, her brand-new car was suddenly filled with smoke and she was losing her ability to think properly as she attempted to put together her wheelchair. Luckily for her, her dog was there and, once she opened the door, helped drag her to safety away from the car. The car did eventually go up in flames, though the woman remained unharmed.
The loyal dog Eve, with some burns on her paws, stayed by the woman’s side and even protected her from the approaching police officers until she understood they were there to help. Despite Eve’s heroics, she was just a regular dog with no special training, only a lot of love for her owner.
This Dog Rescues a Young Boy From a Cold Creek
It only took three weeks for an adopted pit bull (newly named Yeti) to show his family how dedicated he was to his new pack. When his six-year-old human brother fell into a rushing, cold creek, none of the nearby adults could get to him. But Yeti could.
He rushed into the water to push his friend toward the closest nearby human and even used his big body to keep the creek water from continuing to rush on the boy. In short, he straight-up saved the boy’s life.
Dog Kisses Give an Owner Reason to Live
Sometimes, dog heroics come in smaller, more subtle packages. When an elderly man found himself treading water after Hurricane Katrina, he almost gave up after several hours. He was tired and losing his desire to keep fighting, ready to resign himself.
That’s when his loving dog came up — somehow sensing the shift — and started kissing his owner uncontrollably. The owner credited that simple act with reminding him that there was something to live for, and to continue treading until he finally got help.
A Tiny Yorkie Takes on a Bear
A New York woman heard her little Yorkie dog going crazy barking one day and wondered what was happening. When she checked it out, she saw that somehow a bear — an actual bear — had wandered into the home. Unluckily for the bear, it was trying to get the most off-limits food in the entire house, the 6-pound Yorkie’s bowl.
The dog was not having it and even started attacking the bear to get it out of the house. And, somehow, it worked. The family was saved from the bear, and the Yorkie was able to eat its food in peace — plus a couple extra treats as a thank you.
A Dog Takes a Bullet for His Owner
When armed robbers tried to hurt his owner, this dog wasn’t having it. He leapt into action, getting grazed by one bullet before scaring one of the two gunmen away. The other gunman actually shot the dog several times, but he was able to recover. His bravery ended up scaring both gunmen away and ending the attack. Now, both he and his owner are alive and grateful.
This Dog Warns a Family of an Abusive Babysitter
They may not use their words, but dogs sure can communicate with us. And this loving labrador mix alerted these two young parents that the babysitter they had chosen for their infant wasn’t a good choice. Every time the babysitter came over, the dog would stand between her and the boy, growling at her and protecting him.
At first, the parents thought it was simply odd behavior and maybe she wasn’t a dog person. But they eventually took note of the behavior and decided to record what was happening in their home while they were gone. They were horrified to find out that their young son was being physically and verbally abused. Had it not been for the dog, something much more dire could have happened before they ever knew anything was wrong.