The dogs who have been nominated for the Dogs of Valor award are as follows:
- Sirus a German Shepherd dog from Conneaut Ohio, who warned his owners of a gunman intruding into the house. The gunman came in shooting and the owner, Mike Hommes was able to shoot off gunshots and the intruder fled. Luckily no one, not even their baby was injured. The dog miraculously survived too.
- Gangsta, a 5-year-old Pomeranian who Barked hysterically to get her family’s attention when their daughter suffered a violent seizure in the shower and collapsed unconscious in a tub of scalding water. The daughter is recovering in the hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on the majority of her body but if was not for Gangsta's warning, she would not be alive today.
- Effie, a 15-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer from Pine City, Minnesota pulled her owner, Brett Grinde off their usual route on their walk one day. She strained so hard against her leash that Grinde unhooked her and followed. After 50 yards, she disappeared up a driveway.
When Grinde turned the corner, he found Effie standing over and licking his 94-year-old neighbor, William Lepsch, who was lying face down in the snow and ice, bleeding and unconscious. Lepsch’s 88-year-old wife, Marjorie, had spotted him through the window, but she couldn't reach him using either her wheelchair or walker. She had been attempting to call 911, but in her panic kept misdialing.
Effie stood guard while Grinde cleared Lepsch’s airway and called an ambulance. Lepsch was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for broken ribs and hypothermia. He passed away two days later, but because of Effie, his family was given the chance to say goodbye. - Diamond, a 1-year-old black pit bull from Hayward, California alerted her owner that their second-floor apartment was on fire. Her owner, Todd Steen was the father of two young daughters. Because of Diamond's loud bark, all of them were able to jump out the second floor window, saving their lives. Diamond survived too, although she had burns on 30& of her body. Todd is now looking for a new place that allows dogs.
- Ceili, a 14-year-old Labrador mix from Hayward, California was jumping up trying to smell her owner's breath one night. Deciding to go to bed early because he wasn't feeling well, Danny Fincher noticed Ceili pulling on his shorts while he was brushing his teeth. Shortly thereafter she was nipping on his socks and pulled off one of his shoes. As he sat down to put his sock back on, his chest suddenly felt like it was on fire and he struggled to breathe. Ceile barked maniacally and ran circles around him.
His fiance Jewell found him and rushed him to the hospital. He wound up having quadruple bypass surgery. He is now recovering and Ceili is by his side as usual.
- Emmett, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever from Boise, Idaho, was out with his owner Lance Esquivel and his son Tyler as he took his snowmobile out for a ride. Suddenly Emmett came to a halt, looked back, and barked until Esquivel stopped the snowmobile. That's when Esquivel saw that a live power line had been knocked down during the storm and was lying directly in his path.
Emmett continued to run back and forth, barking in alarm. Then he got too close to the line—the electrical current threw him several feet, and he died instantly. If not for Emmett's warning, Esquivel would have driven over the wire and been killed. - Sarge, a 3-year-old German Shepherd from Forsyth, Illinois, was hanging out with his owner Doug Claypool while he was reading a book and fell asleep early. At midnight, Sarge awoke and rushed down the hall to his 15-year-old daughter's bedroom door and started growling and scratching. Doug had tried to push the door open but the intruder was holding it closed. Claypool ran to another part of the house and grabbed his handgun. He then forced his daughter's door open, and ordered the intruder to get on the floor. Sarge started towards the unknown man, but Claypool called him back and held the intruder at gunpoint until sheriff's deputies arrived. Luckily, his daughter had slept through the whole incident.
- Coco, a 4-month-old male Chihuahua from Summerfield, Florida, was parked for the night at a Maryland truck stop, with his owner, truck driver Timothy Harris. Harris fell asleep in the bedroom area of his tractor-trailer with Coco by his side. Shortly after 2 a.m., Coco woke Harris up by clawing and nudging him between frantic barks. The truck was filled with smoke and flames.
Harris grabbed Coco and escaped, but then he realized his tiny dog had stopped breathing. Harris administered CPR until Coco responded. Harris was then rushed to a the hospital, where he was treated for second degree burns to his arms and face. Coco was taken to an emergency vet clinic, where he was treated for exposure to excessive heat and smoke damage to his lungs. Sadly, after four days, Coco had died of a heart attack. - Yogi, a 4-year-old golden retriever from Austin, TX ran around and barked furiously until he got help for his owner who hit a bump and flipped over the handles of his mountain bike, paralyzing him from the chest down. He was able to grab the attention of his owner, Paul Horton's neighbors who were able to get him to a hospital. Horton is still paralyzed but is undergoing therapy. As usual, Yogi is right by his side.
- Wyatt Earp, an Airedale mix from Royal Oak, Michigan was out on a walk Don Callahan, who would frequently take him on winter strolls. All of a sudden, Don collapsed in the park. Wyatt Earp sat by his side and barked incessantly. Finally, someone called the police to report a nuisance dog. When an officer arrived to investigate, he spotted Callahan and Wyatt Earp and called for help.
When the firefighters arrived, they found that Callahan, a diabetic, had a dangerously low blood sugar level. He'd had no warning because the sensor on his implanted glucometer had expired that very night.
After a night in the intensive care unit, he and Wyatt Earp were reunited the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment