Putting your own life on the line to save another is one of the most selfless and brave acts that not many people are willing to risk. Those who do often get big praise. Some receive awards, others make it into history books, or have films produced about them.
But what about our friends in the animal kingdom who have risked it all, or even lost their own lives, to save a human being? Where are their flowers? We at Bored Panda believe our furry friends deserve credit too, so went searching for some true tales about pets who went above and beyond for the people they love.
What we found was an incredible thread of responses to the question, "[People] whose lives were saved by an animal, what happened?" We went through more than 1,000 to compile a list of the best. Some are sad, like the person who admitted that they're alive because their cat is not. Others are heartwarming, like the rescued pup who risked his life to rescue someone from a raging fire. All are proof that many animals can be more brave and selfless than their human counterparts.
#1
My best friend, Dan, had adopted a shelter dog, Blox. Blox was a wackjob, boundless energy, very hard to housebreak, a challenging dog altogether. Nevertheless, Dan wasn't the kind of guy to give up on a dog, so he kept trying to get Blox to listen. Her name (Blox was a she) was coined because she was dumb as blocks... or so we thought.
Blox would consistently break out of the fenced-in yard by either jumping over a six-foot fence or digging holes underneath it. We filled the holes, added boards pointed in at the top of the fence to keep her in the yard, nothing helped. Blox was not going to be kept in a yard. Dan eventually gave up on training her without a leash (in the yard) and put a stake in the ground for when he'd let Blox outside. Blox hated the leash, dug the stake up and would drag it around the yard, destroying Dan's grass.
Dan still didn't give up, because he's a resilient guy who loves animals more than people. And it's a good thing he didn't give up, or he'd be gone.
One night, Dan's little brother was at Dan's house with a bunch of other people, myself included, for a party. Blox was chilling, as long as people were around she was fine, she only really got anxious when she was alone. We partied well into the wee hours of the morning, I left around 3am to go home. Dan's brother stayed and crashed out in the basement.
Dan's brother is a nice guy, but he's a moron in the truest sense of the word. This moron lit a candle next to a bottle of shower cleaner (propellant) and a shower curtain (wick) and fell asleep with it lit. You see where this is going? Yeah.
As his house was beginning to be swallowed in the roaring flames of the fire, Blox ran into Dan's room, jumped on the bed, and started barking in his face, over and over and over and over until Dan woke up from his booze-soaked slumber. Dan actually pushed Blox off the bed *twice* from his recollection, but Blox was undeterred. She kept jumping back up on the bed (wasn't allowed on the bed) and barking in Dan's face. Finally, drunk Dan got up and couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
"Holy cow" thought Dan "my house in on fire" and he ran outside, with Blox chasing him.
But Blox wasn't done. Dan's moron brother was trapped in the basement, and remember how I said Blox was only calm if people were around? Well, Blox had some kind of doggie-sixth-sense, and she knew he was in trouble. She stood at the top of those stairs, flames singing her fur, smoke filling her lungs, barking nonstop so Dan's brother knew where the exit was.
Every single person made it out alive.
When the Fire Dept. came, one of the firemen took a liking to Blox. Since Dan was now effectively homeless, he agreed to let the guy look after Blox. Once Dan got back on his feet, he found the fireman to see about getting Blox back. So we headed over to the fireman's house and sure there was Blox, happy, wagging, and sitting in a yard, unrestrained.
Blox was now Bella, and she had three human kids who adored her. The fireman told Dan he could have his dog back, but Dan really is the kind of guy who loves animals more than people, even himself. He was crying when he got back in my truck that day.
"OpticalDelusions, for the first time ever I can say one of my rescues is in a better place, and actually mean it.".
Blox would consistently break out of the fenced-in yard by either jumping over a six-foot fence or digging holes underneath it. We filled the holes, added boards pointed in at the top of the fence to keep her in the yard, nothing helped. Blox was not going to be kept in a yard. Dan eventually gave up on training her without a leash (in the yard) and put a stake in the ground for when he'd let Blox outside. Blox hated the leash, dug the stake up and would drag it around the yard, destroying Dan's grass.
Dan still didn't give up, because he's a resilient guy who loves animals more than people. And it's a good thing he didn't give up, or he'd be gone.
One night, Dan's little brother was at Dan's house with a bunch of other people, myself included, for a party. Blox was chilling, as long as people were around she was fine, she only really got anxious when she was alone. We partied well into the wee hours of the morning, I left around 3am to go home. Dan's brother stayed and crashed out in the basement.
Dan's brother is a nice guy, but he's a moron in the truest sense of the word. This moron lit a candle next to a bottle of shower cleaner (propellant) and a shower curtain (wick) and fell asleep with it lit. You see where this is going? Yeah.
As his house was beginning to be swallowed in the roaring flames of the fire, Blox ran into Dan's room, jumped on the bed, and started barking in his face, over and over and over and over until Dan woke up from his booze-soaked slumber. Dan actually pushed Blox off the bed *twice* from his recollection, but Blox was undeterred. She kept jumping back up on the bed (wasn't allowed on the bed) and barking in Dan's face. Finally, drunk Dan got up and couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
"Holy cow" thought Dan "my house in on fire" and he ran outside, with Blox chasing him.
But Blox wasn't done. Dan's moron brother was trapped in the basement, and remember how I said Blox was only calm if people were around? Well, Blox had some kind of doggie-sixth-sense, and she knew he was in trouble. She stood at the top of those stairs, flames singing her fur, smoke filling her lungs, barking nonstop so Dan's brother knew where the exit was.
Every single person made it out alive.
When the Fire Dept. came, one of the firemen took a liking to Blox. Since Dan was now effectively homeless, he agreed to let the guy look after Blox. Once Dan got back on his feet, he found the fireman to see about getting Blox back. So we headed over to the fireman's house and sure there was Blox, happy, wagging, and sitting in a yard, unrestrained.
Blox was now Bella, and she had three human kids who adored her. The fireman told Dan he could have his dog back, but Dan really is the kind of guy who loves animals more than people, even himself. He was crying when he got back in my truck that day.
"OpticalDelusions, for the first time ever I can say one of my rescues is in a better place, and actually mean it.".
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48points
Most of these stories are about heroic dogs, cats and even a horse that saved human lives. But have you heard about the pigeon who put his own life on the line to help ensure the survival of 194 American soldiers? His name was Cher Ami and he was a black check homing pigeon who "fought" in World War I.
Cher Ami was one of around 600 British-bred homing pigeons deployed by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to France in May 1918. "Radios on the Western Front were bulky and tethered to fragile wires. Telephone lines were constantly severed by artillery. Human runners made easy targets for snipers and machine guns," explains Miltary.com.
#2
When I was a kid, we had a huge blizzard. It was 96 and my house in Baltimore had an alley behind it that dipped in the middle. So all of the snow had piled back there, it was at least 4-6 feet in some places thanks to wind. I was a small kid, barely 40 lbs by the time I was 8 and a little over 3 ft tall.
So I went out to play in the snow, thinking going through a big alley would be like swimming through a pool. I learned a hard lesson that day, you can't swim through snow. So I'm stuck about a half block down from my yard, no one in sight. I'm yelling and crying and my tears are freezing to my stupid 8-year-old face. And then I see this awesome dog in a yard, he's barking at me, then barking towards his back door, this goes on for a few minutes and I'm still screaming. So dog jumps over the fence and I'm not entirely sure how he didn't immediately sink but he's licking my face, tapping me with his nose and starts pulling me by my hood when his owner finally comes out and pulls me out of the snow and takes me to my Mom.
I gave that dog so many treats until they moved...
So I went out to play in the snow, thinking going through a big alley would be like swimming through a pool. I learned a hard lesson that day, you can't swim through snow. So I'm stuck about a half block down from my yard, no one in sight. I'm yelling and crying and my tears are freezing to my stupid 8-year-old face. And then I see this awesome dog in a yard, he's barking at me, then barking towards his back door, this goes on for a few minutes and I'm still screaming. So dog jumps over the fence and I'm not entirely sure how he didn't immediately sink but he's licking my face, tapping me with his nose and starts pulling me by my hood when his owner finally comes out and pulls me out of the snow and takes me to my Mom.
I gave that dog so many treats until they moved...
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41points
#3
When I was about 8 or so I came downstairs to a living room flooded with carbon monoxide because of a boiler malfunction. After about 10 minutes sitting there watching cartoons I was rendered unconscious by the gas and wouldn't have survived if not for my cat.
My mum came down and saw him (Bart the cat) lying in a very peculiar place on the carpet and shouted to me asking what was wrong with him. After a couple shouts and no replies she came over to where I was lying and saw me seemingly asleep and foaming at the mouth.
She immediately dragged me out if the house and called an ambulance. My life was saved. Bart wasn't as lucky, I'm alive because he is not, if he wasn't there my mum wouldn't have seen me and got me out of the house and I wouldn't be typing this reply right now.
I still get a bit worked up whenever I think about it. He saved my life.
My mum came down and saw him (Bart the cat) lying in a very peculiar place on the carpet and shouted to me asking what was wrong with him. After a couple shouts and no replies she came over to where I was lying and saw me seemingly asleep and foaming at the mouth.
She immediately dragged me out if the house and called an ambulance. My life was saved. Bart wasn't as lucky, I'm alive because he is not, if he wasn't there my mum wouldn't have seen me and got me out of the house and I wouldn't be typing this reply right now.
I still get a bit worked up whenever I think about it. He saved my life.
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37points
On September 26, 1918, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive was launched. It was the largest American military operation of World War I, with more than a million U.S. troops going to battle against fortified German defenses in northeastern France. Among them, the 77th Infantry Division, also known as the "Metropolitans." Cher Ami was stationed with the 77th Division in the Argonne Forest.
At one point, the division got cut off from the rest of the American troops, and found themselves under heavy bombardment. Trapped behind German lines, they were unable to make their position known. Not knowing their fellow soldiers were there, the Americans started bombing the location.
#4
The dog we had when I was a kid, Lady, was hypersensitive to people she found to be "off". When my grandmother was sick and in hospice, she had a nurse Lady absolutely hated. She barked at the woman nonstop, freaked out any time she was anywhere near the house, and at times had to be forcibly removed from the room when the nurse was in with my grandma -- from the moment she stepped foot in our house, Lady hated her.
My parents wrote it off initially as her being a little crazy (she was an English Springer Spaniel and prone to that kinda thing), and didn't give it much mind until my mom came home earlier than expected from an errand one day. While Lady normally barked and ran to the door whenever someone came home, she was unusually quiet. Startled, my mom walked upstairs quietly and came to find the nurse screaming at my grandmother for having wet herself. Lady was standing in-between them, quietly asserting herself in the situation to prevent further escalation, while smugly glancing towards the hallway where she, without a doubt, knew my mom was. My mom listened for a few moments to ensure she wasn't jumping the gun by freaking out on the woman, walked in, kicked her out, and called the hospice to inform them of what she had seen. We had the nurse working for us for about two months, and I hate to think about all of the things that must have happened over the course of that time, with the nurse being there for 3+ hours a day, three or four days a week. Our best guess is that Lady's reaction to people coming home normally alerted the nurse of when she had to watch herself, and with what a spiteful, clever Lady could be, that it was an intentional setup. I can only imagine that it pained her to be unable to do anything more than she had already, and pissed her off that we couldn't understand her or heed whatever she was trying to convey to us in doggie. She was one of those dogs who constantly seemed pained by the language barrier.
So while not a story of a dog saving someone's life, I'm thankful Lady was able to make sure that the last months of my grandmas life weren't spent being harrased by some psychotic elderly care worker. She was a fantastic dog & we all took her disliking someone she just met a bit more seriously afterward.
My parents wrote it off initially as her being a little crazy (she was an English Springer Spaniel and prone to that kinda thing), and didn't give it much mind until my mom came home earlier than expected from an errand one day. While Lady normally barked and ran to the door whenever someone came home, she was unusually quiet. Startled, my mom walked upstairs quietly and came to find the nurse screaming at my grandmother for having wet herself. Lady was standing in-between them, quietly asserting herself in the situation to prevent further escalation, while smugly glancing towards the hallway where she, without a doubt, knew my mom was. My mom listened for a few moments to ensure she wasn't jumping the gun by freaking out on the woman, walked in, kicked her out, and called the hospice to inform them of what she had seen. We had the nurse working for us for about two months, and I hate to think about all of the things that must have happened over the course of that time, with the nurse being there for 3+ hours a day, three or four days a week. Our best guess is that Lady's reaction to people coming home normally alerted the nurse of when she had to watch herself, and with what a spiteful, clever Lady could be, that it was an intentional setup. I can only imagine that it pained her to be unable to do anything more than she had already, and pissed her off that we couldn't understand her or heed whatever she was trying to convey to us in doggie. She was one of those dogs who constantly seemed pained by the language barrier.
So while not a story of a dog saving someone's life, I'm thankful Lady was able to make sure that the last months of my grandmas life weren't spent being harrased by some psychotic elderly care worker. She was a fantastic dog & we all took her disliking someone she just met a bit more seriously afterward.
35points
#5
I was playing a video game and my dog was whining, which at that point was pretty normal considering he was only 6 months old. He would bark or whine at everything. This goes on for a couple minutes.
So I just ignore him and keep playing. My little dude starts getting really persistent and I was getting irritated. I brushed him to the side.
Probably 45 seconds later, he puts his paw on the controller (located in my hands) and begins trying to take it. At this point I hear a commotion in the bathroom.
I go in to find my fiance in the bathtub. My fiancee has reactive hypoglycemia where her sugar will fall with no warning and she will have a seizure. She was about 1/4th of an inch from downing when I found her and was beginning to seize.
He is an unbelievably smart animal who can "fetch" other humans and animals on command. I wish everyone could have a pet like him, but he's all mine.
So I just ignore him and keep playing. My little dude starts getting really persistent and I was getting irritated. I brushed him to the side.
Probably 45 seconds later, he puts his paw on the controller (located in my hands) and begins trying to take it. At this point I hear a commotion in the bathroom.
I go in to find my fiance in the bathtub. My fiancee has reactive hypoglycemia where her sugar will fall with no warning and she will have a seizure. She was about 1/4th of an inch from downing when I found her and was beginning to seize.
He is an unbelievably smart animal who can "fetch" other humans and animals on command. I wish everyone could have a pet like him, but he's all mine.
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34points
#6
My horse, Sunny.
We lived in a rural area in Canada. My parents weren't too strict, so I was allowed to go out into the pasture on my own from age 6 and up. One day while mindlessly walking my horse around he started to act up, which was very odd for him. He was extremely laid back. I still paid no attention, and kept leading him. Suddenly he knocks me over with his big head (ow) and takes off into the brush. When he emerges from the brush, he was also chasing a pack of mangy looking coyotes. At least five of them, who looked hungry enough to take down me, at the time a small child. I watched him chase them away for a long time, then he deemed it was enough and came trotting back to me.
Another time I fell off while riding him, stopped, looked at me like I was an idiot and waited for me to climb back on.
We lived in a rural area in Canada. My parents weren't too strict, so I was allowed to go out into the pasture on my own from age 6 and up. One day while mindlessly walking my horse around he started to act up, which was very odd for him. He was extremely laid back. I still paid no attention, and kept leading him. Suddenly he knocks me over with his big head (ow) and takes off into the brush. When he emerges from the brush, he was also chasing a pack of mangy looking coyotes. At least five of them, who looked hungry enough to take down me, at the time a small child. I watched him chase them away for a long time, then he deemed it was enough and came trotting back to me.
Another time I fell off while riding him, stopped, looked at me like I was an idiot and waited for me to climb back on.
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33points
American Maj. Charles Whittlesey sent a bunch of homing pigeons into the sky to deliver messages telling the troops to stop. He watched in horror as each of them were shot down by the Germans. Eventually, only Cher Ami was left.
In a last bid to save the 77th Division, Whittlesey attached a note to Cher Ami’s leg and off he went. That note read, “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.”
"Cher Ami dodged German bullets, giving the soldiers hope until he was shot through the chest and fell to the ground," reads the National Museum of the United States Army website.
#7
I was 4. A dog had seen me and went for me. I was helpless, about to get my throat ripped out... when suddenly my own dog stepped in and attacked the other dog, tearing at him. My dog was hurt, but that gave me enough time to get my older brother, who hit the attack dog with a branch, and drove away the other dog.
Needless to say, Ollie always got a part of my steak whenever we had it during dinner for the rest of his life.
Needless to say, Ollie always got a part of my steak whenever we had it during dinner for the rest of his life.
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32points
#8
I don't really remember it happening because I was 4 at he time. My parents told me our dog saved my life when we were on a family trip in the mountains, hiking up to a waterfall. I tripped and started to slide off the side of the path under the hand railing, and our dog, a large rottweiler, grabbed my by my coat and pulled me back right before I would have fallen down a steep bank into a fast moving river. That dog was my best friend growing up, I miss him.
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30points
#9
In the late 90's, my roommate and I were roaming campus late one night and come across a white german shepard puppy. No tags. We couldn't find any owners nearby so we took him home for the night. The next morning we called all the shelters and vets in the area, put a notice in the paper...it still took over a month before we found his owner.
Meanwhile, my roommate was walking the puppy (who we were now calling "Sugarfoot" for reasons that now escape me) one evening after a really massive thunderstorm and he kept pawing at a dumpster near an abandoned apartment complex. He absolutely refused to leave it alone, so she finally worked up the nerve to look inside...to find a tiny, shivering kitten in the one dry corner. He had been fussing so long he had screamed himself hoarse.
The kitten became known as Tyler, and Sugarfoot was extremely protective of him until we found his true owners.
Fast forward a few years and i'm now living on my own elsewhere in town, but Tyler is still with me. There is a known serial ki**er on the loose, but the supposed descriptions seem to change daily...one day the police say they're looking for a pizza delivery driver (guess what I was doing for a living at the time?)..the next, it was a white man in his 40's driving a red truck...and a few others I can no longer recall.
One night I was lying in bed with the window open and reading a book before going to sleep. Tyler usually curls up with me or sits in the window. Tonight however, he was growling at something outside. He'd growl, jump into bed, stare at me intensely, then jump back to the window to repeat the process.
The first few times I just kinda shooed him away. When I couldn't get him to stop, I decided to close the window...only to look right into the face of the peeping Tom that was causing my cat to go nuts. I screamed, slammed the window shut, and called apartment security (I figured they could get help to me faster than a 911 call could). They never found anyone.
However...a few months later they caught the ki**er. His parents happened to live less than a quarter mile from me and he had been living with them at the time.
It was dark outside the night I encountered my peeping Tom, and the guy was very dark-skinned so I will never be entirely positive, but I believe that is who I saw that night, and that my cat possibly saved me from becoming one of his victims.
Tyler passed away at the ripe old age of 15 last year due to kidney failure. I miss him every day.
Meanwhile, my roommate was walking the puppy (who we were now calling "Sugarfoot" for reasons that now escape me) one evening after a really massive thunderstorm and he kept pawing at a dumpster near an abandoned apartment complex. He absolutely refused to leave it alone, so she finally worked up the nerve to look inside...to find a tiny, shivering kitten in the one dry corner. He had been fussing so long he had screamed himself hoarse.
The kitten became known as Tyler, and Sugarfoot was extremely protective of him until we found his true owners.
Fast forward a few years and i'm now living on my own elsewhere in town, but Tyler is still with me. There is a known serial ki**er on the loose, but the supposed descriptions seem to change daily...one day the police say they're looking for a pizza delivery driver (guess what I was doing for a living at the time?)..the next, it was a white man in his 40's driving a red truck...and a few others I can no longer recall.
One night I was lying in bed with the window open and reading a book before going to sleep. Tyler usually curls up with me or sits in the window. Tonight however, he was growling at something outside. He'd growl, jump into bed, stare at me intensely, then jump back to the window to repeat the process.
The first few times I just kinda shooed him away. When I couldn't get him to stop, I decided to close the window...only to look right into the face of the peeping Tom that was causing my cat to go nuts. I screamed, slammed the window shut, and called apartment security (I figured they could get help to me faster than a 911 call could). They never found anyone.
However...a few months later they caught the ki**er. His parents happened to live less than a quarter mile from me and he had been living with them at the time.
It was dark outside the night I encountered my peeping Tom, and the guy was very dark-skinned so I will never be entirely positive, but I believe that is who I saw that night, and that my cat possibly saved me from becoming one of his victims.
Tyler passed away at the ripe old age of 15 last year due to kidney failure. I miss him every day.
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29points
Even a bullet to the chest didn't stop the brave and determined pigeon. An injured Cher Ami returned to the sky to deliver the message.
"He flew at record speeds, covering 25 miles in a little less than a half an hour. He arrived at the American base with the message, alive but badly wounded," reveals the site. "Army medics were able to save Cher Ami, but he lost his right leg and was permanently blinded."
#10
One time, I was hiking with some friends and I was leading them down a overgrown deer path I had found that led to a creek.
As I was walking, a diamondback rattlesnake came out on the path and started hissing and rattling at me. My friends didn't see that I stopped and ran into me, effectively sending me face down into the dirt. Inches away from the rattler.
All of the sudden, a hawk flew down from a tree and snatched the rattler before it could bite me.
Thank you, random hawk. Fly free and eat snakes!
As I was walking, a diamondback rattlesnake came out on the path and started hissing and rattling at me. My friends didn't see that I stopped and ran into me, effectively sending me face down into the dirt. Inches away from the rattler.
All of the sudden, a hawk flew down from a tree and snatched the rattler before it could bite me.
Thank you, random hawk. Fly free and eat snakes!
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29points
#11
My father passed away this year. He had regularly told me why our Tabby had earned our servitude. A great part of my childhood were my weekends at Dad's apt. We made boiled liver which I got to sliver into tiny triangles for his elderly cat.
When I was a toddler, on a hot day, Dad put me in a crib and he passed out on the sofa for a nap time. The cat was acting up and Dad put him outside.
The cat was going nuts at every window and so Dad dragged his tired self up and let cat in again.
When the cat kept bothering him, he was close to giving it a smack...that cat was being a freak.
He woke again and found Tabby had attacked his arm and was actually biting flesh off him.
Somehow, that was enough for Dad to consider that there may be an emergency. He stumbled to front door and called for help.
The neighbors helped him get baby me from the crib and paramedics revived us.
I am thankful Dad taught me to pay attention when our pets are trying to tell us something.
Tabby Cat saved us from a carbon monoxide leak. For the remainder of his life he had hero status and adoration.
When I was a toddler, on a hot day, Dad put me in a crib and he passed out on the sofa for a nap time. The cat was acting up and Dad put him outside.
The cat was going nuts at every window and so Dad dragged his tired self up and let cat in again.
When the cat kept bothering him, he was close to giving it a smack...that cat was being a freak.
He woke again and found Tabby had attacked his arm and was actually biting flesh off him.
Somehow, that was enough for Dad to consider that there may be an emergency. He stumbled to front door and called for help.
The neighbors helped him get baby me from the crib and paramedics revived us.
I am thankful Dad taught me to pay attention when our pets are trying to tell us something.
Tabby Cat saved us from a carbon monoxide leak. For the remainder of his life he had hero status and adoration.
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29points
#12
I was standing on a milk crate to mount my very-tall horse when the crate broke. My left foot went through the stirrup, my right foot went through the crate, and the noise of the splintering crate spooked my horse. He started to bolt, and if he'd taken off, I'd have been dragged across concrete under his legs and most likely passed away.
At the last second, he turned and made eye contact, and he just seemed to know I was in trouble, and froze. He was shaking like a leaf, but he didn't budge. I was able to pull myself up on his neck and free my right foot from the crate and then my left foot from the stirrup, but things could have ended so much worse.
At the last second, he turned and made eye contact, and he just seemed to know I was in trouble, and froze. He was shaking like a leaf, but he didn't budge. I was able to pull myself up on his neck and free my right foot from the crate and then my left foot from the stirrup, but things could have ended so much worse.
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26points
Thanks to the little bird, the bombing stopped and 194 soldiers managed to safely returned to American lines.
Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government to honor bravery on the battlefield. And according to Military.com, members of 77th Division, who became known as the Lost Battalion, carved a small wooden leg for the bird.
Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, Gen. John Pershing, is reported to have said, "There isn't anything the United States can do too much for this bird."
#13
I dont remember this, but when I was a toddler my mom and aunt were in the pool, and I was in this little floaty that you sit in and it had a tube. Apparently, it flipped over with me still sitting in it, and my mom and aunt didn't realize. My aunt's dog Alvin started going nuts, barking and running around the pool. That was when my mom finally noticed I was basically drowning. Thanks mom.
That dog saved my life.
That dog saved my life.
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25points
#14
When I was 13 I was going to [take my own life] in my bedroom when my dog came in and just laid on the floor and looked at me. I'm not sure if he knew what was up or if he had just heard something late at night and came to check it out, but I'm really grateful that he did. I spent the rest of the night sobbing and hugging him.
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23points
#15
Not me, but my grandmother. Grandma puts her pup in a crate at night to sleep. One night the dog isn't settling down, and grandma gets irritated and gets up to take the dog outside. Dog won't go out. Grandma assumes the dog is just nuts and starts heading back to bed. Grandma starts feeling real weird so she sits down and calls 911. Turns out she had a heart attack.
If the dog hadn't gotten her up she'd have just fallen asleep and passed away in bed.
If the dog hadn't gotten her up she'd have just fallen asleep and passed away in bed.
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22points
Cher Ami set sail for the United States on April 16, 1919, where he was housed in in New Jersey. But his chest wound never fully healed and sadly, the pigeon passed away in June that year.
His remains were donated to the Smithsonian Institution and after a taxidermist preserved him, Cher Ami went on public display in June 1921. Even after his passing, the pigeon continued to receive rewards. He was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931, and received the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery in 2019.
He's proof that even little animals are capable of bigger acts of bravery that many humans are.
#16
When i was around 5 years old my brother and I were sent to my Aunt's place for the evening. The parents were going out for date night and my Aunt was to watch us over night.
The only issue was that pets weren't allowed in her apartment and we had a Cocker Spaniel to worry about. My Aunt agreed that we would just sneak her in at night, since my dog was very well behaved.
It was abnormally hot that evening and no AC unit so we all slept in her bedroom with the window open.
Around 2 am we woke to my dog freaking out, we look to the window and see a very large man half way through. My aunt started screaming at him and he ran off.
Cant say my life was saved, but nothing good could have come from that encounter.
The only issue was that pets weren't allowed in her apartment and we had a Cocker Spaniel to worry about. My Aunt agreed that we would just sneak her in at night, since my dog was very well behaved.
It was abnormally hot that evening and no AC unit so we all slept in her bedroom with the window open.
Around 2 am we woke to my dog freaking out, we look to the window and see a very large man half way through. My aunt started screaming at him and he ran off.
Cant say my life was saved, but nothing good could have come from that encounter.
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21points
#17
The apartment downstairs from mine caught fire. Newly installed water heater downstairs started it, and the lady's cat smelled it first.
It was about 1:30 in the morning, so everyone was asleep. The cat woke up her owner, who woke up the rest of us; just in time, too - I got out about two minutes before the stairs to get out caught fire.
The cat was scared, and did what cats do - hide. The cat didn't make it, but thanks to her, all the humans in the building did.
It was about 1:30 in the morning, so everyone was asleep. The cat woke up her owner, who woke up the rest of us; just in time, too - I got out about two minutes before the stairs to get out caught fire.
The cat was scared, and did what cats do - hide. The cat didn't make it, but thanks to her, all the humans in the building did.
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21points
#18
When I was a kid (teenager) we had two golden retrievers. One lazy fall afternoon I was sitting in my backyard with my mom on my childhood swingset with zack and jazzie (dogs) talking when zack started to get very emphatic about going for a walk or at least leaving the backyard quickly. We ignored them and continued to chat for awhile but he got more and more agitated so eventually we figured we'd walk down the block with them. Well, we were about 50 yards away from my house when we heard a massive crack and a huge boom. Turns out one of the large trees in our backyard had passed and an a giant branch had snapped and fallen. The branch COMPLETELY destroyed the swingset. It would have crushed us if we hadn't gotten up. Always thought he must have known something was amiss because it was pretty out of character the way he was acting.
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20points
#19
This happened to a family friend, I'll call her Jill.
When Jill was around 10 she was walking her dog alone in the neighborhood. Some man came up to her and said "I've lost my puppies. Can you help me find my puppies?" Immediately dog became visibly anxious, making a low growl at the man and baring his teeth. Now this dog is the most friendly golden retriever you can image and loves strangers, so Jill knew right away this guy was not to be trusted. Jill told the man, "Sure just let me take my dog home first." She started walking away then started getting more scared the more he was following her so she just broke out and a run and got the hell out of there. When she got how she immediately told her parents and they called the cops.
Later the cops caught the guy and found out he had in fact kidnaped children before.
When Jill was around 10 she was walking her dog alone in the neighborhood. Some man came up to her and said "I've lost my puppies. Can you help me find my puppies?" Immediately dog became visibly anxious, making a low growl at the man and baring his teeth. Now this dog is the most friendly golden retriever you can image and loves strangers, so Jill knew right away this guy was not to be trusted. Jill told the man, "Sure just let me take my dog home first." She started walking away then started getting more scared the more he was following her so she just broke out and a run and got the hell out of there. When she got how she immediately told her parents and they called the cops.
Later the cops caught the guy and found out he had in fact kidnaped children before.
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19points
#20
I was 13 years old and taking my pet dog Digbie for a walk. During the walk on the nearby field I notice this very large German Shepard by itself wandering the field. The dog started to run my way and I could tell this was not a friendly dog. I proceeded to try and run back to the house but just as I got to the front door I found out it was locked (my mum was trying to get me to bring the dog through the back door) I realised that I only had seconds before the dog would be on me so I tried to run to the back gate.
Not a second after I managed to get to the back gate I hear this growl. I turn round and there is the massive German Shepard growling and baring its teeth. Everything seemed to go so slow. I just remembered looking at my dog who was right next to me and looking into her eyes. I could see her kind of look back and she pinned her ears back and then all of a sudden rushed the other dog. The German Shepard reared up and Digbie managed to tackle the dog and the shock of this blitz attack by my dog made it make a quick retreat.
I managed to open the back door and Digby followed close behind. As soon as I shut it the German Shepard was attacking the gate trying to get at us.
It was a very close call and I know Digbie saved me as there was no way I could take on this dog. I am 27 now and Digbie is long gone but I remember that moment vividly.
On a side note Digbie was a German Shepard cross and I love the German Shepard breed.
Not a second after I managed to get to the back gate I hear this growl. I turn round and there is the massive German Shepard growling and baring its teeth. Everything seemed to go so slow. I just remembered looking at my dog who was right next to me and looking into her eyes. I could see her kind of look back and she pinned her ears back and then all of a sudden rushed the other dog. The German Shepard reared up and Digbie managed to tackle the dog and the shock of this blitz attack by my dog made it make a quick retreat.
I managed to open the back door and Digby followed close behind. As soon as I shut it the German Shepard was attacking the gate trying to get at us.
It was a very close call and I know Digbie saved me as there was no way I could take on this dog. I am 27 now and Digbie is long gone but I remember that moment vividly.
On a side note Digbie was a German Shepard cross and I love the German Shepard breed.
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19points