Heroic Acts of Pet Owners

By Langley Cornwell

We buy the good brand of dog food, always have clean, fresh water available, take long walks and enjoy unstructured playtime together. We are committed, responsible pet owners and think we would do anything for our pets. But would you put yourself in real danger to save your animal? These pet owners went to heroic lengths to rescue their pets from harm.

Punching a Bear in the Face

Alaska resident Brooke Collins tangled with a bear to save her dog’s life. It all started when Fudge, a senior dachshund, slipped out the door and into the jaws of a black bear. According to msnbc.com, 22-year-old Collins was startled to see a bear bending over her dog, squeezing the dog with its paws and biting the dog’s neck. She immediately sprang into action and made a huge commotion, screaming and flailing her arms. The bear seemed unfazed so she ran right towards him. The bear continued to maintain his grip on Fudge, so Collins reared back and punched the bear in the nose. The bear released the dachshund and Collin’s boyfriend scared him off. Fudge was lucky and escaped with only minor wounds.

Facing Down a Coyote

Minnesota has its share of coyotes and they are encroaching on the neighborhoods in Edina, notes CBS Minnesota. When Becky Bennett’s dog Smokey was playing in their backyard, a coyote boldly came onto their property. Within seconds the coyote grabbed Smokey, an 18-year-old Schipperke, and carried him towards the edge of the yard. Without hesitation, Bennett raced towards the coyote with her arms waving; she screamed and yelled and charged forward. The coyote was startled by Bennett’s actions and dropped Smokey, but the dog suffered from the attack. It took 10 days for the senior Schipperke to recover from puncture wounds and regain the strength to walk again.     

Wrestling a Hawk

In Slaughter, Louisiana a woman wrestled her dachshund out of a hawk’s talons. Local television station WAFB reports that Pat Bringol let her dog, Hannah Marie, out in their backyard, which was their daily ritual. As the young pup was settling into her favorite sunny spot, Bringol saw a hawk swoop down and grab Hannah Marie. The grandmother and dog lover kicked into action. She chased the hawk and reached the predator just in time to get a firm grip on her pet’s hind legs. She furiously pulled and snatched and held on tight. After a struggle, Bringol managed to wrestle the dog from the hawk. The dachshund was uninjured but her doggie jacket was shredded.            

Jumping into Racing Waters

Okay, so maybe my story isn’t heroic, but it felt like it at the time. Several years ago I was hiking with my black Labrador, Sadie and my German Shepard, Inca. We were in Boone, NC, on a mountain ridge that paralleled the fast-moving rapids below. Inca lost her footing and slipped down the side of the mountain, tumbling into the icy waters below. She bravely struggled to gain footing on the wet rocks but kept slipping back into the water. I quickly half scooted, half crawled down to her and grabbed her by her wet shoulders. Together we flipped and flopped on the river bank and across the wet rocks, trying not to get swept down the river. Inca was panicking and I was close. We finally reached stable rocks and found our footing. Next we had to get back up to the trail. I managed to give Inca a good uphill shove. She gained traction and bolted up the steep incline to where Sadie excitedly watched the shenanigans. I slimed my way up to the trail. Nobody got hurt.   

Photo by ZedZaP