Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Real Heroic Pets

By Suzanne Alicie

As pet owners we all think our own animals are wonderful and even heroic critters. After all, they save us from being lonely; they provide exercise and companionship, comfort and entertainment. But there are some pets that are a step above when it comes to loving and caring for their families and even strangers.

There are dogs that are trained as therapy animals and do an amazing job of being heroes for the people they encounter. CANIDAE Natural Pet Foods sponsors many heroic pets through their Special Achievers program, including Therapy Dogs Stitch, Riley, Sophie, Dexter, Barker and Sadie; Avalanche Rescue Dog Scout; and Surf Dog Ricochet, the SURFice dog who raises funds and awareness for a variety of human and animal causes. The people of CANIDAE feel that these wonderful dogs deserve some recognition, which is why we make a point to share their stories here.

Then there are the pets that perform amazing acts of bravery and heroic feats to save the ones they love from disaster and death. No one knows exactly why these animals with no special training are so adept at feeling that something is wrong and are able to warn their owners. Some claim it is a sense of smell, others believe that the animals are so in tune with their surroundings that they instinctively know when something is wrong. Still others relate the behaviors to the pack mentality of dogs that naturally defend their pack against anything which may harm them.

There are numerous tales of pets who have performed heroic feats such as awakening their owners in the case of fire, pulling children out of danger, or alerting one member of the family when something is wrong with another member. 

Papillon is a dog who was getting ready to go to a new home because of excessive barking. When the baby stopped breathing and Papillon barked and alerted the parents in time to save the baby, he became a hero. The family never thought of giving him away again, and they also never complained about the barking.

Zoey is a tiny little Chihuahua, but when she saw a rattlesnake about to strike a baby she jumped onto it, and got bitten herself. This spunky little hero survived the bite, and saved the baby.

Winnie is a pet cat who awakened her family by clawing at her owners hair when there was a carbon monoxide leak in the home.

There are dogs and cats honored each year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for showing heroic spirit, for saving lives and for being dedicated family members.

Each and every pet has the potential to be a hero, but even if your dog or cat never has to save your life, they are still a hero because they provide you with love, affection and loyalty.

Read more articles by Suzanne Alicie

1 comment:

  1. My animals save my life everyday if they don't do anything but make me smile and they sure do that. This was very interesting about how the animals really have saved their owners lives.Like the one about the dog that jumped on the rattle snake. That was a pretty neat trick.
    Take care.

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