Dog Hero's!

There is a small town in Washington next to a big river. It is a tourist town, and there are docks behind the little shops and restaurants that jut out toward the water. On one of the docks, I found a statue commemorating 'Dirty Biter,' a dog proclaimed as a beloved hero. Everyone should appreciate the dogs in the world enough to label them hero's and create statues for them.

I took lots of pictures of the sculpture. Being an animal lover and having a lot of friends who are dogs, I found it utterly charming. Later, I walked further down the wharf and watched the birds fly around the blue sky. I was next to a restaurant and could hear all the clatter of dishes through a screen door. A woman came out of the door for a smoke break. In between puffs of cigarette smoke, I heard her jovially complain to someone else about all the tourists taking pictures of 'Dirty Biter.' I blushed. Although my ears were facing her way, luckily my face pointed a different direction toward the water. She would not be able to see my rosy cheeks which would easily incriminate me of the very act she just complained of. Well, I guess sometimes I can't help being a predictable pesky tourist!

Dirty Biter inspired me to do an internet investigation about other dog hero's! Here are three I learned about.

• Blue, a friendly faced Heeler whose love and loyalty to his elderly person, Ruth Gay outweighed his own self preservation instincts. 85 year old Ruth was out walking Blue. She was probably distracted by the beauty of a sunny day or by the smell of spring flowers, reminding her of her happy memories. Whatever the case, she tripped and fell. A nearby alligator, most likely with a huge and toothy alligator grin on it's reptilian face, ceased the opportunity of the old woman's fragility. The alligator waddled toward the old woman, dragging it's massive tail behind him. The alligator must have been at least mentally licking his chops as he thought of his future meal of human being! But Blue would not let his person be harmed! He jumped into action, battling the alligator and feigning off an attack that surely would have been lethal to his person. Instead, the alligator expecting an easy lunch decided he did not want to mess with the ferocity of a loyal dog, and Ruth was saved to spend more happy years with her dog pal and savior, Blue!
• Ashepoo, an Australian Shepard from South Carolina was always a loved family member, but after her heroic acts, she was also an indispensable family protector. One day, one of the children in her family decided to wander in the woods. The curious little boy probably thought that he would run across some sort of magical forest creature like talking squirrels or an elven sprite. Instead he got lost in a dark world of identical towering trees and unseen dangers like hungry wild animals. Luckily, the little boy had his best bud Ashepoo by his side. The wise dog stayed by the little boy's side and eventually helped lead him back to the safety of his home. 
• Hero dogs don't just save their human friends, they also save each other. Tillie and Phoebe, two dog pals, took a door left a jar as an invitation for adventure. The two doggy friends trotted out toward the woods and began exploring! Poor Phoebe took a clumsy misstep and fell into a ditch too deep to climb out of. Instead of leaving her friend alone in the pit, Tillie stood by her side just outside the pit. The only time she left Phoebe was when she went to search for help. Eventually, help came and the two dogs were rescued! This story of a dog hero is my favorite. I think it is so sweet that the Tillie stood by Phoebes side. Dog friendships are beautiful. I work at an animal rescue and often see the different ways dogs form friendships with each other. One of my favorite things is watching a dog friendship emerge.

Sources

"25 Heroic Dogs and How They Saved People." 25 Heroic Dogs and How They Saved People. Microsoft Edge, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. <http://www.dogguide.net/25-hero-dogs.php>

Staff, CNN. "5 Tales of Amazing Dog Heroics." CNN. Cable News Network, 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/09/us/dog-heroes/>

Hanson, Hillary. "Devoted Dog Stands Guard Over Trapped Pup For Week Until Rescue." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 326 Mar. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/phoebe-tillie-lost-dogs-guard_us_55fc0de2e4b08820d91837ec>