Top 10 Heroic Dogs That Saved the Day

On New Year’s Eve in 2016, Bob went outside his Michigan home to grab wood for his fireplace. However, he slipped on ice and broke his neck. Unable to move, he yelled for help as the temperature fell below freezing. Yet no one heard…except his golden retriever Kelsey. The pup lay on Bob to keep him warm and licked his face to stop him from losing consciousness. Even when Bob couldn't shout anymore, Kelsey didn’t stop barking. After twenty hours, a neighbor went to check on the noise, discovered what had happened, and Bob was rushed to the hospital. While he was hypothermic, Bob didn’t have any frostbite, thanks to Kelsey. Bob had spinal decompression surgery and was able to regain limb movement.

When Peanut arrived at the Delta Animal Shelter in Escanaba, Michigan, she was in bad shape after horrible abuse. But after being cared for, she was adopted by a family who detailed her heroics. In 2017, Peanut was acting strange. She was running around the house and barking desperately. As soon as the husband opened the door for her to go outside, Peanut sprinted to the field behind the house. He followed his pup and found a young girl shivering in the cold without any clothes. He picked her up and called the authorities, who discovered she was from an unsafe home. Another girl had to be rescued from the property, too. Peanut, the abused dog, had saved two girls from a horrible home.

Toddler Thea Chase was besties with her family dogs Buddy the rottweiler and Hartley the springer spaniel. However, in 2023, Thea vanished from a house in Faithorn, Michigan, along with Buddy and Hartley. The family quickly called the police, and a search party was organized. Five hours later and three miles from the property, a searcher spotted a large Rottweiler in some woodlands. As they approached, they saw Thea napping on Hartley as Buddy kept guard. When the person tried to wake Thea, the Springer growled at them, warning them not to touch her. The wandering toddler returned home without any realization that anything scary had happened, while the family was forever grateful to their dogs for protecting Thea.

In 2020, Navy veteran Rudy Armstrong began his morning like usual on his houseboat in Oriental, North Carolina. After sitting down and enjoying a coffee, the next thing he realized, it was hours later, and he couldn’t move his limbs. Unfortunately, Armstrong was having a stroke, and no one would be coming for days. Unable to get to his phone, he called for his chihuahua, Boo-Boo, to get help. And that she did. The little dog went off and found the dockmaster, forcing them to follow her back to Armstrong and get him much-needed medical help. Five days after his hospitalization, Armstrong was tearfully reunited with Boo-Boo in the medical center’s gardens.

In 2018, Paula Godwin took her golden retrievers Todd and Copper for a morning walk in Arizona. All of a sudden, the six-month-old Todd sprinted by her leg. Instantly, he began yelping. Turns out, Godwin nearly stepped on a rattlesnake, only for Todd to take the bite instead. Godwin picked up her brave pooch and ran to get him medical help less than 15 minutes after the attack. With a swollen face, Todd was given anti-venom and stayed at the hospital for 12 hours. But he recovered and soon received honors and probably plenty of belly rubs. At the Streamy Awards, Todd won “Milk-Bone Dog of the Year” for heroically protecting his human.

In 1917, James Conroy of the US Army’s 102nd Infantry Regiment befriended a stray dog as the group was training. Stubby became an unofficial mascot for the regiment as they went off to fight in France during World War One. After surviving a mustard gas attack, Stubby began warning soldiers of further attacks. He also alerted people of incoming artillery fire and located soldiers in No Man’s Land. Stubby was given the rank of Sergeant after capturing a German spy. Even being injured several times didn’t stop the war hero pup. At the end of WW1 in 1918, Conroy and Stubby returned home, and the dog became a celebrity. After passing away in 1926, Stubby’s amazing legacy continues to inspire nearly 100 years later.

In 2021, Haley Moore was walking the family rescue dog, a Maremma mix called Clover, in Ottawa, Canada. Suddenly, Moore collapsed and began seizing on the side of the road. Captured on a neighbor’s security footage, Clover tried to revive her as an oblivious car drove by. But when that didn’t work, she spotted a van driven by Dryden Oatway approaching. Clover ran into the middle of the road and blocked his path, forcing him to get out and see what had happened. Another neighbor spotted Clover’s actions and, after realizing the situation, went to get Moore’s family along with the loyal hound. Paramedics soon arrived, and Moore was taken to the hospital. She made a swift recovery thanks to Clover.

In November 2022, Tank the German shepherd was playing with his human boy on the lawn at their property in Florida. But shortly into the fun, a neighbor’s dog broke away and charged towards the child. Reacting in a flash, Tank knocked over the boy and covered him for protection. Then Tank redirected the other dog’s attack before striking himself to scare the attacker away. The family’s other dog, a pit bull, also bolted into action. Tank even checked the boy several times during his heroics before his mom arrived. Thankfully, the neighbor got control of the dog, and the possibility of catastrophe was averted, all thanks to Tank’s incredible work.

On September 11th, 2001, Roselle, the guide dog, was snoozing as her human, Michael Hingson, worked on the 78th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. Then, several floors above them, the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building. Roselle sprang to action as the building filled with smoke and debris fell. She calmly guided Hingson and 30 other people down the steps to safety. Shortly after they got outside, Tower 2 collapsed. Yet Roselle remained focused on her mission and got Hingson to the subway, where they helped an injured woman before heading home. Hingson began working for the Guide Dogs for the Blind due to his heroic dog, who became a celebrity.

In 2015, teenager Joseph Phillips-Garcia and his dog Sako were traveling back with his aunt, cousin, and a friend after a day of fishing and foraging in British Columbia, Canada. Sadly, the vehicle crashed, leaving Phillips-Garcia and Sako as the only survivors. However, the teen was seriously injured and couldn’t move. For two days, Phillips-Garcia drifted in and out of consciousness as Sako lay on him to keep warm. The King Shepherd also fought off predatory animals to keep his human safe and dragged him to a creek to drink water. Thankfully, the duo was found, and the teen was rushed to the hospital for multiple surgeries. Sako was inducted into the Purina Hall of Fame for his incredible dedication.

Which dog stole your heart and became your favorite? Let us know below!