Can you imagine a five pound poodle fighting off a wild animal that’s 40 times larger in order to save her family? Or a service dog sacrificing its life by jumping in between an
apex predator and its owner ? Well, when it comes to protecting their families, a loyal dog cannot be deterred by any threat – no matter how big or scary.
Time and time again, these courageous companions have prevented the worst from happening by saving their owners lives.
They will keep their loved ones safe at all costs, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
We’re celebrating these unsung heroes by counting down the most heroic dogs and what they did in the crucial moments to save their owners lives.
2. Number two: a German shepherd goes back
into a burning home to save the last family member.
Tyonia Barbara was the resident of her home in Whiteford Maryland, where she lived only with her daughter and a white German shepherd named Charlie.
Though, one afternoon, she was awakened from her nap by Charlie tugging away at her feet.
Smoke had started to creep into the room from a blazing fire. As soon as Tyonia opened the door, the room was flooded with smoke, making it extremely difficult to see. Luckily, Charlie was in front of her the whole time guiding her away from the fire into the front door.
As soon as they made it out of the front yard, Charlie knew Tyonia was safe and rushed back into the burning home to rescue Tyonia’s 20 year old daughter. The thing was, the daughter wasn’t in the home at the time. She was at the beach.
However, Charlie didn’t know that and didn’t want to take any chances. No matter how much Tyonia screamed for Charlie to come back, the loyal canine was set on his mission. No pack member left behind. By the time the firefighters could clear out the fire and get into the house Charlie was already gone. They found him curled up on the daughter’s bed without a pulse.
He didn’t get burned from the fire, rather, he eventually passed due to the inhalation of smoke.
German shepherds are known for both bravery and loyalty, and Charlie was a prime example of just that – a heroic dog who wouldn’t think twice about running into a burning building to save his family members.
