Branded Content: 5 tales of real-life Lassies
Friday, July 8, 2016, 4:01 AM NYDailyNews.com
Dogs are not only man’s best friend, but they can also be their saviors. These stories show the depths of dog loyalty and the lengths some pets are willing to go to to protect their humans from harm. Here are a five canine heroes who put their lives—and paws—on the line to help their owners.
Figo saves blind owner from oncoming bus
Figo, a service dog, threw himself in front of an oncoming bus to protect his blind owner, Audrey Stone, from getting hit. Stone and Figo were midway across a street in Brewster, N.Y. in June 2015 when a school bus driver turned and didn’t see her. But Figo saw the bus. Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo told The Journal News, “He was there to save her.” Both Figo and Stone survived although Figo’s front leg was cut to the bone and Stone suffered three cracked ribs and a broken elbow and ankle.
Cheyenne saves Air Force Veteran owner suffering from PTSD
Cheyenne, a pit bull, put the Air Force motto into action when she aimed high and saved her owner, Air Force veteran Dave Sharpe from committing suicide. After serving in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, during which time he survived two near-death experiences, Sharpe suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and crushing depression. He described the situation saying, “I shut my eyes and closed my lips a little tighter around the cool steel of my .45. And then something licked my ear. I looked around and locked gazes with Cheyenne, my shelter dog, who gave me one of those looks like: "What are you doing? Who’s going to take care of me? Who else is going to let me sleep in your bed?" Slowly, reluctantly, I backed the barrel of my .45 out of my mouth. There is no doubt about it; I owe Cheyenne my life.” This experience led Sharpe to create Pets2Vets to provide companion animals, obtained from shelters, to military personnel and first-responders suffering from PTSD.
Jedi saves young diabetic
The force was with Jedi, a black labrador service dog credited with saving the life of Luke, a seven-year-old suffering from Type 1 Diabetes. Jedi alerted Luke’s parents to the boy’s alarming dip in blood sugar by jumping on the bed. Luke’s mother, Dorrie Nuttall, wrote on Facebook: "Luke was laying right next to me, just inches from me, and without Jedi, I would have had no idea that he was dropping out of a safe range. This is a picture of Jedi saving his boy. Saving him from highs and lows and from ever feeling alone." Nuttall gave Luke life-saving glucose after being awakened and alerted to the dangerously low number on the monitor screen.
Boydy keeps his owner from freezing to death
Boydy a kelpie, kept his 76 year-old owner, Herbert Schutz, from freezing to death after they were involved in a bad car accident. After the accident, Schutz was pinned under his car for four days and freezing nights during which time, Boydy kept him warm by lying on his chest. In addition, it was Boydy who aided in the discovery of Schutz who was in a wooded area. Schutz’s friend and neighbor Eric Merritt said, "His dog ran around the front of the car, and then we heard him call for the dog. That's when we found him.”
Hunter saves family from gas leak
Hunter, a three-month-old husky, smelled gas in the middle of the night and alerted his new family by whining and crying until they awoke. It turns out that gas was seeping into the house, and Hunter saved their lives by forcing them to evacuate. Hunter’s owners, Jill and Tim McLarty, had adopted him two weeks earlier from the local shelter and were fast asleep when Hunter woke them up. They tried to calm him down by letting him out and comforting him, but he wouldn’t relax. Finally, he jumped off the bed and ran in circles before heading into the kitchen. Once there, he sat beside the stove and continued crying. That’s when his owners noticed a gas stove burner was on low with no flame, leaking gas into the home. Tim McLarty said, "You try not to think of the bad things, the 'what ifs.' I'm just thankful each and every day that we got him."
