Super Pets: Animals That Saved Their Owners’ Lives

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Us animal lovers can’t resist assuming human characteristics to our pets.

Our penchant for our pooches extends to talking to them as though they’ll emit a comprehensible sentence rather than a bark. We pander to our moggies as though they’ll forever thank us for that fresh saucer of milk rather than slink through the cat-flap and waltz back eight hours later purring for a fresh pouch of Sheba.

But all this blatant anthropomorphism doesn’t detract from what our much-loved domestic animals have always known –
that they are in fact Super-Pets.
Being clumsy, confused, dopey or docile – it’s all an animal-based conspiracy to lull us, humans, into a false sense of security. This Cabal of Cats and Denizen of Dogs have done their utmost to hide their superpowers from the public – but sometimes a pet’s gotta do what a pets gotta do!

And given the right heroic opportunity, our pets are always just as quick to don their super capes and launch to the rescue as they are to gnaw on a chewstick or sleep on your lap.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superpet! And here are a few examples why.

Taking a Bullet

Roberta Trawick was sitting on the couch of her Oklahoma City property in 2009, when an armed intruder burst through the door and forced her to the ground. D-Boy, her two-year old pitbull she’d rescued from an abusive home just three months earlier, charged in to the room, taking three bullets (incredibly including two in the head). Even that wasn’t enough to stop D-Boy, who continued to chase the intruder out of the house. “Without D-Boy,” Trawick said afterwards, “that guy would have shot me and my family.”

Quick-thinking Cat

When a gas-powered water pump began leaking odourless carbon monoxide into the Keesling home, their resident moggie, Winnie, began meowing loudly and nudging her owners awake. Cathy Keesling was already dizzy and nauseous but her husband and son were unconscious. Thanks to their quick-thinking cat, Cathy dialled the emergency services and averted what could have been a serious disaster – and Winnie saved her owners’ lives.

Nothing Parrot Fashion About This…

Normally renowned for squawking “Pieces of eight” in the corner of a living room, parrots generally don’t feature highly on the pet rescue list. But that’s just what happened when Willie the Quaker parrot prevented two-year-old Hannah Kuusk from choking by squawking “Mama baby!” repeatedly and flapping his wings at babysitter Megan Howard – who then realized that baby Hannah was turning blue. She quickly performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre and saved the baby’s life, though she credits Willie as the real, winged hero. He was even presented with the local Red Cross Animal Lifesaver Award.

Taking the Hiss

Australia is notorious for its creepy crawly and slithering incumbents, and 17-month old Charlotte Svillcic’s life was saved when the family’s Doberman Pinscher, Khan, spotted one of the world’s most venomous snakes – a king brown – hissing close by. Khan picked Charlotte up by her nappy and hurled her behind him, which startled the snake – but didn’t stop it striking out at the brave dog by biting him on the paw. A quick shot of anti-venom, however, saw Khan make a quick recovery.

Every Dog Has Its Day

When Joe Stalnaker started suffering from seizures, he taught his adopted German Shepherd, Buddy, how to retrieve the phone. Good thing he did as well, when, in 2008, Joe suffered a sudden attack and Buddy used his teeth to press the speed dial button for the emergency services and began whimpering down the phone. Paramedics arrived to find Joe unconscious but, after a few days in the hospital, he made a full recovery.

 

So forget the Caped Crusader – it’s the Caped Canine you should be looking for to save the day. And what’s the most they’ll demand after a hard day’s super feats and life-saving adventures? Dog toys or a bowl of IAMS at the most.

Have you heard of any incredible, life-saving pets, or has your own cat or dog rescued you from the clutches of danger? Let us know about any Super-Pets in your life!

 

Louise Blake is a new mum and ardent animal lover who blogs for Supapet.

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9 thoughts on “Super Pets: Animals That Saved Their Owners’ Lives

  1. Stacey Cockrell

    My doggies are too lazy to do anything. My cat does catch mice from outside and bring them to me as a present..YUCK!

    Reply
    1. Diane

      Halrey lays with me whenever I have a migrane and he gives me really soft licks on my temple and forehead like he knows its my head that hurts. One time when my parents came up to visit Harley stuck to my dad like glue. My father later admitted he didn’t feel good and went to lay down. Of course Harley followed. When my dad got up, he asked us to call an ambulance because he was having chest pains. Turned out he had double pnemonia and had to be hospitalized! Harley seemed to sense something was wrong the minute my dad had arrived.

      Reply
  2. juliejs

    My former dog (rest his soul!) used to protect my son when he was in preschool and in the backyard, playing. He was especially careful on the stairs, standing as a handrail for Samuel. So adorable!!! (Wanted to let you know I am visiting from the UBC comment thread!)

    Reply
  3. vaterrell

    I think pets can sense when something is wrong…not sure what my dog would do and I hope I never have to find out. Thanks for sharing this post, visiting from UBC.

    Reply
  4. Paula -Growing Up Bilingual

    Love all these stories. Animals are truly amazing. I had a dog who we had to hold when my dad went for a swim in the ocean. When he was coming out he would jump in and grab him by the arm and pull him back to shore every time. He was ok with him swimming in lakes, rivers or any other place but didn’t want him risking it on the rough waves of the Pacific.

    Reply
  5. Gaby

    wow these pets are amazing!! My dog is really lazy and old, so I can’t expect him to save my life hehe. But he’s the best!, every time something bad happens to one of us he immediately tries to soothe us. For example, a few months ago my mom broke her leg and she was in a lot of pain, but Cotton was beside her all the time until the ambulance arrived. 🙂

    Reply

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