December 15, 2020

As Vancouver veterinarians, we meet so many dogs. Every dog owner loves to talk up their pet and has wonderful stories to share. We always love hearing them, so decided to do some research and showcase some unbelievable dog stories. Here are 8 of the most heartwarming dog stories to get you through the winter blues!

Dog’s Best Friend

We call dogs Man’s Best Friend, due to their loyalty, protective nature and the joy they bring us. But we don’t often see cases where that love and loyalty is returned in such a standout way. Kaleb Bentham from California showed just how much he loves his Pitbull, Buddy, when he took on a 350lb black bear in order to protect his dog.

When Kaleb put Buddy out into the garden, he noted after a moment that something didn’t seem right. Going out to take a look, he saw his beloved dog being set upon by a massive black bear, which had the dog in its jaws. Without a weapon or a second thought, Kaleb ran the length of the garden, ploughed into the bear and attacked it.

“I just ran down there, ploughed into the bear, tackled it and grabbed it by the throat and started hitting it in the face and the eye until it let go.”

The bear thankfully retreated, and Kaleb quickly scrambled to find a vet, terrified of losing his dog.

“If it was your kid, what would you do? That’s my kid, I would die for my dog.”Bottom of Form

After three and a half hours of treatment for serious injuries Buddy pulled through and was expected to make a full recovery, though he would be laid up in his dog bed for a while.

Dalmatian Melts Australian Hearts

Back in 2012, a female Dalmatian was seen taking care of a small animal that looked to be her pup. It was small, nuzzling at her like a baby and had a similar coat. Only it wasn’t a dog but a baby lamb the Dalmatian was caring for.

The dog was living on a farm in South Australia where she had numerous puppies, but none at that time as they had all been sold. The little ewe’s mother had abandoned it, but the mothering instincts of the Dalmatian kicked in and she quickly began caring for the lamb. Adorable!

Doggy Diagnosis

Karma may just have been at play in the case of Lauren Gauthier and her dog, Victoria. Lauren adopted Victoria, a one-eyed Treeing Walker Coonhound, from a shelter in 2018 and to say thank you Victoria saved her from skin cancer! A few months after Victoria was adopted she began sniffing her owner’s nose, paying particular interest in a reddish lump.

“She’d been literally putting her nose onto my nose where the cancer was,” Gauthier said in an interview. “My dog’s persistence in smelling that area made me wonder if there was something suspicious about it.”

Lauren went to her doctor, was diagnosed and eventually operated on to remove the cancer.

CNN reported on the phenomenon, as dogs are now being trialled as natural cancer detectors.

“Dogs’ powerful noses have 300 million sensors, compared with a human’s measly 5 million.”

“In addition, dogs have a second smelling device in the backs of their noses that we don’t have, called Jacobson’s organ. That double smelling system allows trained dogs to detect cancer’s unique odours, called volatile organic compounds.”

Canine Caregiver

This sounds little like an animated movie. A stray dog saved the life of a newborn baby girl that had been abandoned in a forest near Nairobi, Kenya. According to The Guardian, the dog found the abandoned girl in a plastic bag. She then carried the child across a busy road and through barbed wire to where her puppies were waiting for her. She then cared for the baby alongside her own litter. The baby was quickly taken care of by health workers who named her Angel and members of the community donated clothes and diapers for her.

Doggy Swimming Lessons

If dogs saving people tugs at your heart strings, then one dog saving another will probably melt your heart entirely. When a dog named Smokey fell into a pool, there was no one around to notice except for his canine friend, Remus.

The video of the event could almost have subtitles, as Remus seems to get distressed but offer encouragement before realising Smokey is in real trouble and jumping in after him. Remus then swam up behind Smokey and helped to push him up and over the edge to safety. Remus definitely earned some pats and a “good boy” that day. Check out the video here.

Legendary Sled Dogs

Balto and Togo are dogs of legend. In the 1925 Serum Run dogsled teams were used to haul urgent deliveries of diptheria antitoxin to the remote city of Nome, Alaska. Balto was the lead dog on the final stage of the journey and so received most of the credit. 150 dogs and 20 mushers made the 674-mile journey which saved the population of Nome from an epidemic. Balto now has statues dedicated to him in Central park, New York and Anchorage, Alaska, as well as an animated movie dramatizing the event. Togo sadly didn’t receive as much acclaim despite heroic feats of his own along the way, though now has a Disney film portraying his life.

Dog and Phone

Belle is a particularly talented beagle. Her owner Kevin knows that if she starts licking his nose and paws at him that his blood sugar is off, and he should check his levels. Belle’s a specially trained assistance dog and it’s her second amazing talent which got her on this list. In 2006, Kevin collapsed after suffering a seizure.

Belle took his cell phone in her mouth and bit down on the number 9 as she had been trained to do. The phone was rigged so that it would dial 911 when 9 was held down, so emergency services were called, and Kevin was saved. Belle was then awarded the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award for people – and now dogs – who use cell phones to aid in an emergency.

Parenting Pooch

Lada is a faithful rottweiler from Russia who may have prevented a tragedy. Her owner, Olga, was a 22-year-old mother to baby son Vadim. Olga went to the park with her son and dog in tow and ended up having some drinks with friends. She got drunk and ended up going home, leaving behind both her baby and her dog!

Waking up with a sore head and in a panic, Olga called her parents, hysterical, thinking her baby had been taken. But when her father returned to the park, he found the poor baby Vadim in his pram, just where he had been left. He was cold, wet and hungry. The only ray of sunshine in this horrible story is that Lada had stayed by the pram’s side all night standing guard. It was reported that Vadim is now being raised by his grandparents. Who knows to what extent Lada kept that baby boy safe over a full night?

Thanks for reading! Let us know if you have any amazing dog stories and we might do a second round of these. If you’re looking for a Vancouver veterinarian for your pet, we’re always happy to help. Visit our online pet shop for all your food and accessory needs.