Dogs are such smart and protective animals; they’ll often jump into action and get help when they sense their owner is in danger.
That was the case recently, when a dog named “Hero” lived up to his name.
On March 28, Taber Police Service, in Alberta, Canada, responded to a call about a large dog on the loose nearby with potential injures, according to a Facebook post. After a search of the area, they were unable to locate the dog.
Hours later, they received another call from a local citizen, Curtis Dahl, who told them he had been bit by a large dog.
Police returned to the area and saw the large Akita dog who had bitten the man — but they soon learned the reason for the dog’s strange behavior.
While approaching the dog, officers heard cries for help coming from nearby. Following the sound, they found a 61-year-old man stuck inside a muddy ditch.
The man had reportedly been there for two days, and the ditch was hidden behind tall grass, making it unlikely that he would’ve been found anytime soon without the dog’s intervention.
“The tall grass … it’s extremely tough to see someone in there,” Const. Austin Weerskin told CBC News.
It was clear that the man’s loyal pet Akita, who had been nearby the whole two days, had been trying to get someone’s attention so he could be rescued. Fittingly, the dog’s name is “Hero.”
“He was involved in fighting because he was really just protecting his owner,” Alana McPhee of the Lost Paws Society told CBC. “I guess you could say he really truly lives up to his name.”
Curtis Dahl and his dog Jack were treated for injuries at a nearby hospital. While it’s unfortunate that they were bit by Hero, Curtis came to understand that the dog’s aggressive behavior was to save his owner.
“Once I thought about it, I knew why this dog did what he did,” Dahl said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the veterinary costs of the dogs who were injured due to these circumstances, particularly Jack and Hero’s sister Tora, who has a rod in her leg from a previous injury that became loose from “frantically running between the place her owner was trapped and her residence.”
Thank you to “Hero” for living up to his name and saving the day! We’re so glad his owner was found and rescued!
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