All dogs are heroes to their parents. This week I want to celebrate three dogs who saved their humans because they recognized it is our duty to put their lives before ours.
The first dog is a nine-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier named Beast.
Beast’s mom, Sandy Ruggerio, was outside with her two other dogs at her North Port Florida home when she heard the terrifying sound of a rattlesnake about to bite.
Beast jumped on the snake, and after a brief struggle, he killed it. He was injured, and he is at the vet’s where he is responding to treatment for low blood cell count, but the doctor is confident that the amount will rise and soon Beast will back in family’s yard once again protecting them.
We find our second hero dog on the lovely beaches of Salerno Italy. A father was playing on the shore with his two young daughters. A rogue wave pulled the girls out to sea. The father swam out and found one of the girls, but he could not see the second.
Fortunately, Lux, an accredited lifeguard dog was on patrol. He saw the missing girl, Caterina, and he jumped in the water. Lux reached Caterina and dragged her back to shore where she was revived. She spent the rest of the vacation happily with her family. When she had arrived at the beach, she had been afraid of dogs. Lux not only gave her life back to her but also instilled in her a love of dogs.
Heroic dogs don’t just save children. Bruno, a 15-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog, was at home with his mom Jayne and his dad Andy in Sunderland Australia. Jayne’s 82-year-old father, Terry, was staying with them because Jayne’s mother was in the hospital after a fall.
Jayne and Andy thought that Terry was happily napping while he snored loudly from the spare bedroom. Bruno recognized that it was not peaceful snoring and continually barked. Jayne went to check on Bruno when she realized her father had slipped into a diabetic coma. Jayne called the paramedics, and Terry was brought to the hospital where he recovered.
It is good to write about hero dogs whose actions did not lead them to the Bridge, so here is to Beast, Lux, and Bruno and also to Sandy, Caterina, and Terry.
Once again they have proven that dog and men are an unbeatable team.
