The following are the top 15 finalists in the Second Annual Dogs of Valor Awards held by the Humane Society of the United States. According to the press release I received from the HSUS, these awards celebrate man’s best friend by honoring dogs who hav exhibited an extraordinary sense of courage by heroically helping a person in need.
Aubrey -(Millbury,MA.)- Led owner from a running trail to a man who was lying unconscious on an overgrowth path.
Baby C.- (Albuquerque, N.M.)- Found help when owner’s SUV plummeted 20 feet off the side of a and wedged upside down between two trees.
Boo- (renamed Hero, Jim Thorpe, PA) – Barked to get attention and led police to this owner who had been knocked unconscious after falling between two isolated buildings.
Buster- (Clarkridge, AR) – Alerted owner and led him to his wife who had collapsed and was unable to move after a severe stroke.
Butch -(Poplar Bluff, MO)- Ran down to the basement, a place he greatly feared, and woke his owner’s son as a fire quickly spread.
Charley- (Loganville, GA)- Begged to go outside and then led owner several houses down where a man had fallen off a ladder.
D-boy- (Oklahoma City, OK)- Shot three times as he charged towards an armed man who had broken into his home.
Hank- (Dublin, GA)- Roused his owner and helped him to his feet after a tractor ran over him, causing massive internal injuries.
Jake- (Omaha, NE)- Pulled a boy to safety when he was swept away and pulled underwater by currents in the Platte River.
Julian- (Reading, PA) – Barked until he got his owner’s attention, leading the man to his wife in a diabetic coma.
Laney- (Portage,IN)- Bit the foot of a boy to wake him and his two friends as fired spread throughout the house.
Piper-(Garland, TX)- Pawed at and roused her owner as she struggled to breathe during an asthma attack.
Tripod- (Batesville,AR)- Awakened her owners as a fire spread through the home, igniting the bedding.
Tyson- (Stuart, FL)- Barked and pawed at pool’s surface, alerting owners that their infant nephew was floating in the water.
All of these stories are amazing to me and all of these dogs deserve awards! You can go to to their website at www.humanesociety.org/dogsofvalor to view their entire stories and to vote. Did you see our very own dog from Reading on the list?
Voting will continue until Friday, May 15th @ 5 PM (EDT). The People’s Hero winner and the Valor Dog of the Year, who is chosen by a distinguished panel of celebrity judges, will be announced on May 17th. Good luck to all!!