Star Spangled Heroes Dog Hall of Fame
Honoring dogs who have displayed
incredible bravery and loyalty
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Star Spangled Hero Dog Stories
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CHILI AND HUSKY
New York, NY
May 15, 2009
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Two dogs shocked the world with their incredible bravery last spring.
In the rush of cars speeding along the Major Deegan, a New York City
Expressway, Chili, a yellow Labrador was struck, but still alive. Against
all odds, her son Husky, a German Shepherd/Lab mix, ran into the traffic
to protect her. Barking, jumping, running at the cars, Husky was able to
keep them from hitting Chili.
News crews caught word of the story and soon helicopters hovered
above. Once help arrived, Husky was so intent on protecting his mama
that he wouldn’t even let the rescuers near her.
You can learn more about this incredible story here:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=7591459
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BALTO
Nome, Alaska
January, 1925
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We must pay homage to the amazing story of Balto, the Alaskan sled
dog who is credited with saving the children of Nome, Alaska. In the
winter of 1925, children in Nome began showing symptoms of
diphtheria, a fatal and highly contagious disease. Several children
died and the disease spread. Tragically, the city ran out of the anti-toxin
diphtheria treatment and the nearest supply of it was nearly 1,000 miles
away.
Officials scrambled to find a way to get the life-saving drugs to Nome
Click here to read more of Balto's amazing story:
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Becky Andrews with
guide dogs Pantera
and Cricket August
2009 winner
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The first picture is me with my first guide - Pantera at her puppy raiser's
wedding - a very special day! The second picture is another VERY
special night ... it was the night before we knew Pantera would need
to be 'put down'. She had brain cancer and was in pain - it was time to
say good bye ... She died with grace and dignity and as you can see she
stepped back and let Cricket be by my side. Oh I love these dogs!
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I cannot listen to Josh Groban’s song: You raise me up without tears
in my eyes …
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To me this explains the partnership of my guide dogs (my heroes) …
first Pantera and now Cricket. When I began to lose my eyesight to
Retinitis Pigmentosa, I was scared. I certainly didn’t picture myself
where I am today with my guide dog Cricket by my side– walking
confidently to the
front of an auditorium to give a presentation, flying independently to
various parts of the country, being a successful business owner, and
simply loving and enjoying life with family and friends.
Thanks in large part to my guide dog, I enjoy life in all aspects – as they
have ‘raised me up’ to believe in myself – I feel like I can conquer so
much! I pick up the harness and we GO!
Pantera, my first guide, was such a gift and worked for 9 years. She
brought so much joy and was so proud of her job as a guide dog. S
he helped ease the adjustment of being a person who is blind as I
couldn’t help but hold my head high as she did. She was truly a
dog of honor and lived this part as she was the dog of honor and I
the matron of honor at her puppy raiser’s wedding.
Cricket, my second guide, has brought such love, joy and balance
into my life. With a busy therapy practice, she is empathetic and reminds
me to take breaks and enjoy life.
After walking with a guide dog for 12 years, I still find myself each
day grateful for this gift of freedom, love and independence in my life.
These guides are my heroes and an example to me to live life with the
purpose of love and serving others.
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My name is Gina and I'd always been a professed cat lover....saying I
didn't care for dogs at all. I really do like them, I guess as a child, I
was just jealous of all the attention ours got!
I had always had animals growing up, my cat of 13+ yrs had just
passed when I decided it was time to get my husband a dog. I just
couldn't bear losing another cat. A relative told me of a neglected dog
near her that needed a new home....so I went to visit her and got
her....long story short, she decided that I was to be her master NOT my
husband. I continued to search until I found an adorable dog at the
humane society, who's crate mate was his hyper-active, nutso brother,
they were totally opposite and I fell for the quiet one. I took my husband
in later that day and he was gone! So, we ended up getting him the
crazy dog (of whom is now his bestest buddy ever!)
Fast-forward to the day my husband wanted to stop into the humane
society again...."just to look around", he had an agenda as usual and
wanted me to look at this huge dog, it was cute, friendly, playful but just
too big for our home plus we hadn't intended on getting another dog.
Then he told me to come over and look at this little pityful small dog in
the kennel. He was all of about 4 lbs....weak looking, scared and
shivering. I asked to hold him and was allowed. The second I lifted
him, he burrowed deep into my neck with his head and neck and held
on best he could as weak as he was. It was instant love!! I didn't know
what kind of dog he was so I asked. They said he was a mini
dachshund who was terribly emaciated, you could see every bone from
his nose to tail...he made me cry! I took him home that day under the
pretense of "fostering" him back to health, a day later I called to claim
him as mine!!
This little guy grew over the weeks, months and years and is now a
beautiful, healthy, strong 12 pounder who is so silly, smart, affectionate
and very protective!! He is the love of my dog life! I named him Shorty
and my husband added Man....so he's Shorty Man. We went on to
adopt 2 more dachshunds from AADR and have never looked back, we
love them all like children. They're all special in their own way but my
little guy Shorty has a special gift....he can sense and alarm us when
our youngest daughter goes into a diabetic seizure!! She is a brittle
Type 1 juvenile diabetic that is on a pump. Months after we got him,
she had gone into a seizure that went un-noticed due to the fact that
she'd gone to bed about an hour prior and we thought she was fast
asleep. Shorty ran back and forth in the hallway in front of her door and
at first I had no idea what he was doing...I thought he wanted to play yet
it was pretty late. Maybe needing to go outside...nope, not at the door
whining but was at her door whining. He would not give up, pacing,
squirming, whining running to her and door and back to me. Then our
oldest daughter came out in the living room where I was and
said..."mom, I think something is wrong with Sierra, can you come and
check on her"? We went back to find her in a total seizure and had
fallen off and was stuck under her bunk bed!! Shorty encircled her and
stayed near until the paramedics came and she was taken away in the
ambulance.
Today, I don't take his insistance at a whim....I know that if he's outside
her door in a hyper fit....to check on her immediately!! He is her little
hero!! And mine, too!!!
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Shorty Man Weiser
Submitted by Gina
Weiser
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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
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