Animals can be heroes too! Click or swipe through the gallery to see the world’s most compassionate whale, a brave pigeon and the sweetest miniature horse you’ll ever meet! Enjoy!
Kabang
Kabang, a mongrel dog from this country, was disfigured while saving the lives of two girls by jumping in front of a speeding motorcycle in 2011. Kabang looks much better these days, having undergone eight months of surgery in his country.
Babu
Babu led 83-year-old Tami Akanuma to safety after this earthquake struck northern Japan in 2011 — the dog whined to be let out of the residence and pulled her owner to a nearby hill just before this happened. Babu was usually unwilling to leave the house for a walk, so Akanuma believes her pet might have predicted that danger was coming. Maybe she’s one of these?
Sergeant Reckless
Sergeant Reckless joined the Marine Corps as a packhorse in 1952, and she earned an official rank due to her service in battle. She was also the only horse to ever participate in one of these. She traveled with marines and was known for her unusual taste in food, enjoying beer and even this breakfast dish. Here, Sergeant Reckless is seen eating cake during the Marine Corps 179th birthday dinner, where she was a guest of honor before retirement.
Toby
Debbie Parkhurst’s dog Toby, seen here in Calvert, Md. in 2007, might want to look into this as a career. Parkhurst says the then-2-year-old golden retriever saved her life by performing a doggy version of this emergency procedure, knocking her to the ground and jumping on her chest to dislodge this from her windpipe.
Lefty
Lefty, this kind of dog, reportedly saved her owner’s life when she launched herself at a gun fired by an intruder in 2013. Lefty was struck by a bullet, and an animal hospital in this city later helped rally people to raise money for a leg amputation.
Moko
Moko, a bottlenose dolphin, made headlines in 2008 when he helped rescue two of these sea creatures by guiding them through a narrow channel when they were trapped by a sandbar here.
Simon
Simon, a ship cat, was awarded this for animal gallantry posthumously in 1949 for his service aboard this ship. The ship was shelled during this conflict, and Simon was injured.
Orlando
Cecil Williams, who is blind, credits his guide dog Orlando with trying to save his life following a fall onto this city’s subway tracks in 2013. Williams, 61, said he fainted while holding on to his black Labrador, who tried to save him from falling.
Pui
Pui was given one of these for discovering a newborn baby in a pile of garbage in this city. The dog brought a bag containing the baby to his master — and once word got out about the rescue, the dog’s owners received an outpouring in donations to help support the four dogs in their household.
G.I. Joe
During this war, a pigeon named G.I. Joe saved the lives of villagers and British soldiers here. An air strike was planned against the village, but they were halted just in time when G. I. Joe arrived bearing a message that British troops had captured the territory.
Atreyu
Atreyu, this kind of dog, whined until his owners, Kristen and Barry Ganoe, checked on him. Once awake, they discovered their home in this state was on fire.
Trakr
German shepherd Trakr searched through rubble at the site of this tragedy, uncovering the last survivor of the attack. Here, he’s pictured with his owner, Canadian police officer James Symington. This magazine called Trakr one of history’s most heroic animals.
Togo
Togo, pictured here with this famous sled-dog musher, achieved fame when he led a team of dogs to carry a diphtheria antitoxin on a long relay to this Alaskan town, saving the isolated community from an epidemic. This famous sled dog was also on the so-called “race of mercy.”
Tonto
Shari Bernstiel, a blind woman who lived here, was often seen around town with her guide horse Tonto. Technically one of these, Tonto went through a year of training to be Sheri’s seeing-eye helper. When this photo was taken in 2004, Tonto was one of three working guide horses in the United States.
Cher Ami
Cher Ami, seen here in a replica figure at this tourist destination, was honored by the French government (here’s the award) in this war after flying over France while wounded with one of these strapped to his chest. The pigeon helped take battlefield photos, and flew for 25 miles in 25 minutes despite his injury.
Mila
Mila (one of these cute sea creatures) wowed onlookers when she came to the rescue of a diver whose legs were temporarily paralyzed by arctic temperatures during a contest without any breathing equipment. Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium’s arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible amid the whales at Polar Land. Mila guided the diver to the top of the tank.
LuLu
LuLu, a 150-pound one of these, summoned help when her owner, JoAnn Altsman, suffered chest pains related to a heart attack in 1997. Lulu laid down in the street to stop traffic, then led a motorist to Altsman’s home in this city. Lulu was later honored at this organization’s annual Humane Awards luncheon, pictured above.
Winnie
When these dangerous fumes started filling Cathy Keesling’s home in this city, her 14-year-old cat Winnie jumped up on the bed and began to make this sound. Keesling credits Winnie with saving her life, and the cat was honored by this organization in 2007.
Bear
Debbie Zeisler had a seizure, hit her head and lost consciousness in her front yard in this town in 2011. Her 100-pound dog named Bear went around scratching on neighbors’ doors, until he was spotted by an animal control officer. Bear led the officer straight to Zeisler.
Lily
Lily was one of many search and rescue dogs to sift through rubble in this city after a deadly storm struck on May 22, 2011. But Lily was unique. Weeks prior, she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and was still on medication when the call went out for help. Owner Tara Prosser told OzarksFirst.com: “She’s worked without complaint. She got nails in her feet. She gets cuts on her legs. I only heard her yelp one time.”