10 Times Dogs Were Absolute Heroes And Saved Their Owners' Lives

Man, the saying "man's best friend" has never been more apparent than in these stories. While we all love our fur babies and call them our besties, these stories highlight that case even further. Turns out that dogs really do have our backs. Not only are they great companions for snuggling on the couch or giving us kisses on our bad days, but they are also literal lifesavers. Here are 15 times that dogs were absolute heroes and saved their owners' lives.

1. Sadie The Rescue Returns The Favor

When owner Bryan Myers rescued a six-year-old German shepherd, I guarantee he never thought she would return the favor. Luckily for him, she did. Just months after purchasing her, Myers was recovering from COVID-19. During that recovery period, he also suffered a stroke in his sleep. Newsweek shares that he collapsed and lost control of his muscles. Luckily, Sadie came to him and offered him some supportive kisses. He was able to grab hold of her collar, and she pulled him out of the space he was trapped in, so he was able to call for help.

2. Capone Alerts Family To Fire

Another beautiful rescue pup, Capone, helped save his owners' lives as well. After rescuing him off the side of the highway, Isaac returned the favor a year and a half later. The adorable dog alerted his owner that a fire had started in her kitchen. Without his quick alert, the woman would have been aware of the fire until it was too late. Because of Capone, she was able to get herself and all nine of her children safely out of the house.

3. Another Fire Rescue

Now we have another instance in which dogs saved their owners' lives in a fiery situation. A woman's house caught fire while she was asleep, so naturally, she was unaware. Luckily for her, her dog King was alert and aware. He tugged on her hair and scratched her until she awoke. Then, he took it a step further, leading her towards her door. The fire department was there and waiting to rescue them both. WECT News 6 reported the story.

4. Dog Saves Owner's Life From Assault

Pitbulls often get a bad reputation, but this one saved its owner's life from an attempted assault. Reader's Digest shares the story of Maya Fairweather and her dog Apollo. She had been walking with him one evening when a strange man approached her. He grabbed her headphones and pushed her to the ground. Apollo wasted no time protecting his owner; he charged and bit the attacker in the leg. Naturally, the attacker chose not to continue after shaking off Apollo's protective bite.

5. Dog Saves Boy From Drowning

This dog went a step above and beyond; he saved someone's life who wasn't even his owner. Max, a Staffordshire bull terrier bulldog mix, was enjoying a walk with his owner. The owner spotted a young boy in distress in the river, but before he could act, Max sprang into action. Luckily for everyone involved, Max was already outfitted in a life vest. He charged into the water. The owner told the boy to call Max's name, which he did. Max heard the call and swam right over the boy, pulling him out of the water. 7News Australia reported the story.

6. Pitbulls Strike Again

I am starting to wonder if it is the assailants who gave pitbulls their bad reputation.  Here we have another clear example of someone getting what's coming to them from a protective pitiful. DBoy turned out to be the goodest boy when he saved his owner from a home invasion at gunpoint. Can't blame the pitbull for being aggressive if you are threatening its owner.

7. Dogs Save Owners' Lives After Avalanche

Here is where a dog's speed comes in handy. The Guardian shared a story of a couple who were hiking in Switzerland when an avalanche struck. Unfortunately, the couple was not quick enough, and they became buried beneath the snow. However, their dogs managed to escape. Rather than flee and leave their owners behind, the dogs barked loudly, drawing attention to themselves. Then, once people noticed them, they led them straight to where their owners were buried.

8. Yorkie Saves Owner From Diabetic Coma

Next on our list of how dogs saved their owners' lives, we have Jazzy the Yorkie. Fox 10 shared the heartwarming story about how she saved her owner from a diabetic coma. Michael, the owner, was at home when his blood sugar dropped to a dangerously low level. Jazzy did not stop barking until Michael's mother was alerted to the situation. By the time his mother entered the room, Jazzy was on Michael's chest, trying to revive him. It doesn't get more adorable and supportive than that.

9. Dog Saves Blind Owner

It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful dogs can be for people with disabilities. The ways these animals can assist us are truly incredible. News Center Maine shared the story of how a dog saved its owner's life after it fell into a ravine. Samantha, the yellow Labrador, stayed by her owner's side after he fell into the ravine. She continued to bark and alert rescuers of his location. This gentleman was fortunate indeed because he was blind and could not have found his way out on his own.

10. Dog Vs. Bear

Finally, last but certainly not least on our list of epic times dogs saved their own owners' lives, we have the incredible story of Shelby. Shelby is a 13-year-old shepherd and retriever mix, and she was adopted to fend off small predators. Think of animals like foxes and coyotes. However, what Shelby ended up having to fend off was much larger than that. Her owner had been walking her when they stumbled upon three black bear cubs. Naturally, Mama Bear was not thrilled with the proximity to her babies, so she charged at Shelby and her owner. Shelby, incredibly, managed to fight the bear off. While she was severely injured, she managed to make a recovery after four months. What an incredible pup!

I don't know about you, but this list makes me want to go give my pup a hug! These are just a handful of the stories where dogs saved their owners' lives.