Contents:
Each K9 had a medal placed around their neck during a ceremony in the Rayburn House Office foyer that featured top ranking military officials, congressmen, congressional staffers, philanthropists, and the media.
Amy McCullough, national director of rescue and military affairs for American Humane, said the event was important to draw attention to the contributions of military working dogs as well as the struggles they and many of their handlers face once they retire. The other thing they do, importantly, is they're great for boosting morale with the troops, providing comfort and a sense of home.
That continues when they come back from the battlefields too. Jag, a friendly and jovial year-old black lab, served in the Army with Sergeant Dennis Dow for seven years. The team deployed to Afghanistan where Jag sniffed out a hidden cache of artillery rounds on his very first mission and kept saving lives on hundreds more missions before retiring and being adopted by Sergeant Dow. Since returning home, Sergeant Dow has credited Jag's presence with saving his marriage and even his life.
Often they have been bred for varying tasks in different climates, yet all show an enduring fondness for the human race. When Mello returned to his unit, the leadership asked if he wanted to be nominated for a Combat Action Badge, but he said no. Another furry saviour being honoured with bravery award was Patty, a yellow Labrador, who saved her pet parent drowning during a duck hunting excursion. The pair was virtuously trying to protect the other Marines in the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. In addition to patrol duty with the infantry, he was posted to sentry duty in Casablanca during the January conference between the American and British leaders, Roosevelt and Churchill.
I take him to see his friends every day. That helps me get a little bit better every day. By helping my partner, I'm helping myself, which is the biggest part of PTSD service dogs that's hard to explain to people.
Helping the dog and getting the dog what it needs is what gets me out of not wanting to take care of myself. Dow is hoping that Jag's Medal of Courage will help draw attention to efforts to get the Department of Defense to pay for care needed by military dogs once they return home and show other handlers that organizations like American Humane are willing to help them.
He said having Jag happy and healthy is one of the things that keeps him happy and healthy.
Editorial Reviews. Review. “This is the perfect stocking-stuffer for the dog lover on your list. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Dogs of Courage: The Heroism and Heart of Working Dogs Around the World. Dogs of Courage reveals the heartwarming and awe-inspiring Dogs of Courage: The Heroism and Heart of Working Dogs Around the World.
Taker, a mellow year-old black lab with gray hair around his mouth and paws, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he found many IEDs saving countless American lives. That's pretty cool.
Summer, a rambunctious seven-year-old yellow lab, served oversees as an Explosives Specialized Search Dog with the Marine Corps where she found numerous weapons caches and IEDs while clearing routs and coming under enemy fire. How can we top that story? His guide dog, Orlando, sensing something was wrong tried to keep his owner upright and away from danger whilst drawing attention by barking. Cecil fell onto the tracks but, because of Orlando's efforts, bystanders were able to warn the train's operator who was able to slow it down.
The courageous pooch, meanwhile, had jumped down onto the tracks to try and wake up his owner. Cecil received minor injuries from the accident and Orlando was absolutely fine. What a dog! Did we mention that Beth had only been working with Annie for a few weeks?
You may think that cats are more bothered about swaggering around nonchalantly trying to find a perfect spot in the sunshine but, much like dogs, they too have our backs and can display unwavering loyalty to their owners. For example, if you haven't seen the video of Tara the courageous tabby cat saving her four-year-old owner from being attacked by the neighbour's dog, you're missing out. This is one seriously kick-ass cat. This clever puss woke up the husband of diabetic Susan Marsh-Armstrong after she had a hypoglycaemic attack in the bathroom and led him to his wife to give her treatment.
In , a parrot was given an 'animal lifesavers' award by the Red Cross after saving a toddler from choking. Megan Howard of Colorado was babysitting the little girl when Willie the Quaker parrot started screeching 'Mama, baby' and was visibly distressed in his cage.
It turned out that Willie had noticed the toddler choking on her breakfast and was raising the alarm to Megan, who quickly performed the Heimlich manoeuvre, saving the child. That's one clever bird. When Dolly the donkey got stuck up to her neck in mud, her best friend Daisy came to the rescue, braying loudly to attract the attention of neighbours who then called fire-fighters to pull out the sinking donkey. It was only after Daisy's bravery that the owner of the animals, Bill Doyle of Borth, found out that they had been raised together in Ireland, giving them an exceptionally strong bond.
It's not just pets that are getting in on the bravery action. There are a whole host of wild animals out there who have displayed unbelievable heroism. Moko the dolphin showed cross-species empathy by leading stranded mother and calf pygmy sperm whales back into the deep blue sea. Apparently Moko appeared to be communicating with the whales and prevented them from becoming beached when they were disorientated.