13 Stories Of Dogs Doing Badass Things That Will Warm Your Heart

At the beginning of April, Marvin Owings was out walking his black Lab, Boomer, near the town of Saluda in North Carolina when Boomer started barking at something up ahead, reported the Charlotte Observer. When Owings looked a little closer, he found that Boomer had located a tiny, terrified bear cub. They initially left the bear where it was in case its mother was nearby, but when they passed by later on, the bear was still alone and had fallen several hundred feet from where they had first spotted it. So they called a veterinarian, who rescued the bear, fed it, and notified a state wildlife resource officer. The bear, who was very malnourished and apparently orphaned, is now being cared for at a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

In 2013, Redditor u/cheddar_ posted a thread to the AskReddit sub titled, “What Is The Most Badass Thing Your Pet Has Ever Done?” It is a gem, and I highly recommend perusing it in its entirely whenever you get a chance. It’s true that this particular story from u/Killgore-Trout (I understood that reference!) isn’t the most dramatic of the bunch — but the fact that it stars a dachshund just makes it work. The mental image of a weiner dog ferociously battling with a bat is the stuff comic book dreams are made of.

Admittedly, this one is less “OMG SUCH A HEROIC BOY” and more “WOW, that dog is stubborn as heck and I love it,” but, well… you’ve got to respect a pup who stands his ground, right? The Golden in question is named Rufio; he went viral in 2016 for this video, which was posted both to Instagram and YouTube, showing how he acts when he’s at the pet store with his human and really, really doesn’t want to leave. You can see more of his antics on Instagram @livingthatgoldenlife.

And I thought my cat was impressive for learning how to scale her tallest scratcher. Clearly she’s got some catching up to do.

Never underestimate what a loyal doggo will do to protect their human — even if they’re normally super chill.

In 2006, a beagle named Belle dialed 911 by biting down on a cell phone when her human, who is diabetic, collapsed from a seizure. To be fair, Belle had been trained to do this; if she detected an emergency, she would bite the number 9 on the phone’s keypad in order to contact 911. Said Weaver to the Associated Press after the fact, “There is no doubt in my mind that I’d be dead if I didn’t have Belle.”

A Lab who is part of the Mexican Navy’s Canine Unit, Frida — who is named for the painter Frida Kahlo — sniffs out people who have been trapped by rubble, debris, and other fallout due to natural disasters. Over the course her career, she has located 52 people; 12 of them were found alive and subsequently rescued, according to the Los Angeles Times. Her skills made her invaluable after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico on Sept. 19, 2017 — and her story offered a ray of hope, as well.

According to the New York Daily News, Martha Rodriguez’s two small granddaughters were outside making mud pies at her home in Texas’ Hueco Mountains in 2013 when they heard a hiss and a rattle. When the little girls looked up, they saw a rattlesnake aiming to strike.

That was when Rodriguez’s 10-pound chihuahua-poodle mix literally leapt into the fray, jumping between the snake and the girls in order to protect them. Rodriguez and her neighbors were then able to catch and kill the snake. The pup was bitten in the eye, which he ultimately lost — but he’s a hero all the same.

Also, his name is Psycho.

I love everything about this story. (Except for the fact that Psycho lost an eye, of course.)