Ben Holt - Dog Heroes: True Stories of Canine Courage

DOG HEROES

Copyright Summersdale Publishers 2009

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Disclaimer
All stories not directly contributed have been researched from sources in the public domain. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information and any quoted matter in these stories is correct. Should there be any omissions or errors in this respect we apologise and shall be pleased to make the appropriate amendments in any future edition.

DOG HEROES

TRUE STORIES OF CANINE COURAGE

BEN HOLT

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to everyone who helped with gathering material and the research for this book. Special thanks go to Steve Jamieson and Janeta Hevizi, Tamsin Thomas at RNLI and Sue Nicholls at Penwith District Council for Bilbos story; Jon Hastie, and Vicky Bell at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association for Yarons story; Karen Frith at Lake District Search-Dogs for Dotties story; Neil Hamilton Bulger, and James Coles at Search and Rescue Dog Association Southern Scotland for Briars story; Nicola Willis, and Jenny Moir at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People for Lyes story; Mike Townsend, and Vicky Bell at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association for Toms story; Gary Wickett, and Vicky Bell at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association for Rozs story; Lizzie Owen, and Allie Hogsbjerg at Dogs for the Disabled for Bella and Frodos story; Cheryl Smith, and Hannah at The Leaf Agency on behalf of Canine Partners for Orcas story; David Patterson at Search Dogs Essex for Archies story; Dave Davies at Happy Dogs North East for Maxs story; PC Neil Sampson, Katie Whitworth at Wiltshire Constabulary and Victoria Brown and Melinda Dziedzic at The Kennel Club for Anyas story; and Ted Wright for Besss story.

INTRODUCTION

Anyone who lives with a dog will know what extraordinary creatures they are. Their capacity to provide love, loyalty and friendship to their owners is unparalleled in the animal kingdom. But some dogs go beyond the role of mans best friend when they act to save lives and they can rightfully be called dog heroes.

This anthology includes some of the most astonishing, fascinating and heart-warming stories of dogs heroic acts that have appeared in the media around the world, and also some moving first-hand accounts by people who have witnessed quick-thinking and resourceful canines in action.

The stories include working dogs, ranging from lifeguard dogs to guide dogs. Whilst these animals are remarkable for their intelligence, its true to say that they are only doing as they are trained. However, in some cases, their loyalty and dedication leads them to act above and beyond their duties in order to protect humans. Even more amazing, perhaps, are the family pets and strays that have acted instinctively to save their owners and even strangers from danger.

WATER RESCUE

Many dogs enjoy having a splash around in the water, though not all of them are natural swimmers: bulldogs, for example, have heavy bodies and short legs, which makes it difficult for them to stay afloat. Boxers, greyhounds and Dobermann pinschers all struggle in the water due to their low body fat.

The medium-sized breeds that have water-resistant coats and webbing between their toes, however, are excellent swimmers and very at ease in the water, such as Labradors and golden retrievers, which are bred for the purpose of retrieving prey from the water. This would account in part for the large number of water rescues attributed to dogs of these breeds.

Newfoundlands are also great water dogs and have long been used as working dogs by fishermen and water rescue teams. When the SS Ethie was grounded off the dangerous coast of Newfoundland in 1919, one Newfoundland dog is reported to have saved 90 people from the icy water.

In many cases, water rescue stories involve dogs of breeds such as these, that have some inbuilt instinct to rescue people from drowning, or a natural affinity with water. But some are just loyal pets, of indiscriminate breed, who are determined to save their owners from danger.

BILBO

Bilbo is a 14-stone chocolate brown Newfoundland who lives with his owner near Lands End in Cornwall, UK. What started out as a natural love for the water resulted in Bilbo becoming the worlds first qualified surf lifeguard dog, who is credited with saving several lives

Bilbos owner, Steve Jamieson (known as Jmo), is the head lifeguard at Sennen Cove, a beach near their home. When Bilbo first came to live with him, Jmo understood the famous Newfoundland reputation for an affinity with water. Bilbo absolutely loved the water, and when he came to the beach with Jmo he enjoyed playing in the waves and swimming with the lifeguards.

After a while, Jmo realised that Bilbo could be a useful addition to the lifeguarding team at Sennen Cove and decided to train him to help out. Bilbo had to be put through the same swimming and fitness tests as the other lifeguards and learn how to swim in all types of sea conditions. He was soon swimming with skill and conf dence and became a fully fledged member of the team the worlds first` fully qualified surf lifeguard dog. But Jmo had also come up with a unique way of using Bilbo to help get the safety message across to beachgoers:

We [the lifeguards] were then employed by the local council who had spent thousands of pounds producing sea safety signs advising the public about beach safety, the flag system and so on. Hardly anyone took any notice of these signs. I had an idea to have a coat made for Bilbo in red and yellow the same colour as the flags we want bathers to swim between. It would also have the message swim between the flags on it. When Bilbo went on patrol he would wear his coat, becoming an instant success with the public.

As dogs are not allowed on the beach in the summer, Bilbo rides on the back of a quad bike across the beach, watching for bathers in trouble. The quad stops at intervals so that everyone can meet Bilbo and read the message on his lifejacket. The lifeguards also patrol on a motorised Rescue Ski; Bilbo rides on the sled at the back, from which he can leap off into the sea to assist struggling swimmers and tow them back to safety. Jmo organises regular demonstrations where Bilbo simulates rescues to illustrate the dangers of swimming in strong currents.