We read great stories about dogs all the time including tales of companionship and utility as military dogs, therapy dogs, or other. Suffice it to say, the saying “man’s best friend” exists for a good reason. We do not post most of the stories we come across as they mostly resemble each other in that all dogs are great and help us out in many different ways. This story put a smile on our face as a dying homeless man was saved by his dog in a rather unique way: http://dogspired.com/dog-behavior-2/homeless-man-thanks-dog-for-saving-his-life/
A woman in Washington state bumped into a dog who was wearing a note that said “Help” on it. The note said his owner’s medicine wasn’t working, he couldn’t walk, needed a doctor, and that it was not a joke. The woman found a police officer who then found the homeless man, who told the story of his dog Buddy. The duo lives in the woods in a remote area and the man has a leg infection that got worse. He has no cellphone so he knew when his legs gave out that he was in big trouble.
He eventually came up with the idea to put the note on Buddy with a bright red string and told Buddy to go find help. He says Buddy understood and went down the trail until he eventually found someone who came back with help. The man says Buddy never leaves his side so it is clear Buddy understood the command and within an hour paramedics were on their way with help and took him to a hospital.
The owner is now recovering thanks to Buddy and his heroism. We read a lot of stories about homeless people and their dogs, which is not surprising given the companionship and love they provide. We have read about various charities and local rescue organizations who provide help to dogs of homeless people so if you run across a dog with a homeless person please see if they could use help with the dog. You can offer to give a Petsmart gift card, a bag of food, or take them in to your local veterinarian. In this case, there was a special Buddy Fund set up for veterinary help should you want to help with Buddy.