Zoey, a four and-a-half pound, ten-month-old Chihuahua knows that it isn’t size that makes a hero. On a hot summer day in 2007, Zoey was playing in the backyard with her owner Marty Long and his 1-year-old grandson Booker West. All of the sudden, Zoey darted towards little Booker and the area where he was playing. Apparently, she had spotted a rattlesnake, and jumped in to take the bite for the boy. Zoey was left with a one-inch scar on her face and ran to Marty crying. Her head soon swelled to the size of a grapefruit. Luckily, Zoey got to the vet in time to save her with antivenin and blood plasma. Zoey made a full recovery and still loves to play in the yard with Booker.
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In this day and age, if you want to be a dog hero, it’s not enough to learn how to use a home phone. You have to be able to dial from a cell phone. Belle, a 17-pound beagle from Orlando, Florida did just that to save her owners life. One day her diabetic owner Kevin Weaver had a seizure and collapsed from low blood sugar levels. As she was taught, Belle immediately found Weaver’s cell phone and bit down on the number 9 (speed dial for 911). Weaver was taken to the hospital and resuscitated. Later that year, Belle was taken to Washington D.C. to receive the first VITA Wireless Samaritan award presented to a dog. Every year, this award is given to someone who uses a cell phone to save a life. Canines are particularly good pets for diabetics as they can detect slight abnormalities in a person’s blood sugar levels with their keen sense of smell. Weaver says that Belle usually alerts him of his dropping sugar level by whining and pawing at him. |
