Whitney Braley’s service dog is usually friendly and easygoing but for some reason, she suddenly seemed awfully distraught.

Then Whitney realized Banner was trying to get her to follow her into the nearby forest.

In fact, the dog was so anxious for Whitney to follow that she actually kept tugging on her dress. It was a very clear “help me!” sign!

Well, Whitney couldn’t ignore that request, so she followed her beloved pup into the woods … and there she was met with an astonishing sight:

Sitting in the middle of a lightly wooded area was a cardboard box. And inside were 7 tiny newborn creatures, which were barely clinging to life.

Banner was acting like a mom! But she hadn’t found a box of puppies …

No, she’d found a box of kittens!

Not only was Banner trying to help them, she gently took one of them in her mouth as if to say, “I’ll take care of them, I swear!”

Whitney picked up the box and took the kittens home, with Banner hot on her heels.

Banner took on her new role of foster mom with vigor and care: she cleaned the kittens up and stayed by their side constantly.

Nothing bad was going to happen to those struggling kittens with Banner around!

Said Whitney:

“Someone must have just put [the kittens] into a cardboard box, closed the lid tight and left them there to die.

They probably thought that no one would ever discover them.

But I’m so happy that now because of Banner, these kittens will go on to live their lives with loving families. It warms my heart.”

Wonderful dogs like this just don’t get enough credit, do they?

It’s as if they’re angels on earth, and they just want to care for all living creatures!

Source: NTD.TV

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What they do for their human charges is borderline miraculous, which is why they’re such special animals.

Perhaps that’s why, when a service dug unexpectedly laid down in a busy airport last Friday, everyone was quick to rush to her aid.

But what could be bothering the healthy-looking pooch? She had seemed perfectly okay until she decided she just had to stop and sit down.

Well, this 2-year-old yellow lab named Eleanor “Elle” Rigby (named after The Beatles song, of course) didn’t have anything wrong with her.

All done! #AirportPuppies @FlyTPA @CityofTampa pic.twitter.com/NIoXr0HCZW

— Tampa Fire Rescue (@TampaFireRescue) May 25, 2018

In fact, she was pregnant!

And evidently, she was a lot further along in her pregnancy than her owners realized, because it came time to deliver right in the middle of Tampa International Airport.

So, Elle lay down and immediately went into labor, prompting a flurry of activity around her.

Tampa Fire Rescue and other airport personnel were quickly on hand to help out, and we’re sure Elle was appreciative of all the good-hearted attention.

The best part? The father, a yellow lab named Nugget and another service dog, was on hand to witness the birth of his puppies!

With Nugget and literally hundreds of interested travelers looking on, the new mother ultimately gave birth to a big healthy litter.

She ended up having a total of eight puppies; seven males and one female.

And they’re all absolutely adorable, as they should be.

The only downside to this story is that the woman’s owner and her daughter missed their flight due to this happy event, and now they’ll be driving 1,000 miles from Tampa to Philadelphia.

Well, they’ve got eight new members of the family, so that’s a blessing in and of itself!

Source: NY Post

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He was in desperate need of assistance, so he purchased a service dog named Zeus, who was specially trained to help David.

One day, a nurse left the door open and unfortunately, Zeus got out. David was frantic…and Zeus never came back!

He made flyers, continued searching on a daily basis, and even hired a pet detective to find his furry companion. He left no stone unturned, but still no sign of Zeus.

David adopted another dog to be trained to help him, but he still wanted Zeus back; there was just something so special about their wonderful bond.

A year and a half later, David received a phone call from the microchip company regarding Zeus.

David was so excited that Zeus had been found, but that joy didn’t last long once he found out that Zeus wasn’t coming home.

A woman had Zeus, and she only wanted permission to put his microchip in her name since he was hers now.

David refused, of course, explaining that he hadn’t surrendered his dog and he wanted Zeus back immediately.

She told him no.

Frustrated, David asked for the woman’s contact information but they couldn’t give it to him. So he contacted animal control, but they couldn’t help him, either.

Then, out of sheer desperation, David called the police and they told him to come in to file a police report, which he did.

The police went to the woman’s home, but she lied and told them that Zeus ran away. How cruel!

David’s last hope was the local news station. They shared his story via phone interview, and the entire community became outraged that someone would keep his beloved service dog from him.

Later that day, David received another phone call – it was a police officer.

He was calling to say that the woman who had Zeus had taken him to animal control to give him back. She’d finally come to her senses!

David is now reunited with his beloved Zeus, as well as his new brother Zero, and everyone involved couldn’t be happier.

Watch the beautiful reunion:

Source:  I Heart Dogs

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Although some dogs step into their roles more easily than others, by the time they have that jacket buckled around them they’ve gone through quite a bit of intensive training.

There are three types of service or assistance dogs: guide dog, hearing dog, and service dog.

Not only do the dogs have to be trained in their specific area, but they must also be trained to have extraordinary focus.

They can’t run the risk of being distracted; at the very least, their owner could get hurt and in a worse case scenario, it could create a life or death situation.

And that is where a very special cat named…can you believe it?…D.O.G comes in. It’s pronounced “dee-oh-gee” and he’s every bit as unusual as his name implies…

One of the top dogs at a St. Louis canine training center is actually a cat with the name D-O-G. https://t.co/ARdLUunbAr pic.twitter.com/iSCJcqfdHz

— AP Central U.S. (@APCentralRegion) December 14, 2017

His personality makes him invaluable for the training facility, and it also makes him a big hit with all the personnel too.

“There are a few staff members who like to pretend they’re exclusively dog lovers, but everyone secretly adores D-O-G,” Support Dogs, Inc. CEO Anne Klein said.

“He’s spoiled rotten.”

Klein told People Pets back in September that the office is pretty cushy for D-O-G, who has a multi-level cat condo all to himself and all the dogs he can play with!

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When danger arises, dogs often display heroic efforts to help the humans they love.

Dogs today are regularly tasked into military service where they work, often in harsh environments, to support soldiers who protect the world.

British Special Forces dog, Mali, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, proved his worth to mankind during a dangerous mission in Afghanistan.

A group of heavily-armed suicide bombers was hiding in a multi-story building. Mali was part of a Special Forces unit that in 2012 went after the militants.

During the seven-hour mission, Mali sniffed out explosives and was injured by three grenade blasts.

Most dogs, even their human counterparts, would be done after such an attack.

But not Mali, who persevered through the fiery battle and helped save the lives of several fellow British soldiers.

The key enemy stronghold was secured, and the mission a great success.

Unfortunately, Mali’s injuries from the mission were serious, as his belly, chest, ears and teeth were all injured.

Thankfully, though, after enough time passed, he recovered fully and was then retired from active duty. Job well done!

Most such military sacrifices go unnoticed by the public, but the military wasn’t about to overlook Mali’s bravery:

Mali was chosen for a prestigious honor, one awarded to a select few military animals over the years.

Mali was awarded the Dickin Award from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

In 75 years of the medal’s history, only 31 other dogs have received the award. Other animals include 32 pigeons, four horses and one cat.

Jan McLoughlin, PDSA director general, presented the award to Mali and was quoted:

“Mali has displayed a truly awesome ability and determination to seek out explosives and insurgents during a key operation.

To achieve this while exposed to close combat and such intense enemy attacks makes him an incredibly worthy recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal.”

Of course, good ol’ Mali is still a dog…

When he received his Dickin Award during the special presentation, he forgot it was for his military service.

He playfully grabbed the medal with his teeth and had a brief tug-of-war with the presenter. Dogs will be dogs!

Anyway, Mali now serves in his retirement as a training dog for the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He helps new dog handlers hone their skills for future service.

His continued service is certainly appreciated, and his sacrifice in battle one to remember – man or beast.

Source: iHeart Dogs

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Same goes for dogs.

Our canine friends can be every bit as strong, determined, and persevering as any human, as any animal lover will tell you.

As proof of that, meet Furgus, an amazing Great Dane puppy who was born with only three paws.

Obviously, this is a serious impediment. But Furgus isn’t fazed, and it helps that his owners are so loving and – as it turns out – innovative.

Bill and Pam Laurence thought it’d be a good idea for Furgus to visit people who struggle with a similar problem; i.e., those who were born without limbs, or had limbs amputated.

So they had an idea to turn their three-pawed pooch into a service dog.

But for that to happen, they needed him to be a bit more independent and mobile; Furgus needed a prosthetic leg.

The only problem was that Bill and Pam just couldn’t afford it.

Then Bill remembered a man named Tom Whitehurst who’d crafted a prosthetic leg for his father back in the ’90s, so he decided to make the call and see if Tom could help.

Amazingly enough, Tom took on the strange assignment and made up a prosthetic limb for Furgus.

Of course, as the puppy continues to grow, Tom will have to continue to make new legs at various stages of the growth process. But he doesn’t mind at all:

“I feel like I’m responsible for this dog to walk, you know?” he said. “So I’ve got to keep doing it.”

Tom says the difficult process involves a lot of trial-and-error; it began with a basic prosthetic akin to a peg leg, then advanced to a sling, then finally featured a knee so Furgus could bend.

He really believes in what he’s doing, too:

“They [animals] have just one purpose, walk to food, or get somewhere to go run and play.

If they can’t do it, but you throw something on there to make it better, they just take right to it.

That’s the cool thing about them.”

Furgus has officially begun his training to be a service dog, one that will specifically help people with recent amputations.

Pam also hopes Furgus can visit kids in schools so they can learn more about overcoming adversity, which is a darn good idea.

This courageous pup sets a great example for everyone, as do his fantastic owners and Tom Whitehurst!

Source: DoggiesCare

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