Dog heroes

Discusses the breed, selection, and training of disaster search dogs.

Discusses the breed, selection, and training of police dogs.

Discusses the breed, selection, and training of service dogs.

Discusses the breed, selection, and training of fire dogs.

Examines dogs and how some are helping people detect medical problems.

Describes how dogs can help recapture exotic pets that have been released into the wild, locate endangered animals for tagging, and identify smugglers at airports.

In 2002, a tiny, golden puppy was born without one of her front legs. Her other front leg was badly deformed, leaving her unable to walk. The Stringfellow family adopted the puppy and named her Faith. However, they worried that little Faith might never be able to walk on her own. As Faith got older and stronger, the Stringfellows helped her to balance on her hind legs. Eventually, they used peanut butter to coax her to walk all by herself on only...

In 2011, British soldiers were searching a compound in Afghanistan for explosives. Private Andrew Duff, a dog handler, was on patrol with an English springer spaniel named Jack. The dog was trained to sniff out bombs that the enemy might have hidden in the area. As Private Duff was about to take his next step, Jack suddenly stopped and sat down in front of him. It was the dog's way of letting his handler know that a bomb was buried just ahead. Thanks...

On the morning of July 15, 2012, the weather at Sant'Agostino Beach in Italy was clear and calm--just perfect for a swim. Shortly before noon, however, the wind picked up. Soon, it blew so hard that it pushed two swimmers dangerously far from shore. Fortunately, a lifeguard was on duty. She managed to swim out and help bring both swimmers back. Most of the time, such an event wouldn't make headlines. This time, however, it did. That's because the...

When Debbie Zeisler adopted a huge dog named Bear from an animal shelter, she had no idea that one day he would save her life. In 2011, Debbie was leaving her house when Bear suddenly blocked her path. Somehow, the big dog sensed that Debbie, who suffers from seizures, was going to have an attack. Unaware of what was coming, Debbie continued walking. Then the seizure struck, and Debbie fell down and banged her head. Bear, the amazing shelter dog,...

One evening in January 2010, an 11-year-old boy named Austin went outside to collect firewood in the backyard of his home. As he got closer to the woodshed, he saw a large animal with round ears and large teeth. Luckily, Austin had brought his golden retriever, Angel, with him. Suddenly, the animal--a ferocious cougar--leapt at Austin. Angel sprang into action and bravely jumped in front of the cougar to protect the boy. Austin then raced inside to...

On a summer night in 2014, Clare Whiteford and her three young sons were asleep in their home. Without warning, a fire broke out in their kitchen. Everyone in the family was unaware of the danger--everyone except their adopted greyhound, Uno. The dog raced upstairs to Clare's bedroom and barked loudly. Clare woke up and rushed the children outside. Uno had saved their lives! Amazingly, just a year earlier, Uno didn't have a home and was living in...