[Maren Bell Jones]

We've got some most excellent trainers and handlers and excellent dogs on here. Has anyone's dog either directly or indirectly saved your (or a family member's) life through protection, warning of danger, a "Lassie, what is it, girl?" kind of scenario, etc? I'm in the mood for some stories. Please share.

 

[Bob Scott]

Well, there was this time I fell in a well and my dog ran to get help but nobody believed him. Then he found and told Lassie, who, of course, EVERYONE believed so I was saved after all. :-\"

 

[Connie Sutherland]

I think finding and explaining to Lassie any emergencies your human might be having is an excellent command to train.

"Pomfret! Get Lassie!"

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

My dog slipped on a wet kitchen floor, instead of falling and breaking my neck, I laughed at him

OK OK in all seriousness, this is an interesting question...

 

[Lacey Vessell]

I had a MP K-9 save my butt once and my own PSD provided me time to save my own butt once.

Parris Island - many moons ago....Out patrolling at E Beach - noticed a dirt road with fresh car tracks...went to check it out...dirt road turned into a football size open area w/inlet to ocean on one side and heavy brush and woods on opposite side. Vehicle with no registration (tags) parked in middle of field. Desk Sgt instructed me to "check it out" and get the VIN #. Walked up on the passenger side and looked inside - woman's clothing on front seat with under garments strewn about, but on top of others. Hair on the back of my neck began to stand - call it woman's intuition or whatever - more then one set of footprints in the dirt/sand looked like a scuffle. Requested back-up - back-up was busy with "colors". Sgt ordered me to get the VIN. LCpl does what a Sgt orders (brain washed, I know). I walked around to the drivers side - suspect came out of brush area with weapon already aimed at me. Keyed handheld on my side with inside of elbow and began trying to talk, for what seemed like forever with the guy. We carried 45 single actions back them - no round was allowed to be in the chamber. Stand-off began. Back-up arrived in form of SRT and what appeared everyone and their mother. Suspect would not back down - well not until K-9 arrived. Seems he was not afraid of AR15's or M16's but was deathly afraid of 4 legged cops The woman who's clothing was in the front seat was found - she had been sexually assaulted. He had her gagged and bound. Come to find out he shot a deputy on the outside, carjacked the woman and felt the safest place to be was on base instead of out on the streets where deputies/officers and troopers were searching for him. Took me about 3 days to stop shaking - Sgt was relieved and sent to Vehicle ID Section. Bought the K-9 a steak.

 

[ann schnerre]

well, this doesn't qualify as saving "my" life, but it certainly does as saving my husband's life (who, BTW, bailed 6+ yrs ago, and i'm not sure the dog did anyone a favor)....he was a bull-hauler, was loading dairy bulls and one got after him in a pen. the dog, a rottie female who jim had had less than a month with him in the truck, took out after the bull, giving jim enough time to get over the fence.
the rott, who was bred at the time, lost all her pups due to the beating she took from the bull. ended up losing her life for chasing cats-jim shot her.
my lessons: too bad she was such a good dog, and, if i'd known then what i know now, she'd still be with us (well maybe--she'd have to be 8+ yrs...).
and i HAVE gotten rid of jim, just not near soon enough.

i'm just not really sure the trade-off was worth it. i'd rather have sunny than jim any day. oh well, i have brix--maybe he can save my life someday....or maybe he already does by walking over me, nudging/licking my face every day at 4:50 a.m. to get me up (he's adjusted to the time change...). no work-no food!

 

[Dave Curtis]

Three episode for my recently departed best buddy. #1 my two youngest kids are playing about 30 yards away just inside the woods. I'm on back porch watching them dog with me. Dog jumps to his feet in full defesive mode and sprints towards the kids. Enters woods anout 20 feet from them and start barking/circling a tree. Looking at the base of the tree. Dense under brush so I can not see what is there. I run to the kids, recall dog and a man about 55 dressed fully in camo stands and runs away back through the woods.
#2 Some goofball with some cause petition comes to the house. My wife is home with kids. She reads information and decides not to sign. As she closes dog, goofball on the porch yells he is not done with her and throws the door back open, hitting my wife(the door). Dog preformed the upper inner thigh bite. When my wife recovered yelled that she was calling the police and goofball limped to car and fled scene.
#3 Wife comes home from work early, 11:15, to find front door wide open. Enters house to find man in corner holding arm dog guarding man. Wife grabs dog, man runs to car at the street. Gets in but does not leave. I come home,11:30, wife relates story. I approach car man starts yelling he is going to sue me because my dog bit him. I told him to stay right there because I was calling to police to have him explain what he was doing in my house. He drove away.

 

[Tim Martens]

Enters house to find man in corner holding arm dog guarding man.

huh??????????

 

[Connie Sutherland]

huh??????????

Enters house to find man in corner holding arm dog guarding man

Enters house to find man in corner; man was holding his arm; dog was guarding the man.

 

[Sarah Hall]

well, i dont know EXACTLY what happened, but at about 3am one morning about 2 weeks ago i was sitting on my patio with carbon and hemi (insomniac lately, heh) when i heard something around the side of the house. Carbon took off, went straight thru the pool screen barking and snarling the entire time. Hemi barked too, but decided not to follow. I heard a person yell "oh sh** they got them a dog!" and i immediately jumped for the gun locked in the cabinet outside. (my home phone line, i later learned, had been cut, probably by these guys). as i was unlocking the cabinet, i heard carbon's barking suddenly cut off and not a second later i saw one person running towards the woods near my house while i heard someone else screaming. i didnt run around to the side of the house, but as soon as i got the gun out and loaded i called carbon off and waited for someone to come again into sight. Carbon came to a fuss and was quivering wanting to go after the guy again, I could see that his muzzle and chest had a lot of blood on it. I didnt hear anybody come out, so i went and checked to make sure he hadn't killed someone, found a lot of blood but no person. I called the local police and they put the local hospitals on alert but havent seen or heard of anyone coming in with dog bites.
i dont know the intentions of the two men, but i sure know im glad i have carbon around and didnt find out.

 

[David Frost]

Bark and hold and unloaded guns in a locked cabinet. I just don't get it.

Mod note: What did I tell you about staying on topic Frost.

oops sorry.

DFrost

 

[Patrick Cheatham]

Well my dogs never saved my life, but the dog that lead the search team to the lost boy scout is one of the dogs on our SAR team.

 

[David Frost]

And a find job it was. It's always a team effort and the handler of that dog noted that as well in her interview. Good for her.

DFrost