10 Pet Heroes

KIRBY THE RUBBLE RESCUER

Talk about a fast learner. According to the U.K. Daily Mail, 4-year-old Springer Spaniel Kirby had just finished his rescue training a week before he saved a man buried under the rubble of a demolished three-story-house. Kersley Vythilingum was in a daze when Kirby, wearing his special paw-protecting boots, sniffed him out and alerted firefighters.

PURR-CEPTIVE PUDDING 

When Amy Jung adopted Pudding the cat from the Door County Animal Shelter in Wisconsin, she knew right away that he was "the one." However, little did she know this 21-pound orange and white feline would be the one to save her life. Hours after 36-year-old Jung welcomed Pudding into his new home, she suffered a diabetic seizure. Sensing something was wrong, Pudding pounced on Jung's stomach and brought her back to consciousness. Soon thereafter, the courageous cat woke Jung's son Ethan who dialed 911.

KILO THE BULLET BITER 

This super dog took a speeding bullet, saved his owner's life and lived to tell the tale. The New York Post recently reported that Kilo, a brave 12-year-old Pit Bull, took a bullet to the head to save the life of his owner, Justin Becker, during an apartment robbery in Staten Island, N.Y. Immediately after Kilo was shot, Becker rushed to the South Shore Animal Hospital in New Dorp. Although his owner wasn't sure he would make it, he was relieved to hear that the bullet bounced off Kilo's head and exited through his neck. The heroic hound was free from any brain injury or bone fracture and is healing nicely.

DR. FIDGE

Cats may have nine lives, but this feline has a sixth sense. According to the U.K. Daily Mail, Fidge the kitten leapt onto her owner's right breast every time they laid on the sofa. 52-year-old Wendy Humphreys thought her kitty's behavior was odd, prompting her to visit her doctor. She soon learned she had a cancerous, pea-sized lump in her breast that could have killed her had it been left undiagnosed.

HENRY THE HOMETOWN HERO 

According to WTVF-TV in Nashville, Tenn., Henry the Chocolate Lab saved his owner Frank's life after a fallen tree pinned him to the ground. The elderly owner tried to take down a large tree by himself, but the tree splintered, falling onto the man's arm and leg and rupturing his spleen. After three hours of internal bleeding and losing half his blood supply, his best friend knew he had to do something. Henry ran to a neighbor for help who then quickly called 911. Frank has a long way to go, but he wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Henry.

KING TUT'S HEART OF GOLD

In our book, King Tut the Chihuahua is as regal as it gets. He deserves a tiny gold crown for his acts of heroism. According to the Portland, Ore. Oregonian, Jeannie Wyatt was awakened one morning to her recently adopted Chihuahua frantically barking and running around the room. Jeannie then checked on her husband Elmer and found him slumped on the living room floor suffering from a heart attack. She dialed 911 and paramedics were able to bring Elmer back to life. King Tut still won't leave Elmer's side. 

NOAH KNOWS NOGGINS 

Many cats enjoy sitting atop their owner's heads, but Noah, an orange and white tabby, was obsessed with Janet's noggin. Janet told the Northern Virginia Daily that Noah would constantly sniff around the right side of her head, which made her suspicious. Within several months, Janet began to have vision problems and suffered a mini-stroke and an irregular heartbeat. A CAT scan would later reveal that she was living with a life-threatening brain anuerysm.

MR.GIBBS THE GREAT  

Mr. Gibbs the Goldendoodle isn't a one-hit-wonder kind of hero; he's a hero to 3-year-old Alida every single day. When Alida was born, she suffered from a rare lung disease that would require her to use an oxygen tank. Unsure how Alida would live a normal life, Aaron and Debbie Knobloch decided to try an assistance animal. Mr. Gibbs carries around Alida's oxygen tank and stands by her side wherever she goes, from biking in her backyard to running around the playground.

SWINE SURVIVOR

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked China's Sichuan province in 2008 killed tens of thousands of people, but Zhu Jianqiang, or "strong-willed pig," was able to survive. The 5-year-old hero was buried under rubble in his sty for 36 days, sustained only by charcoal and rainwater. Scientists decided to celebrate the stupendous swine by cloning him. They were able to produce six offspring with DNA and a birthmark identical to their dad.