Hero Pets

Despite his fairly run-of-the-mill orange tabby appearance, Christopher the cat is no ordinary feline. Not because he has his own Facebook profile, but because some fairly credible veterinary professionals believe that he possesses an almost superhero level of feline intuition. From comforting the lame to taming the feral to even volunteering to donate blood for a emergency transfusion, workers at the Redwood City, California's Nine Lives Foundation say that Christopher has shown all the signs of being a miracle worker.

It all started on March 15, when Christopher was brought to the Nine Lives Foundation with what Dr. Monica Thompson, DVM, describes as "severe pelvic fractures." Christopher was found by a group of cyclists on Crystal Spring Rd., the inspiration for the name Christopher, after the orange tabby had apparently been hit by a car.

"We take in special needs cats and I agreed to work on him," Thompson tells Paw Nation. Though she expected to perform extensive surgery on the Christopher, Thompson says she didn't need to. "While we kept him, his condition just kept improving, so I left him alone. Then one day, he just jumped out of his cage and started walking." After six weeks, he was walking around with ease. "Now he's even running," Thompson says.

These two dogs are more than just best friends, they share a rare bond.

Ellie, a young cavalier King Charles spaniel in England, is almost completely blind. While her owner and a local animal organization are working to raise money for a vision-restoring operation, a German shepherd named Leo has taken matters into his own paws, and is protecting and guiding her.

"Ellie has cataracts on both eyes and is only aware of shadows," explains Jean Spencer, manager of Rochdale's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in an interview with the Manchester Evening News. "But Leo, who's an absolutely massive dog, has become her eyes. It's touching to watch them together. She follows him around and snuggles up to him."

Ellie was part of a litter of five puppies rescued from harsh conditions by the RSPCA, says Julie Lander, an RSPCA volunteer and Leo and Ellie's owner. "As well as having cataracts, Ellie's eye muscles haven't developed as they should have as she'd been kept in the dark. The puppies had no light or heating. I felt so sorry for her when she arrived, and knew she'd need a special home. But I also knew she would be all right with Leo, as he just loves little dogs and they took to one another straight away," Lander tells the Manchester Evening News.

One part service dog, one part best friend, Ruger the yellow Lab not only helped guide his owner Kevin Coughlin through the streets of Manhattan, but he became an unofficial mascot for guide-dog rights.

Ruger carved out his place in history when he served as Exhibit A in a series of court cases in which Kevin fought (and won) discrimination suits against businesses that refused to allow his service dog through their doors. Terms like "trailblazer" and "pioneer" are rarely bestowed upon members of the canine family, but in Ruger's case, they seem quite fitting.

After winning high-profile case after high-profile case, Ruger became a darling of the news media and was recognized by strangers who would reportedly stop and introduce themselves on the street. Ruger died Wednesday of natural causes at the age of 13.

When owner Kevin Coughlin lost his vision in 1997, he felt that he would never find true happiness again. When he met Ruger, Kevin tells the New York Times, "It was this in-your-face, all encompassing feeling. That was the biggest gift. He allowed me once again to experience joy."

Ruger accompanied Kevin on his travels for 10 years, even bouncing back after having a cancerous tumor removed from his leg. Obviously, this dog was something special, and people in his neighborhood could see it. Ruger was reportedly a regular at Third Avenue's Imperial Pizza, where workers would happily slip him tasty scraps.

The famous guide dog even had his own retirement party in 2008, when Ruger left the city to enjoy his remaining years in Warwick, N.Y.

Three police dogs in Palo Alto, Calif. are the latest crime-fighting canines to receive a special gift from Susie Jean of Socorro, N.M.: bulletproof and stab-proof kevlar vests.

"Palo Alto officers said they had coveted the vests for years but couldn't afford them at retail prices of more than $1,500 each," reports the San Jose Mercury News. But last fall, a resourceful police dispatcher wrote to Jean and her non-profit organization, Vest 'N P.D.P., which raises money to buy bulletproof and stab-proof vests to donate to police dogs across the country.

"It's my passion, and I just really believe in this cause, and I just do what I can to protect as many police dogs as I can," Jean tells Paw Nation. "I have a supplier who sells the vests to me at cost for $700 each, so I can protect two dogs at the price of one."

After several months of fundraising, Jean -- who's been called "guardian angel to canine cops" -- was able to procure the vests for the dogs. Last week, she traveled to Palo Alto to present German shepherd police dogs Aris, Amigo and Ilan with the protective vests, stitched with their names, reports the San Jose Mercury News. "Two of the dogs jumped up on me like they knew [what I was doing there] and were saying, 'thank you.'" Jean says.

Just like in an episode of "Lassie," this hero dog led police to the scene of a fire and helped save his family.

Buddy, a German shepherd, was with his owner, Ben Heinrichs, when his family's workshop caught fire. Once he and Buddy were safely outside, Heinrichs turned to the dog and said, "We need to get help." He didn't expect Buddy to actually do anything about it, of course. However, help is exactly what the shy dog brought -- in the form of an Alaska State Trooper, reports the Anchorage Daily News. The dog's heroic act was caught on the trooper's dashboard camera.

Buddy had gone off into the woods, and Heinrich assumed the pooch was hiding. In fact, Buddy had run out to the road, where he caught the attention of Alaska State Trooper Terrence Shanigan, who had been alerted by concerned neighbors when they saw a fireball erupting in the distance. Shanigan was having difficulty finding the fire due to the winding country roads. That's when Buddy suddenly appeared. On a hunch, Shanigan followed the dog and arrived on the scene just in time. He was able to talk the fire department through the difficult directions, and they put out the flames just before the fire spread to the family's home.

Buddy is being presented with an award from the Alaska State Troopers today, including a silver plated, engraved dog bowl, reports "Today" via the Associated Press. We're willing to bet he's getting more than a few extra cuddles and dog biscuits.