Nathaniel Teafatiller, a two-year-old from Onalaska, WA, survived a cold April night in the woods near his home thanks to his four-month old dog. When it was discovered that the toddler had wandered out of the house, his mother feared the worst. But at 11 p.m. that evening, Nathaniel was found near a creek about a mile from his home. Dressed in only socks and a t-shirt, he was curled up next to Stanley. Rescuers believe that warmth from the dog's body helped Stanley battle the cold and dampness.
KIRO-TV Seattle
Back in November 2008, two-year-old Hannah began to choke on a pop tart while her babysitter Megan Howard was in the bathroom,
CBS 4 Denver
In another case of survival by puppy, two young dogs created a body heat blanket for a young boy who was lost outdoors in freezing temperatures overnight in mid-December 2008. After three-year-old Jaylynn Thorpe wandered off from his babysitter, a search team combed the area for 21 hours before finding the toddler and puppies huddled under a tree. Jaylynn told his mother, "I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm."
WSET-TV
As if this face wasn't enough, there's another reason to love Buddy. In September, 2008, the German shepherd saved his master's life by calling 911. Buddy had been trained to assist when his owner Joe Stalnaker exhibited seizure symptoms, but 911 dispatchers were amazed when they heard barking and whimpering at the other end of the line. This was actually old hat for Buddy, who'd done it twice before!
AP
Black Lab Jake dug through the still-smoldering debris at the World Trade Center looking for victims after 9/11, becoming a national hero. He also helped search for survivors in New Orleans after Katrina, and did therapy work with children, seniors, and burn victims, before dying of cancer at age 12. Now that's one hard-working dog.
Alan Diaz, AP
Cats are heroes, too! Brooklyn stray Scarlet became famous after she rescued her five kittens from a fire in 1996, getting badly burned in the process. But this survivor made it out alive, was adopted by a loving owner and lived a long happy life until she passed away in 2008.
Chris Kasson, AP
Call her mother of the year: an Argentinean dog named La China rescued a newborn baby abandoned outdoors in August, 2008. The brave dog managed to carry the babe to her den where she laid him among her own puppies. Some time later the dog's owner, farmer Fabio Anze, found the little guy, perfectly safe and cozy (and completely free of bite marks). The 'miracle baby' was born prematurely to a 14-year-old girl in a small town outside the capital, Buenos Aires.
Corbis
Winnie, an Indiana house cat, saved her family from carbon monoxide poisoning by meowing loudly to awaken them back in April 2007. Her owner Cathy Keesling (pictured here) reported that Winnie had also warned the family of approaching tornadoes the previous summer. We hope this intuitive kitty's getting a lot of catnip these days.
AP
Elizabeth Wilkinson, photographed in March, 2009, with her two-year-old Bedlington whippet Chushla. Chusla is one of just six registered diabetic hypo-alert dogs in Britain, meaning she can smell when her owner is about to have a diabetic attack. When this amazing pup detects a change in scent when Wilkinson's blood sugar levels drops, she lightly bites on her owner's hand to alert her.
Masons News Service
When six mallard ducklings were swept into a sewer in England in June, 2008, their mother tracked them for more than a mile by listening for their cheeping at manhole covers. When she caught up with them she remained at the manhole cover until curious passersby investigated and found her babies.
Photodisc
Time-Lapse Tortoise Noms Salad
