The project is run through the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), and was started in part thanks to a $50,000 donation from PetSmart Charities. They just wanted to make sure than families with dogs called into work for the military can rest easy knowing that their dog is well cared for, and has a safe place to be.

The program operates free of charge for enlisted service men and women. AHS found a foster family for Layla, the Locke family’s four-year-old pit bull. She was taken in by Larry and Janet LeBlanc from Surprise, Arizona. They fostered her the entire time that her human dad, Master Sergeant Doug Locke was deployed to South Korea.

Larry and Janet took care of Layla as if she was one of their own. It may have been a bit difficult to say good by to the dog they cared for the past 15 months, but they were happy to know that Layla would be going back to her rightful family, and that they were able to give back to a serviceman’s family.

“I think our faces tell [the story],” said Janet in the video. “But we’re not sorry that we did it. Not at all. It’s just a different bond. And you know, we’ll have a bond with them for the rest of our lives now.”

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Carl, according to Smith, started acting strange.  On or around about the 22^nd of January, Carl started acting nervous every time they would leave and come back together.  Leaving wasn’t hard, but Carl seemed to have some reservations about going back inside.

Smith didn’t think much of it.  Who knows?  Some of our readers will agree that dogs can act strange for many reasons, not all of them rational.  However, once Carl woke Smith in the middle of the night, Smith knew that something HAD to be amiss.

“He’s not a dog that barks a lot,” Smith said.  “For the first three weeks, I didn’t even know if he could bark because I’d never heard him.”

Smith woke up, got out of bed and turned the lights on.  What he saw next was something that almost no one is really ready for after being woken up by their dog in the middle of the night.  The apartment was filling with smoke.  It was on fire!

Firefighters would later tell Smith that there were smoldering embers, crackling away in the walls of the apartment.  This had apparently been going on for days before it developed into a full blown blaze.  Not only was Carl the only one to recognize what was going on, but had he not woke Smith in the middle of the night like he did, we may have been reporting a very

Carl told news outlets that he actually got lucky not once, but twice.  He almost didn’t adopt Carl at first, because there were some pretty tough dental issues he needed addressed, and it could have cost him a lot of money to get all of it fixed.  He adopted Carl anyway, and not only did the dental work not really amount to anything as bad as imagined, but just imagine what it would have cost Smith if he HAD passed on Carl…

“I’m glad that I saw through what physical flaws he may have had,” said Smith.  “Who knows if I would have woken up?”

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In western Massachusetts, police are calling a dog a “real-life Lassie.”  Almost out of nowhere, a random dog approached an officer, barking his little head off and making quite a commotion.  His friend was trapped and needing rescue, and if he hadn’t gone for help, the story might have been quite different.

The little dog lead the officer to a very icy, 30-foot deep embankment.  That’s when the officers discovered the dog’s canine friend stuck at the bottom, and tangled up in the undergrowth.

The officers called in the fire department.  They brought a large ladder truck to easily access the dog stuck below, and make sure he was rescued.  After pulling the dog out, they took him to a local vet for a medical evaluation.

Although the dog was very scared, and did have some scrapes and bumps from the fall and subsequent tumble in the underbrush, he was otherwise in good health.  The family that the dogs belong to were then contacted, and a happy family was once again made whole.

The family said that the dogs had run off together hours earlier.  Their human mother unfortunately had a medical emergency, and while emergency services were taking her out of the house and to the hospital, the dogs bolted.  Police officers that showed up to the home tried to corral the dogs, but ultimately failed, and the dogs got away.  No further information on the condition of their human mom had been issued at the time this article was written.

In a press release, the police department that helped rescue the dogs said, “Apparently, any dog in the right circumstances can turn into Lassie.”

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He works with an anti-poaching force in Kruger National Park.  Over the past four years, he and his team are responsible for the arrests and prosecution of over 115 people.  The already severely endangered animal has a real protector in Killer.

A charity out of the UK called the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) founded in 1917 by Maria Dickin has called Killer “truly remarkable” for his efforts.  They have awarded Killer with a gold medal in recognition of his service, and is considered an international hero.

According to numbers published by animal conservation groups notating the surviving number of particular rhino species, the situation for the giant beasts of Africa is grim.  Many believe that in as little as ten years, they may be completely extinct, all because of erroneous beliefs surrounding their horns.  Many cultures use it for medicinal purposes, and also as an aphrodisiac.  We won’t get into too many of the gory details involved in the harvesting of the horns from the rhinos, but regardless what modern science say about the horn being made of the same thing fingernails are made of.

K9 Killer and his handler Amos Mzimba, fly into areas where poaching is known to be extreme.  While in the air, the team looks for the tell-tale signs poachers are around.  Once the area is properly scouted, they will land, and Killer goes to work.  He is about the best tracking dog one could ask for.

Mzimba said, “It is an honor to have Killer by my side. It means a lot that he has been recognized for his skills.”

Mzimba has another, more personal reason for his affection for the dog.  Killer once saved him while in an active firefight with a poacher, so their bond runs much deeper that what’s on the surface of things.

“Thanks to him, we are arresting more poachers, but there is a lot more to be done if we are to save the rhino from extinction,” he said.

The gold medal was awarded to K9 Killer by actor Ricky Gervais.  Gervais is a very active and outspoken animal rights activist, so who would be more appropriate to bestow the honor?

I a video from YouTube, Gervais said, “He helped capture dozens of poachers in the last year alone, thanks to his amazing courage and dedication.”

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Senga and Mishka are sisters, and are very close.  When Mishka fell through some ice that had formed on Notched Pond which is in Raymond, Maine, her sister Senga led a neighbor to her sister so she could be saved.

According to a press release made by the New Gloucester Fire Rescue, Mishka was found about 150 feet off the shore of the pond.  She was barely able to get her head above the water, and if they didn’t get to her quick, they weren’t sure she’d survive.

“The neighbor that found the dog and called emergency personnel had heard an odd bark prior to finding Mishka.  The neighbor was led by Mishka’s sister, Senga to locate the bark,” said the rescue team in the statement.

The rescue wasn’t easy.  They had to get into the icy water with cold-suits on and go over several drop-offs, one of them almost 50 feet.  Once they could grab her, they got her out of the water and onto shore quickly.  She was then wrapped in blankets, towels and heat packs.

She was then given to her human, who rushed her to a local vet clinic.  As of Wednesday night, she was reported to be in stable condition, and it seems that she will make a full recovery.

“People need to be mindful that the ice is not safe, anywhere,” said Chief Kurt Elkanich of Gray Fire Rescue.  “If any person or pet falls through the ice or is in the icy waters, call for emergency personnel or the next victim could be you.”

Captain Scott Doyle of the New Gloucester Fire and Rescue said that this type of thing is happening all too often right now, with the milder winter weather we’ve seen some spots having this year.  In fact, this was the second time a dog has sought help during an emergency in the past couple weeks.

“Our EMS personnel assisted an elderly man recently, where his dog got the attention of a home keeper,” said Doyle in the press release.  “The dog led the home keeper to the barn where the elderly man was injured.”

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Bonus: A 5 lb. Dachshund Cares for a 500 lb. Disabled Lion. This Will Touch Your Soul!

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This unlikely friendship is just incredible! Lions are known to be the king of the jungle. They are one of nature’s deadliest predators. Who would’ve thought that a 500 lb lion would become friends with three Dachshunds!

However, Bonedigger is not your usual lion. Bonedigger is friends with 3 little Dachshund dogs! When they first met, it seems that the puppies instinctively knew that Bonedigger has a metabolic bone disease. Bonedigger was just 4 weeks old when they met and it seemed like the puppies wanted to protect him. One of Bonedigger’s doggy friends is named Milo. Milo is especially close with Bonedigger; he loves to take care of him and even imitates Bonedigger’s roar! Watch the video of their amazing friendship below!

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This is by far the most amazing unlikely animal friendships I have ever seen! I was so scared at first to watch a lion getting so close with those little dogs! What was your reaction when you first saw them? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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A family is happy to have their two-year-old daughter back home, safely after she decided to wander off from the family’s property.  They credit their dog who followed the child as she took off for keeping her safe.

It was at about 7:30 pm on Tuesday when two-year-old Sophia wandered off the family property.  They live south east of Melbourne in Australia.  The family dog is a one-year-old Australian sheepdog called Poppy, and Poppy decided to keep an eye on Sophia, following wherever she went.

In fact, police are saying that it was Poppy’s barks that alerted searchers to her whereabouts.  After a seven hour search Poppy and Sophia were found about 200 meters from a dam on the family’s property.

Sophia’s grandmother said, “The only thing I was thinking was well, hopefully the dog would have kept her warm.  If the dog wasn’t with her, I don’t know whether they would have found her.”

The family made a public statement thanking the searchers and emergency services for all of their hard work and effort as well.  They are very happy to be a whole family again, and said that Poppy would get an extra big, tasty treat for keeping Sophia safe and helping searchers find them.

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Heidi is a search and rescue dog.  For the most part, Heidi finds other lost pets, and is occasionally hired to find drugs, too.  One day in February, Heidi seemed to find something rather unexpected – deadly cancer hiding in her human’s lungs.

Anne Wills is Heidi’s human, and she describes some unusual behavior Heidi was showing when the heroic dog first detected something wasn’t right.

“She was physically barricading me on the couch,” said Wills.  “She was drooling and scratching at my arms.”

Wills is the owner of Dogs Finding Dogs tracking service based out of Arbutus, Maryland.  At first she though that Heidi might have been sick.  She took the dog to the vet and was told everything with Heidi was just fine.  That’s when Wills decided to get herself checked out as well.  A CT scan brought the problem into focus straight away.

Heidi isn’t the first dog to find cancer in a human.  Many people still aren’t convinced that dogs can actually detect cancer by smell, but the evidence that this is possible is overwhelming.  Since about 2004 there have been published studies of dogs detecting many forms of cancer in humans very accurately.

Wills is very lucky that Heidi found what she did when she did.  Luckily the cancer was in what doctors were calling “Stage 3a.”  In that stage the cancer had spread a little, but not so much that there was no hope for medical intervention.  If Heidi hadn’t found it when she had, and it got to Stage 3b, things could have been very different for Anne Wills.

“I’m so thankful for her,” said Wills.  “But if she starts acting funny again, I’ll be on my doctor’s doorstep, and I don’t care if it’s midnight.”

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Off of the southern coast of Australia lies Middle Island.  Middle Island is a beautiful and rugged terrain, and also houses a curiosity unlike any other in the region.  It plays host to the world’s smallest penguin, and the dogs that have come to love and protect them.

These little penguins stand a minuscule 30 to 40 centimeters tall.  This makes the name they used to be called, fairy penguins, all the cuter (if not 100% politically correct).  There used to be hundreds of them all over Middle Island, until the local fox population noticed them.  Then they became a snack.

Back in the year 2000, a problem with the population becoming too easy a prey for the local foxes became apparent.  The fox population exploded as a result, and something had to be done to stop things for going too far.  That’s when a man who goes by Swampy Marsh (we swear we’re not making this up) came up with a plan.

Marsh decided to send one of his Maremma dogs in to protect the tiny birds from the burgeoning fox population.  This breed of dog is commonly used for poultry protection on farms.  Many of these dogs spend a life time protecting chickens from these very same foxes, so why couldn’t it work for the penguins, too?

The first dog to be sent out onto the island to see if this would actually come together was called Oddball.  The effect was realized almost immediately.  Just Oddball’s presents was enough to ward off some of the foxes that would have preyed on the little fuzzy penguins.  They could hear the barking, and definitely smell the dogs on the island, and it definitely made any would be penguin eater think twice.

Since Oddball was introduced to the island ten years ago, there has been no reported deaths of the penguins that inhabit Middle Island.  The population is up around 200 to date, and the penguins have really taken to their canine protectors.  Even on the offhand times that a dog may not actually be around on the island, the foxes still smell them, and know that these birds are not to be messed with.

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“He saved not only my life, but there were weapons in that van that night that could have been turned on us and there could have been an IED in there,” said Reimer.  “There was an IED in that same van two days later which saved some other people’s lives.”

Reimer, a Minnesota native, now lives in Colorado.  He hasn’t seen Howard since his tour of duty closed out in 2013.  He was searching for Howard, and found that he had been made a part of someone else’s family.

Reimer claims that Howard’s new family cares very little for him.  Reimer says that the dog is constantly tethered to a tree in the yard, and shows almost no interaction with him.  He believes that this is now way to be treating a dog that is an American hero.  Reimer also suffers from PTSD, and thinks having Howard will make things easier.

“I dream about the times that me and Howard had together, the rough times and good times,” said Reimer.  “It’s just… Just tough knowing your best friend is out there tied to a tree and not being taken care of to the best their ability.”

Deon Fuller, Howard’s new human dad says that Reimer’s claims are untrue.  Fuller is a Hoke County Sheriff’s Deputy, and says he Loves Howard very much, and gives him only the best of treatment.

“As of right now I’m saying Howard is my dog and he is home with myself and my family,” Fuller said.

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Back in September, we told you about Tillie and her friend Phoebe.  The pair had gone missing one day on Washington’s Vashon Island. When they were found, Tillie was keeping vigil over her friend who had fallen into on old cistern.  Because of her sheer awesomeness, Tillie has been awarded “Washingtonian of the Day.”

Washington Governor Jay Onslee said, “I saw this story and I just immediately said this is something Washington needs to celebrate.  I grew up with Rin Tin Tin and Lassie, and I never thought I’d meet a real dog that had that type of Hollywood character, but Tillie’s right here.”

As part of the honors bestowed upon Tillie, she was given a written proclamation, and apple pin and a special photo-shoot to commemorate the day.  Her human, B.J. Duft was there as well.

“There was 20 different press there this morning.  The dogs are loving it because they just have to look all cute and be puppies. I’m the one that has to do all the interviews,” said Duft.

Regardless of the “extra work” required by Duft, he is one proud dog papa.  It’s not every day your dog is recognized as a hero by the state!

An article in the Seattle Times said:

“To prep for their time with Inslee, Tillie and Phoebe visited the groomers for a shampoo and trim.  Before wandering into the governor’s office lobby, with its serious-looking collection of portraits of past state leaders, they got to walk around Capitol Lake.

During the ceremony, Inslee had Tillie sit next to him as he urged “everyone in Washington to celebrate the bravery and loyalty of this canine companion.”

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Kiko was in the news in 2012, when he saved his human from a home invasion.  Someone posing as a UPS delivery person tried to break into the home Kiko was living in on Stanton Island, New York.  Kiko ended up shot in the head for his efforts, and against all odds, made a full recovery.

That would have been a very good happy ending for Kiko and his story.  However, Kiko’s human ended up on very hard times a couple of years ago, forcing him to surrender Kiko.

That’s when Mighty Mutts heard about Kiko and his story.  They though that he deserved better, being a hero and all.  In late 2014, Mighty Mutts took Kiko in and have been looking for a forever home for him since.

“The first few weeks of adoption drives, it was obvious that Kiko was very confused, and just seemed to be looking for his owner,” Jill Haynes of Mighty Mutts said.  “Initially we thought he was a little shut down, but after a bit of time we realized he was actually just completely deaf.”

Mighty Mutts isn’t sure if Kiko has always been deaf, or if it’s from taking the bullet to the head.  It really didn’t matter when it happened, but just realizing this fact has helped bonding with Kiko so much easier.

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