Alaska pooch brings help

Buddy the German shepherd is a hero.

So says the Alaska State Troopers.

Read the story from the Anchorage Daily News by James Halpin.

Buddy's owner Ben Heinrichs was working in a shop outside his home April 4. A spark from a heater ignited gasoline burning him.

As Heinrichs rolled in the snow to put the flames out he realized Buddy had been locked in the shop which was on fire.

He let Buddy out and the 5-year-old dog took off, at the urging of Heinrich, to get help.

Watch the incredible video footage of Buddy leading a state trooper who was having problems with his GPS device to the scene.

Good boy, Buddy.

Hero cat in Florida

Trudy Guy owes her cat, Schnautzie, her life.

The Great Falls, Mont., resident was awaked by the cat when there was a gas leak in her home.

Read the brief Associated Press article from the WBBH-TV, Fort Myers, Fla., Web site here.

Schnautzie was on Guy's chest and was tapping her nose. The woman heard a roaring sound and found a broken gas pipe outside the bathroom.

Though the article doesn't say when the incident happened, it did say Schnautzie received an award from the Great Falls Animal Foundation for the cat's heroics.

Hero pooch in Hopewell

I've been off for a couple of days, but I wanted to make sure you heard about Carmine, the 5-1/2-year-old puggle — a cross between a pug and a beagle.

He saved his family Feb. 28 by waking them up as their Hopewell Junction home filled with smoke.

Read my story in Friday's Poughkeepsie Journal.

The Josie Andaloro, her husband and her two children were all sleeping in the small living room which had a fireplace. The power had been out since Feb. 24 because of the massive snow storm, and somehow the fireplace got clogged and smoke was billowing out into the room.

My colleague photographer Lee Ferris and I went Josie Andaloro's house Thursday to talk about what Carmine did.

Here's a short clip of Andaloro talking about the ordeal while Ferris shoots a video.



Friendly little pooch and a very lucky family indeed.

Photo and video by Michael Woyton.

Paging Doggie Howser in MD

A Maryland woman claims that her golden retriever gave her the lifesaving Heimlich maneuver -- or was it the Heimlick maneuver?

Read it here.