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LABELLE, FL (USA) — Since
1954, Heinz Pet
Products has been honoring a different life-saving dog each year, from
dogs who have alerted homeowners to fires, pulled drowning victims
from lakes, found lost children and protected people from other
potentially fatal hazards. But, says John Essegian, general
manager of Heinz Pet Products, "the contest has never had a
winner who fought an alligator—he's a very brave dog."
2001 Dog Hero, "Blue"
Final Score - Dog: 1, Gator: 0
(Photo: Newstream.com)
This year's award goes to "Blue", an Australian Blue
Heeler who saved Ruth Gay, 85, from an alligator attack behind her
house (read The Scoop, Jul. 30, 2001, "True
Blue"). Ms. Gay was walking Blue one evening when she
slipped and fell, breaking her nose and dislocating her
shoulder. The woman lay incapacitated and yelling for help, but
the only one responding to her cries was a hungry predator. She
didn't know this at the time and merely noted that Blue suddenly lit
up, growled and charged into the darkness.
Nearly an hour later, Ms. Gay's daughter and son-in-law arrived
home and were met with the excited dog who led them to the spot where
Ruth had fallen. The woman was rushed to the hospital, and
afterward, Blue was taken to an animal clinic, where only then it was
discovered that the faithful dog had survived and ultimately diverted
a vicious alligator attack.
Blue received a one-year's supply of doggie treats, $500 cash, a
$100 gift-certificate to Blue's veterinary clinic for his ongoing care
and a specially engraved Dog Hero food bowl.
 Editor's
Note: Last month, Scoop Senior Editor "Wags"
ferociously defended me from a wild mushroom growing in the
back yard. What would we do without you, Wags? |
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Two runner-ups for this year's Dog Hero each received honors and gifts
of $200 and a certificate of merit.
2001 1st Runner-Up "Patty"
"Patty", a yellow labrador retriever from Glenburn, Maine,
won first runner-up honors for preventing her owner Ray Fogg from drowning
during a winter sea-duck hunting trip.
Mr. Fogg's boat capsized, pitching the man and his dog into the 4°C
northern Atlantic Ocean. Though Mr. Fogg was wearing a life jacket, he
knew he couldn't make it back to shore without help, so he called for
Patty. The devoted dog came and allowed the man to grab hold of her
tail while she dog-paddled against the current approximately .2km to the
nearest point of land. They were rescued by game wardens later that
night.
And I thought Labrador tails were only good for clearing the coffee
table.
 Standing
in for Patty, this handsome devil is "Moose",
a Yellow Lab mutt at the Animal
Refuge League in
Westbrook, Maine. Moose is one of the 5,632 Labs looking for
a home in North America through the animal placement service, Petfinder.org. |
2001 2nd Runner-Up "Neo"
"Neo", an 11-month-old Siberian husky from Charlotte, North
Carolina, won the 2nd Runner-Up title for brilliantly executing the
classic "Go get help" maneuver.
While attending a dog convention in Kerhonkson, NY, Neo went for an
isolated walk with guardian Marci Snead, who suffers from diabetes,
rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalsia. Ms. Snead went into hypoglycemic shock and began having convulsions, causing her to fall to
the ground and strike her head. Quick-thinking Neo ran to a building and
caught the attention of a group of people who followed the dog to where
Ms. Snead lay. An ambulance was summoned, and eventually the woman made a
full recovery.
This episode plainly illustrates the importance of letting your dog
watch those old Lassie re-runs.
To view the full timeline of Heinz Dog Heroes since 1954, click
here.
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