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Instructions:
Scroll through the years of winners by clicking and dragging on the bottom of the timeline below, or by clicking the arrows at either end.
To view the dog hero for a particular year, click that year's date on the timeline.
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| After watching a 2-year-old girl climbing into the back of a milk truck, Tang blocked the truck's path until the driver discovered the little girl. |
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| This Cocker Spaniel helped save his 3-year-old owner, Stevie, from drowning. Stevie's father was horseback riding and knew something was amiss when Taffy barked urgently and nipped at the horse's legs. |
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| Lassie barked and pulled at his master's bedclothes late at night to alert him that his son was hemorrhaging from a recent tonsillectomy. |
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| Blaze saved a 2-year-old-girl from a mother pig. The pig attacked when the child came close to her piglets. The Collie intervened and the youngster crawled to safety. |
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| A German Shepherd watched from shore as her owners sailed across a lake. When the boat overturned, Dutchess plunged in and rescued one child while the father helped two others. |
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| This mixed breed frantically searched for help and brought back two telephone linemen to rescue a 3-year-old boy who was sinking in a muddy swamp. |
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| When a toddler fell into a deep creek, her German Shepherd jumped in, grabbed her by the shoulder and swam against strong current to pull her to shore. |
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| Duke saved a young girl from serious burns when her clothing caught on fire. The Collie siezed the burning skirt with his teeth and tugged it off the frightened girl. |
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| Beggar, a Saint Bernard, saved his 3-year-old master from drowning after the boy wandered away from home and fell into a nearby river. |
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| Two brothers, Gordon and Hugh, nearly drowned as one attempted to save the other. Gordon was rescued by his mother while their German Shepherd pulled Hugh by the ankle to shore. |
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| After smelling smoke, this heroic Collie ran into a burning barn and chased all of the goats - including 70 pregnant goats - out of the building. |
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| This mixed breed towed his owner, Scott, to the dock after Scott slipped on the pier, injured his legs and fell into an icy lake. Then, while Scott tried to climb out, he fainted and fell in again. Once more, Patches pulled him to safety. |
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| Living up to his name, this Collie saved a 2-year-old boy from being trapped by a raging horse. |
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| This Saint Bernard rescued a young girl who fell into a muddy gravel pit filled with water. She clung to Mijo's collar while he towed her safely to dry land. |
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| When Ringo's 2-year-old master wandered away from home and started playing in the midst of traffic, this mixed breed barked and ran circles around the boy to divert oncoming cars. |
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| This Great Dane broke a leg after pushing his young neighbor from the path of an oncoming truck. Just after the cast was removed, Top came to the rescue again when he saved a 2-year-old from drowning. |
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| Ironically, this Saint Bernard saved his owner from a real grizzly bear by chasing it away. |
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| This mixed breed saved his 2-year-old master from drowning after the boy wandered from home and fell into a nearby pond. |
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| Thanks to this Miniature Poodle, a family of eight escaped unharmed from their burning house. Mimi raced from room to room until she awakened the entire family. |
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| This 14-month-old Saint Bernard saved two of his owner's grandchildren when he dragged them by their shirts from a burning house. |
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| To protect his owner, this mixed breed clenched a rattlesnake between his teeth. Skippy was bitten in the face several times but recovered. |
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| This German Shepherd pushed a young boy aside and pounced on an approaching rattlesnake. During the tussle, Fawn was bitten but quickly recovered. |
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| On a hiking trip, Zorro's master, Mark, fell 85 feet into a rocky river. Zorro, a German Shepherd/Wolf crossbreed, bolted down the mountain, pulled Mark to shore and stayed at his side until the rescue team arrived. |
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| To prevent a burglary, this German Shepherd bit the intruder's leg as he hopped into a getaway car. Even when the car began moving, Meatball held on with his teeth. |
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| A Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescued his 5-year-old master from a fast-moving creek. With the young boy on his back, Chester fought the currents and swam safely to shore. |
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| Thumper, just a puppy at the time, protected his 3-year-old master, Benjamin, when the boy was lost in farm fields near his home. As almost 1,000 people searched for more than 12 hours, Thumper stayed by Benjamin's side and kept him safe and warm. |
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| A mixed breed named Woodie broke a hip when he leaped from an 80-foot cliff to rescue his owner's fiance, Ray, from drowning. Ray fell from the cliff and landed face down in a shallow river. Woodie nudged his face above water until help arrived. |
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| When a house fire broke out, the Carlson's mixed breed clawed and chewed through a plywood door in order to alert the entire family. |
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| Bo and his owner, Laurie, were "riding rapids" on the Colorado River when their raft overturned. Bo, a Labrador Retriever, pulled Laurie by the hair out from under the raft and swam to shore with Laurie holding his tail. |
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| During a severe blizzard, 60-mph winds blew 11-year-old Andrea into a large snowdrift about 40 feet from her home. Villa, a Newfoundland, heard Andrea's calls for help and leaped a 5-foot fence to rescue her snowbound neighbor. |
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| This Poodle received six poisonous snakebites while protecting two children from a diamondback snake. |
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| Tango, a 12-year-old mixed breed, rescued his owner, Al, when a frightened cow attacked him. Tango intervened, and Al crawled away. |
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| Together, this Terrier and mixed breed led their owners to a nearby warehouse where an injured truck driver was trapped beneath a 2,680-pound earth mover tire. |
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| This Doberman Pinscher obtained medical help for her owner who suffered from severe hypoglycemia. |
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| This mixed breed burned his nose and singed his coat while ensuring that his owner's disabled grandmother escaped from her burning house. |
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| During the San Francisco earthquake, a Rottweiler saved a frightened 5-year-old neighbor with epilepsy. Reona pushed the child aside just before a microwave oven fell from the top of a refrigerator. The dog then calmed the young girl and spared her from a seizure. |
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| Putting her own life on the line, this Golden Retriever rescued her owner and a neighbor from two gunmen. Chelsea lunged at the gunmen and was shot in the shoulder. She recovered fully. |
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(1 of 2 winners) When Sheena's disabled owner was attacked by two men in a parking lot, this once-abandoned mixed breed lunged at the assailants, knocking one to the ground and chasing the other away.
Read on about Willy, this year's second winner |
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(1 of 2 winners) This 9-year-old Weimaraner saved his owner's life when a faulty furnace in her home leaked carbon monoxide. Willy pawed at his owner to awaken her from a deep sleep and barked frantically until she escaped from the house.
Return to Sheena's story.
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| When Sparky's burly 227-pound owner, Bo, collapsed from a heart attack on a morning walk, this 130-pound yellow Labrador Retriever dragged his master home nearly 200 yards. Thanks to Sparky's quick actions, Bo made it to the hospital just in time for his condition to be stabilized. |
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| During large scale flooding in Southern California's Tijuana River valley, Weela's repeated heroism over a three month period saved 30 people, 29 dogs, 13 horses and one cat, all of whom otherwise may have perished in the flood.
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| This loyal German Shepherd sought help for her owner who was bleeding to death when knocked unconscious while cutting trees with a chainsaw. |
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| Bailey attacked a 2,000 pound bull that had charged and pinned his owner. Bailey's attack gave his injured owner enough time to crawl under a fence to safety. |
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| Despite being shot five times by a home invader, Brandy kept up her fight and chased the attacker out, saving the life of her owner. |
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| Sadie and her owner, Michael, went on a routine trip in the woods near their home. En route, Sadie's owner collapsed from a severe heart attack. Sadie, weighing only 45 pounds, dragged her unconscious 180 lb. owner all the way home and barked until his wife came to the door.
Michael was rushed to a hospital, where life-saving emergency triple-bypass surgery was performed.
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| On the evening of December 13, after a long day of baking Christmas cookies, John and Janet Walderbach and their friends' two children were nearly overcome by carbon monoxide which had filled the house. Shelby, their 7-year-old German Shepherd, revived the couple and continued to act anxious until John, Janet and the children were safely outside the home.
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| Biyou, a three-year-old half Australian shepherd/half wolf from Richmond Dale, Ohio, saved her owner from drowning in an icy creek and freezing from exposure. |
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| Two-year-old Blue, an Australian blue heeler, saved his 85-year-old owner from an alligator attack and survived numerous injuries from the dangerous encounter. |
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| Sixteen-year-old Bullet, from Bellport, New York, a golden retriever who survived cancer surgery and then saved his owner's 20-day-old son. |
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