10 Animals That Became True Heroes for Their Families

Having a pet at home can provide a small daily dose of joy in our lives, giving us their unconditional love and surprising us at times when we cannot explain their behavior. Few people would imagine that some of these little animals would be able to save the lives of their owners, but there are many cases in which the pets have proven to be willing to do anything to take care of their family.

At Bright Side we want to share some stories with you of pets that didn’t need superpowers to save the day.

1. Darby

James White, from Sonoma County, California, was fishing on Bodega Bay’s shore while his dog was in his car, which he had parked just few feet away. As he felt the fishing line tighten, he pulled it until he discovered that he had caught a 6 ft great white shark, which was swimming toward him.

As he tried to remove the hook, the shark sunk its teeth into James’ ankle, who fell to the ground unable to free himself. Darby, hearing the noise, managed to open the car door and tried to bite the shark’s gills. Seeing that this didn’t work out, he grabbed and carried away the shark by the tail to get James out, saving his life.

2. Bandit

Bandit is a 15 year old cat, and she lives with a family and 3 dogs, 9 cats, plus some gerbils and hamsters in Lincolnshire, UK. Marie Smith, the owner of this heroic cat, told the BBC how she and her partner went to sleep, just like any other night, until Bandit started acting a bit strange.

She approached Marie while she was sleeping and started scratching her face to wake her up and warn her that the kitchen was on fire. When Marie realized what was happening in the house she woke up her partner, David, and together they got all the animals out of the house to safety while they waited for the fire department to arrive. Fortunately, the damage didn’t extend beyond the kitchen.

3. Figo

Audrey is a blind lady in her sixties who was returning home in the morning after a walk through the streets of New York with Figo, her faithful golden retriever guide dog, while a school bus was heading toward its destination.

The driver did not notice that Audrey was walking in the middle of the street, and when Figo realized that the driver was not going to stop, he got in his way to receive the impact and lessen the damage it would cause to Audrey. After recovering from a couple of fractures and a surgery on Figo’s leg, they were fortunately able to return home safe and sound.

4. Pudding

Ethan and his mother, Amy, who suffers from diabetes, passed through an animal shelter where they met Pudding, who, along with his friend, Wimsy, won the hearts of the family, which adopted both of them that same day. When they arrived home, it didn’t take long for them to adjust and accept the home as their own.

Shortly afterward, in the evening, Amy had a stroke because of her medical condition. Pudding, realizing this, did not hesitate to take action and tried to wake her up by sitting on her chest. Seeing that this was not working, he scratched and pinched her face to try to make her react. However, Amy was in no condition to ask Ethan for help, so Pudding went into his room, sat on his bed until Ethan reacted, and that was how they managed to call an ambulance.

5. Axel

A man arrived at Mrs. Ackerley’s house. She thought the stranger wanted to ask her for directions, so she opened the garden gate. Actually, what the man wanted was to steal her purse, so he attacked her by hitting her in the head.

The thief didn’t count on Axel, a cross between an Akita and a German shepherd, to be at home too. Feeling that his owner was in danger, he threw himself at the intruder, knocking him to the ground and then running after him and biting his arm. Axel kept Mrs. Ackerley safe, and she is now is very proud of her faithful pet.

6. Gracie

Annette, from Wisconsin, in the US, almost died of carbon monoxide poisoning while her husband Kevin was sleeping. They were saved by Gracie, their cute brown kitten, who alerted Kevin that something serious was happening in his home.

Kevin was surprised because Gracie usually didn’t try to come into his bedroom. When he finally got up to see what was happening, he noticed that Annette was sitting in a chair, dizzy, and seemingly intoxicated. After he called 911, the fire department arrived and realized that the carbon monoxide levels in the home were very high, and if it wasn’t for Gracie, the story’s outcome could have been terrible.

7. Kelsey

In Michigan, a man named Bob was alone in his country home when he decided to go out in the cold weather to collect firewood. As he was preparing to celebrate New Year’s Eve, he slipped and fractured his neck. Unfortunately, even though he screamed for help, none of his neighbors could hear him.

It was Kelsey, his 5-year-old golden retriever, who was there and stayed for over 20 hours, warming Bob up as she barked, until someone came to give him the attention he needed. When he arrived at the hospital, Bob was hypothermic, however, he didn’t have any frostbite, and this was all thanks to Kelsey’s efforts to keep him warm.

8. Theo

Charlotte Dixon woke up one night not feeling very well. She thought it was due to a virus, and that she just needed to rest in order to feel better. However, her kitten, Theo, began to behave very strangely, and wouldn’t let her go back to bed. He just kept meowing and scratching her to get her attention.

Finally, Charlotte spoke to her mother, who quickly called an ambulance to come and take care of her. After this incident, Charlotte spent a week in the hospital because of a clot, which, without Theo’s help, could have been fatal, according to the paramedics. Shortly after his death, he was crowned National Cat of the Year for this accomplishment.

9. Apollo

18-year-old Maya was at her boyfriend’s house when she decided to take her dog for a walk at 10 p.m. Once they were in the park, she decided to let go of Apollo’s leash, who was only a few months old, so that he could walk a little bit more freely, while she put in her hearing aid.

Suddenly, the girl felt that someone was behind her, and turned around thinking it was her boyfriend, who had caught up with them. However, she was wrong, and it was an assailant. When Apollo noticed the situation, he decided to try to intimidate the stranger to get him away from Maya and get her to safety.

10. Gatubela

Gatubela has been in Jesid’s house since she was just one month old, 2 months before the family’s baby, Samuel, was born. One afternoon, Jesid left Samuel for a few minutes in his crib while Gatubela was in the living room, watching him.

Curious about the world, Samuel quickly crawled toward the stairs, but Gatubela was quicker and ran up to him. In desperation, she nuzzled him as best she could, to keep him from falling down the stairs. When Samuel’s mother watched the videos from the security cameras to find out how he had gotten out of his crib, she discovered the great feat of her heroic kitten.

Which of these stories did you find the most fascinating? Have you ever experienced a similar story with your pets? Tell us in the comment section.