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Dogs have long turned into our friends, and not just helpers, guards or rescuers. Pets – both domestic and service – regularly prove their loyalty and devotion to people, helping out in the most difficult life situations. And sometimes they even get awards for it.
A service dog from Russia named Volk-Mercury received an honorary award “Dog’s Loyalty” for rescuing a 15-year-old girl in St. Petersburg. A nine-year-old German Shepherd quickly tracked down a missing schoolgirl and saved her from being raped.
However, then, in September 2020, no one expected that the story would end happily. An excited Petersburger called the police – her daughter was missing. In the evening, the girl left the house to go to her mother at work, but she never met her. The police involved in the search for the inspector-canine handler Maria Koptseva, along with the Wolf-Mercury.
The specialist chose the girl’s pillowcase as a sample of the smell, because it best preserved body odors. The search began from the place where the missing woman’s mobile phone was last turned on – an area in the middle of a forest with several abandoned buildings. And the dog quickly took the trail.
In a matter of seconds, Wolf-Mercury led the task force to one of the abandoned houses
There, on the first floor, a man was holding a girl and was going to rape her. The police managed to prevent the crime: the victim was provided with the necessary medical assistance, the man went under arrest, and the dog received a well-deserved reward for the rescue.
“The mother of the girl arrived at the place where the villain was detained, and Wolf-Mercury and I saw her hugging the rescued child. For the sake of this, it is worth serving, ”the cynologist shared.
About the Dog Loyalty Award
The award was established in the Italian city of San Rocco di Camogli in early 1962. At that time, a dog named Pucci settled in the central square of the city. In the mornings, he met schoolchildren from nearby villages at the church and escorted them to school, during the day they played with him and shared breakfast, and in the evenings he again accompanied the children – this time from school to the church, where they were met by relatives.
The dog took care of the children for about 10 years and became a local attraction. As a result, the city authorities decided to celebrate the work of the dog and established an award in his honor.
How else do dogs save people?
The amazing ability of dogs to find people by smell has long been adopted by police, firefighters, rescuers and search volunteers. How else can dogs save people?
1. A dog saved a woman from committing suicide.
A resident of the English county of Devon was going to commit suicide in a public place, and passers-by noticed this. They called the police, but lengthy negotiations did not lead to a result. Then law enforcement officers connected the service dog Digby to the operation.
The woman smiled when she saw the rescue dog, and the rescue workers told her the story of the dog and offered to get to know him better. The woman agreed and changed her mind about committing suicide. She was handed over to psychologists.
2. The dog saved a drowning child
A mix of a bulldog and a Staffordshire bull terrier named Max from Australia came to the aid of a drowning child. Its owner walked with him along the embankment and saw the boy who was carried away by the current far from the shore, where there was great depth and sharp stones.
The Australian rushed to save the child, but his pet managed to jump into the water earlier. Max was wearing a life jacket, so the boy grabbed onto it and made it to shore safely.
3. Dogs saved the whole city from the epidemic
Another case of dogs helping people formed the basis of the famous cartoon “Balto”. In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out in Nome, Alaska. Hospitals were short of medicines, and the neighboring settlement was a thousand miles away. The planes could not take off because of a snowstorm, so the medicines had to be delivered by train, and the last part of the journey was done by dog sled.
At its head was the Siberian husky Balto, who perfectly oriented himself in unfamiliar terrain during a strong snowstorm. The dogs traveled the whole way in 7,5 hours, faced with many difficulties, and brought medicines. Thanks to the help of dogs, the epidemic was stopped in 5 days.