Top 10 Real-Life Dog Superheroes

Dogs are not just known for being the best cuddle buddies. They can also live secret lives and don their cape when their owners go to bed, flying off into the night sky to rescue yet another hapless hooman caught in the jaws of peril. 

Just kidding. But really, what else can a dog NOT do? They already displayed their pure love and loyalty through the years to their owners, work as service animals for disabled hoomans, defend property, work alongside military personnel to sniff out bombs, drugs, contraband, and other harmful material. 

Our most loved animals are not just rambunctious pets, some of them rise up to the occasion and are amazing to behold as they bravely run to danger, rescuing whoever needs their help. In fact, there have been several documented cases of pets attacking a home intruder, caught on video too! 

In the part of the Philippine where I’m from, there’s the case of a street dog who threw himself in front of a motorcycle to save a child. Kabang the Hero Dog was injured and lost his snout in the process, but so many admirers from all over the world raised the funds needed for his treatment, and plastic surgery to repair his face. Read the story here. 

Yes, real-life superhero dogs that risk their lives and limbs to perform acts of heroism do exist among the derpy hound population of the world. Their loyalty, intelligence, pure heart, and courage combine to make a potent mix of doggy powers, making our favorite pets fearless in the face of peril. We’ve been witness time and again to the brave and heroic acts of these dog superheroes. 

Here are some of the most heartwarming stories about our real-life Supermutts:

Khan the Doberman Pinscher

Time is not an important factor for a dog to learn how to love and be loyal to its humans. The story of Khan the Doberman Pinscher is a testament to how he did not even need to bond with his humans for a long time to give them the love and loyalty they deserve from an amazing and heroic pet dog.

It happened in 2007 when Khan was just brought back from the animal shelter seven days ago. While guarding the 17-month old Charlotte, Khan was alert enough to detect the presence of a nearby King Brown Snake, which is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Just when the deadly snake was about to strike the baby, Khan pushed Charlotte out of the way and was bitten instead. Luckily for Khan, help came right away as he was given the anti-venom. He was able to survive the ordeal and earned the love and respect of his humans that he had only met a week ago. He was dubbed “Wonder Dog” by his owners after that incident.

Naida the Stray Lifeguard

Dogs are dogs regardless of whether they have owners or not. Even strays are capable of heroic feats worthy of praise. That was what happened with Naida, a stray dog living in Siberia. At that time, Naida was a peaceful dog who had already been arranged to get adopted by a family nearby. She was spending her life on the streets but was loved well enough by the people around her to the point that she was frequently given food.

During one fateful day, Nadia was observed to be following a young four-year-old name Andrei Pavlov around without causing enough trouble to alert people. The young Andrei was feeding ducks in the middle of freezing weather. He accidentally fell into the water and through the ice. To that end, Nadia barked frantically until a neighborhood woman heard her and called nearby workers to help rescue the boy. Andrei’s mother would later say that she believed that Nadia was following the boy around because she had already sensed that trouble was approaching.

TatorTot and His Amazing Senses

Christi Smith and her young son welcomed a foster doggy into their Brookly Park, Minnesota home in late summer of 2013. The shelter dog was a 10-month-old pit bull named Tator Tot. One night after Christi put her son Peyton to bed, TatorTot began to frantically run and bark around the house, darting from Peyton’s room all the way to Christi’s room back and forth. At first, Christi did not pay attention thinking the dog was just celebrating breaking out of the shelter environment, a case of the “zoomies,” she thought. However, it turned out to be something serious than she realized.

When Christi noticed that the foster dog was not giving up his “Zoomies,” she went to Peyton’s room to check on him and saw that her son was not responding and just had a faint pulse. This prompted her to take Peyton to the hospital, where it was diagnosed that his blood sugar had dropped to dangerous levels. At the end of the day, it was TatorTot who helped save Peyton by sensing danger. Christi eventually gave the former foster dog a permanent home in their family.

Treo the Bomb-Sniffing Military Hero

It is not uncommon for the military to employ dogs into their service due to how good they are at sniffing bombs and at detecting things and people that humans won’t normally be able to detect under regular circumstances. This was how Treo, a black Labrador Retriever, was able to find a job in the British military.

Treo served the military in Afghanistan, where he was able to use his keen senses and training to sense two different bombs that would have taken the lives of a lot of soldiers. To that end, he was given the prestigious Dickin Medal in 2010 as a testament to his amazing service. He eventually retired and spent the rest of his years with his handler Sgt. Dave Heyhoe

Max the Bulletproof Dog

Dogs are not really bulletproof, but that did not stop Max from believing he could save his human from a gun. It happened when a Brazilian named Osmar Persisco was walking Max when two armed assailants attacked the two and demanded Osmar’s car keys. The robbers shot Osmar when he declined to give them his keys. He survived as the bullet only his head.

The shot prompted Max to attack the robbers and defend his human. He was able to chase away one of the assailants, but the other one was able to get two shots on Max before he ran away. Down and wounded, Max was rushed to the hospital where the bulletproof dog was able to recover from his injuries/

Roselle the 9/11 Hero Dog

We all know how big of a tragedy September 11, 2001, is. That was one of the biggest terrorist attacks the world has ever seen, but that was also when Roselle, the yellow Labrador Retriever, jumped into action to save its owner. Working as a guide dog for the blind Michael Hingson, Roselle was able to guide its owner all the way from the 78^th floor just as soon as the planes struck the building. The two were able to survive the ordeal thanks to the 9/11 hero dog.

Babu the Tsunami Detector

This is the story of Babu, a 12-year old Shih-Tzu who lives with an 83-year old senior owner named Tami. According to accounts, Babu is the type of dog that hates walks. But during a fateful day, she actually forced Tami to take her out on a walk and even led her up a hill. When the two looked back, they saw their home washed away by a massive tsunami. Babu had sensed the coming of the tsunami beforehand and was able to save her owner in time.

Bandit’s Keen Nose

The DeStefani family of New Jersey had a Pom-Poodle dog mix that they were only keeping temporarily while the dog’s owner was still out of town. One night, one of the DeStefani’s placed a hairbrush in a pot to sterilize it but forgot to take it out. But the dog named Bandit was able to use his keen nose to detect the smoke even before the smoke alarm went off. He was able to tell the family in time just before the fire department came. The fire was limited to the kitchen, but it could have gotten worse had Bandit not been able to sense the smoke.

Bosch the Earthquake Hero

Bosch was a Labrador Retriever working for the Philippine Coast Guard several years back. A massive earthquake struck the country and trapped four people under a pile of rubble. Bosch worked as hard as he could and teamed up with the rescue team to try to save the four people trapped under the building. He did not give up until he was able to recover four bodies. Sadly, he did not make it in time, but he was given a lot of praise for his perseverance and bravery throughout the entire ordeal.

Angel versus the Cougar

Dogs are known for their valor and are not so easy to back down from a fight, especially if they are trying to save someone they love. The loyal Angel’s story started when she was seemingly trying to warn a boy named Austin of an impending attack. A cougar was actually stalking the boy in his family’s backyard while he was gathering firewood.

But before the cougar could actually get to Austin, Angel sprang into action and gave the boy the time he needed to run and call for help. Austin’s family called 911, while the Golden Retriever fought valiantly to protect her humans. Cougars are a lot bigger than Golden Retrievers, but Angel fought as hard as she could until help arrived. The response team was able to shoot the Cougar to save Angel and the family’s life. Angel suffered a lot of wounds but was able to recover when she was given immediate medical attention.