A dog named Hero lived up to his name earlier this week after spending two days by his stranded master's side, keeping his owner warm and even fending off coyotes while the man waited to be rescued from a muddy ditch in southern Alberta.

A dog named Hero lived up to his name earlier this week after spending two days by his stranded master’s side, keeping his owner warm and even fending off coyotes while the man waited to be rescued from a muddy ditch in southern Alberta.

The dog’s bravery and devotion have earned widespread plaudits online and prompted one local animal rescue organization to raise money to cover vet bills for Hero and other pets inadvertently drawn into the 48-hour saga.

“It touched my heart. I cried almost immediately just hearing this story. It’s heartwarming,” Alana McPhee, acting president of the Taber Lost Paws Society, said in an interview Saturday.

The ordeal for Hero and his owner began on Thursday morning when Taber police said they received a complaint about a possibly injured dog at large north of the community’s sugar factory.

  • Flying Squid
    32•9 months ago

    It’s amazing how smart dogs can be. We always make fun of our dogs and call them stupid (although one of them really is stupid), but dogs can be super smart.

    • @wjriiEnglish
      18•9 months ago

      Absolutely, and they’re amazing.

      An Akita overdoing it on being protective of its owner is also about par for the course. No dog dislikes other canids quite like a grumpy-ass Akita.

      • Flying Squid
        6•9 months ago

        Definitely on the dislike of other canids. A friend of mine in high school’s mom bred Akitas and she had to give it up when one escaped and immediately jumped over the neighbor’s fence and killed their dog.

        They are very handsome dogs, but after that, I wouldn’t get one unless no one around me had a dog too. (I wouldn’t get a purebred anyway, but that’s another issue.)

        I’m very glad Hero was a hero though.

        • @wjrii
          5•9 months ago

          Our mix was a sweetheart to humans (for 99% of her life), but occasionally lashed out at two of our other four dogs who overlapped with her in our household. She was indifferent to the other two.

          We had things managed pretty well for several years, but when she started getting older, about ten, she started getting confused, and forgetting to eat, and losing a lot of weight, and getting grumpier and making terrible decisions. When it spread to humans (she bit my hand twice in two days), we knew her time was up, but we gave her a send off in accordance with her being a good girl, as they all are.

          • Flying Squid
            2•9 months ago

            I’m sorry for your loss. It’s always hard to lose a dog. I’ve had four in my adult life and two are gone and I miss them all the time.