Some dogs are just natural heroes, and we're not just talking about the ones in TV and the movies.
Sure, Rin Tin Tin and Lassie are great fictional examples of dogs willing to do anything to save humans, but such dogs definitely exist in real life, too — for example: This former stray leaped into water to save his owner from drowning, and this dog ran into a burning building to rescue his family.
As any dog lover knows, dogs bond with their owners very strongly and very closely, and they will do anything to preserve their pack and bonds. Purina is awarding several dogs this year by inducting them into the 2015 Animal of Fame. These dogs are being honored for performing incredible acts of bravery, and the dog featured here, Sako, might be one of the most incredible…
Sako grew closely bonded with her entire family, and even felt protective of them. What he did makes that absolutely evident.
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Sako is a 4-year-old king shepherd who is being inducted into Purina's 2015 Animal Hall of Fame for his incredible act of bravery.
Joseph Phillip-Garcia (now 16) met Sako through his aunt, and they instantly bonded. They even grew up together in many ways.
Sako adored the extended family and always showed a protective nature towards them.
The family would often love exploring the countryside of their rural British Columbia, and one day they went of on a hike — just as they would any day...
They took two different cars. Joseph, his aunt, a cousin, and a friend were in one with Sako, and the rest of his family was in another. Unfortunately, Joseph's car went over an embankment and fell 325 feet.
Only Joseph and Sako survived, but Joseph was left broken, bleeding, and nearly immobile, and as the hours passed, he eventually went into a state of shock.
As temperatures fell, Sako cuddled next to Joseph to keep him warm and waited patiently for help to come.
They were all alone in a dangerous forest. Reportedly, Sako even frightened away dangerous predators like bears. Forest rangers say he successfully kept predators at bay, though he did suffer one bite on his neck.
Joseph was out there for 40 hours and admits that by the end he had given up — but Sako hadn't.
Eventually searchers found Joseph and Sako. Doctors and rangers agree that Sako literally saved Joseph's life those dangerous 40 hours.
To learn more about Sako and his jaw-dropping actions, watch the video below.
