And The Winners Are...

A few days ago I posted about the Humane Society of The United States' Dogs Of Valor competition. We hope you were able to visit the link and vote for your favorite hero. All the dogs nominated are winners to us, but the top vote getters have been announced and we want to recognize and congratulate those doggies.


In the People's Hero Category the winner was D-boy.


Roberta Trawick and her family were sitting on the couch when an armed man busted through the front door, yelling for them to get down on the floor. With that, D-boy, the family’s pit bull, ran in from another room and charged towards the assailant. Before he could reach him though, the man shot D-boy in the head. D-boy continued to go after the man, who shot two more times, leaving D-boy with a total of 3 gunshot wounds. With his attack foiled, the man fled the home. The family got up and called for help. When officers arrived, they took the young dog to a local emergency veterinary center. Amazingly, with intense medical treatment, D-boy survived the terrifying ordeal.




In the Judged Catergory the winner was, Baby.


After an exhausting stretch of cancer treatment, 82-year-old Elwood Cardon wanted to get away. He knew his family worried about him, so one night he decided to quietly slip out of his daughter’s house with his dog, Baby. On the way to his mountain home, Elwood became disoriented and took the wrong turn. As he turned the car around, his tires slipped off the road, and the SUV plummeted 20 feet downhill where it wedged upside down between two trees. Pinned inside, Elwood honked the horn and screamed for help. No one came. The passenger side window had shattered, and as it grew colder the 5-year old Great Dane snuggled with Elwood, keeping him warm and alert. Several times she crawled out of the SUV to seek help, but each time she returned alone. Ten hours later, Baby finally got the attention of one of the remote area’s few residents. The woman followed the dog, and when she saw the wreckage she quickly called for help. Fortunately, firefighters were able to pull Elwood to safety. He was treated for a cracked spine. Update: Elwood Cardon passed away on January 28, 2009 at his home in Jemez Springs, N.M. The HSUS wishes to extend our deepest sympathy to his family.




Three dogs were named "runner up". To read their stories go here.