Man’s best friend is also quite heroic. Here are the stories of seven service dogs who saved the lives of their owners, all of whom are veterans, as reported by Reader's Digest.
1. Bella. For years Bella has been by the side of Vietnam vet Tony Damato, comforting him through struggles of post-war health issues. She was also there to save him from a fire in 2017. Damato was asleep when the blaze broke out in his house so Bella woke him up by jumping onto his chest. She refused to move until he was up. They both made it out alive.
2. Sophia. Army and Marine Corps veteran Ron Flaville had served for 17 years but as a result he suffered from severe PTSD and started experiencing thoughts of death and ending his life. It was Flaville's service dog, Sophia who changed his mind in 2012. She simply ran up to him with a tennis ball in her mouth and persistently demanded his attention but the action changed his perspective completely. "She seemed insistent," Flaville said. "It made me realize that what I was considering was a permanent ‘solution’ to a temporary problem."
3. Apache. Air Force Technical Sgt. Brandon Jones suffered from PTSD so severe that he isolated himself from the world but then Apache came into his life and helped him get back to his more social former self. "If I’m having nightmares, he will literally come and lick me until I wake up," Jones said. "When he senses an anxiety attack, he will put himself on me and he will force me to pet him."
4. Yogi. Army vet Ryan began suffering dramatic panic attacks and flashbacks linked to his deployment in Afghanistan. One day he reached breaking point and grabbed a knife to harm himself but Yogi jumped in to save the day. The service dog, who often led Ryan away from situations that triggered his anxiety, nipped Ryan's arm so that he dropped the knife. Her drastic measures saved his life and made her a hero dog.
5. Curly. Vietnam vet Brian Rand was fast asleep when he felt his service dog Curly nudging him to wake up. A massive fire had broken out in Rand's living room and Curly was trying to alert him. "I was really lucky," Rand said of the incident. "Within a minute or two, that fire completely engulfed the ceiling in the attic. We’re very grateful."
6. Gunner. U.S. Marines Officer Andrew Einstein began planning his suicide after he was sent home due to a brain injury caused by an exploding grenade but getting a service dog, Gunner, gave him a new purpose to live. "He forced me to get better," Einstein said.
7. Bowie. 101st Airborne Solider Jim Champion decided to get a service dog after a multiple sclerosis diagnoses forced him to shelve his dreams of serving his country. When he bought Bowie home, Champion had no idea that the dog would save his life. When a fire broke out in Champion's home, it was Bowie who alerted him by barking incessantly until his owner went to investigate.
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