There’s just something special about the bonds that owners have with their four-legged best friends. Even though most dogs will show tons of affection and loyalty towards their human owners, some pups have been through incredible events and have demonstrated immense courage and heroism with their actions. Here are 40 incredible canines with just as incredible stories that deserve to be told.

1. Meet Figo, an adorable guide dog for blind people. When his owner was crossing the street and Figo saw a bus coming dangerously close, he jumped right in between his owner and the bus to protect her.

2. This small feline was under attack by two coyotes who were biting her neck and tail, but this fierce pit bull Jack stepped in and saved the kitten’s life.

3. Another heroic rescue story, as a wild fox wanted to grab Angelis, a four-year-old girl. Loyal pets Callie and Abby reacted immediately and chased the fox away as a team.

4. The adorable Husky Hunter was just adopted by his loving family, and it ended up saving their lives. When their house was completely engulfed in flames, Hunter made sure to bark loudly to wake everyone up and get them out of the house safely.

5. Shelagh was having a seizure in the middle of the night and wasn’t able to call for help, but her dog Scooby came to the rescue by waking up her husband. Luckily, paramedics quickly arrived. A true lifesaver!

6. Pit bulls have the reputation of being somewhat aggressive but much to the surprise of her owner, this four-footer Akasha was suddenly nursing a newborn kitten as if it was her own.

7. Who said dogs couldn’t go to school? The University of Illinois decided to award this service dog with an Honorary Master’s Degree because he attended every class along with his owner. The graduation photo is incredible!

8. A pit bull named Mercey heroically defended his 30-year-old owner when she was the victim of a brutal home invasion. Four criminals entered the apartment and attacked with knives and machetes. The dog risked his own life to protect his owner and suffered life-threatening injuries, but managed to recover. True bravery.

9. Layka is a military dog that suffered from four point-blank gunshot wounds by an AK-47. Even though she was shot four times, she managed to attack the terrorist and protect her military handler. Layka went through a 7-hour surgery and her leg needed to be amputated due to her injuries. She was awarded a medal for her incredibly heroic acts.

10. Some people train their pets to dial ‘911’ in case something goes wrong, but Major received no such training from his owner. And yet, he still managed to grab his owner’s phone and press the emergency services button after his owner collapsed from a seizure, effectively saving his life.

11. Odin’s owners tried everything they could to evacuate him during the California wildfires, but the pup didn’t want to go along. He desperately wanted to stay behind and protect the family’s eight goats when the terrible wildfire passed. Odin did suffer from some burn wounds and other injuries, but he succeeded in keeping the other animals safe.

12. Abigail’s owner calls her nothing short of a hero. The brave pup chased off a bear to protect her owner and the family cat – and judging by this picture, the two furry animals definitely seem to get along.

13. Police officers did everything they could to find a missing man but didn’t have any leads. They decided to ask for some canine help and enlisted retired search-and-rescue dog, Luca. Using his detective skills, Luca quickly traced down the man’s scent which led to his rescue.

14. 92-year-old Marie took a nasty fall in her yard and was unresponsive, but this small and adorable Chihuahua knew what to do. He spent five hours in the excruciating heat to find help and rescue the woman.

15. Love and affection are two of the greatest things of the world, and that is exactly how the personality of Franklin can be described. He’s incredibly sociable and never barks or shows signs of aggression. The pup was a major support for someone who has been through a very difficult time and his family righteously calls him a hero based on his loving personality.

16. Lucca is a retired US Marine Corps dog and has been on 400 separate missions during her six years of active service as a search and rescue dog. She was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal.

17. A wild and aggressive cougar had his sights set on attacking this 11-year-old boy, but his Golden Retriever courageously defended him.

18. Four-footer Orlando did everything he could to rescue his blind owner. The man became unconscious and was his body was falling onto the subway tracks, but Orlando tried to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, both Orlando and his owner fell on the tracks but made it out without any severe injuries.

19. Meet Frida, another brave rescue dog. She works for the Mexican Navy and managed to locate 52 people in the rubble after an earthquake occurred in Mexico.

20. Abbie is a true lifesaver. She noticed that baby Benjamin was choking on something and immediately barked around to notify his mom.

21. Even though Molly is completely blind, she didn’t hesitate for a second when she was in a dangerous situation. A fire broke out in the house and Molly was the only one awake – she made sure that seven people, two other pups and four cats made it out alive. Molly has medical issues and doctors estimated that she didn’t have long to live, but she’s still alive and kicking.

22. While firefighters were busy extinguishing a blazing house fire, this mother dog was leading her pups to safety and put them on the fire truck. She risked her own life and went straight into the burning house to save her children.

23. His owners call the adorable Buster a ‘hero dog’, and rightfully so. The pup noticed that his owner had passed out in the living room, and immediately barked around to wake up his wife. The man had a very low blood pressure and probably wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for Buster.

24. This K-9 officer was shot in the line of duty as he caught a bullet for his handler and best friend. Police was investigating a suspect in a robbery case and the criminal quickly unleashed a firefight with the police officers. Pup Casper had critical wounds, but the surgery was successful and the road to recovery could begin.

25. When rescuers found Aladdin back in 2013, there was little hope for the pup. He was missing the majority of his teeth and was severely injured – two of his legs and his tail were broken. Aladdin had a very tough recovery ahead of him, but he never gave up. Slowly but surely, he opened up to humans again and is now a certified therapy dog.

26. Ice is a law enforcement canine for the US Forest Service. Local officers were investigating a marijuana plantation and quickly found two suspects. When they tried to flee, Ice chased them down and captured one of them. The suspect stabbed Ice twice, but the pup was still able to subdue him. After the arrest, the dog’s handler cared for him until a medical helicopter arrived. The brave pup made a full recovery.

27. One day, dad decided to sterilize a hairbrush by boiling it in water on the stove. Unfortunately, everyone forgot about it and when they went to bed, the stove was still on. Luckily, this pup Bandit noticed the toxic smoke forming and quickly alerted a family member to get everyone to safety.

28. This 13-year-old German Shepherd had a long and impressive career as an explosive detection dog in the army. He was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and has successfully sniffed out multiple bombs before they could explode, and he was even involved in hostage situations as well. Adak is now retired and lives a happy life in a loving home.

29. The cute pit bull named Creature was just going on one of his regular night walks when he suddenly spotted a woman laying the woods. It turns out that the 89-year-old woman suffered from dementia and had been missing for a while.

30. When a man attempted a carjacking, he quickly regretted it when he saw Duke. The pup did everything he could to protect his owner and attacked the criminal. His owner was afraid that the man would stab Duke, but he fled and the pup was unharmed. Duke is nothing short of a hero!

31. A man and his Labrador Henry got themselves into a predicament when two cubs and a fierce black bear approached them, but both the owner and his loyal four-footer made it out alive. Henry attacked the bear to protect his owner and both eventually managed to escape.

32. In what can only be described as a despicable action, a newborn baby was thrown into a garbage dumpster in Thailand. Luckily, this pup noticed the baby and barked to get everyone’s attention and get this newborn child to warmth and safety.

33. Atlas is a retired military dog and he and his handler recently returned home from a deployment in Iraq. As is the case with many returning heroes, the dog’s handler suffered from severe PTSD. He decided to adopt Atlas, and his best friend keeps his PTSD attacks under control. The pup senses when the man is feeling unwell due to a flashback, and can redirect his attention. Atlas was also the inspiration for the creation of The Battle Buddy Foundation, which assists veterans struggling with flashbacks and PTSD at home.

34. There aren’t many things that are more sad than crying puppies, and this dog Maggie agreed. She snuck out of her kennel in the middle of night and went straight to the crying pups to comfort them and give them some love. How sweet!

35. After the terrible events of 9/11, rescue dogs assisted first responders to find people stuck in the debris. One of those canines was Bretagne, who recently passed away. She was the last surviving 9/11 search and rescue pup and helped save many lives.

36. His owner calls him ‘Cooper The Super Pooper.’ Unfortunately, Cooper passed way two years ago, but he will forever be in his owner’s heart. The pup saved his owner from drowning once, and also sensed that he had a heart attack and saved his life. Cooper will never be forgotten.

37. This pup was just going for a walk with his owner, when he suddenly heard another canine in distress. He noticed a pup that buried underneath a tremendous amount of earth and helped his owner to get the dog free. Thanks to this dog’s quick intervention, the buried dog made it out alive!

38. A train conductor on the ground noticed a person and a dog on the railroad tracks, and a freight train was coming dangerously close. He knew that there wouldn’t be enough time to stop the train before it would end up hitting them. Christine, the person on the tracks, tripped and was completely unconscious. The train couldn’t avoid them, but Christine miraculously wasn’t hurt. Her dog Lilly took the full hit to protect her owner. Lilly was severely hurt and her front leg had to be amputated, but is otherwise doing well now.

39. When Storm spotted a baby deer having trouble staying above water, he didn’t hesitate and immediately jumped in to save the scared animal. He carried the baby deer and swam back to dry ground. Storm saved this baby deer from drowning!

40. Staying calm in a stressful situation is easier said than done, but it’s exactly with this Labrador Retriever Roselle did. Roselle is a guide dog for her blind owner. They were both present in the second WTC tower during the 9/11 attacks on the 78^th floor. Roselle guided her owner Michael all the way downstairs, away from the collapsing structures and back to safety. They traveled no less than 1,463 stairs.

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By Jonathan Maes

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Jonathan Maes is a contributing writer at Shareably. He can be reached at [email protected].