Dogs are heroic furry little angels when the occasion arises.
And that occasion did arise for a dog named Cooper when historical floodwaters raged through Tennessee in August 2021.
The flood took the lives of 22 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the region.
📷Damage after heavy rain and devastating floods in Waverly, Tennessee.
🔴At least 22 people were killed while search and rescue efforts continue for 45 missing after flash floods swept through the US state of Tennessee
Read more: https://t.co/4SZcR1BVvz pic.twitter.com/FvGvUFNOKM
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 23, 2021
Poor Cooper ended up getting swept away in the floodwaters but managed to help save a life despite his also being in distress.
When rescuers found the 6-year-old Great Pyrenees-Labrador mix, they said he was nestled with a young autistic boy who was caught in the flood and holding onto a wall.
According to Upworthy, Zaneta Warren stayed with Cooper until he was taken to Waverly Animal Clinic.
She said the autistic boy told him that he was hanging on a pole when the dog floated down the creek toward him and was able to swim over to the boy.
“He said this dog saved my life, he swam to me and made me hold on. He held on to this baby too until the rescue boat got to them. He is such an awesome, well-mannered dog, he deserves steaks and bacon,” Warren said.
After their rescue, the boy was brought to safety, and Cooper was taken to the animal clinic where he was treated for a scrape on his rump.
Thankfully he was in good spirits when he arrived.
“We’ve been calling him Big Hero Dog all week long,” said clinic owner and veterinarian Dr. Jessica Peek told Daily Mail. “He’s a living sweety and we’ve been giving him lots of treats, telling him he’s a hero.”
The animal clinic stayed open during the flood to take in lost and found animals.
Hundreds of cats and dogs were caught in the flood and separated from their owners during the storm.
After patching the pets up, the animal clinic set out to reunite them with their owners.
“You feel a little helpless and don’t know what to do when people are trapped and looking for their pets,” said Peek. “We’ve tried to give pets a safe place to be so owners could deal with other things they have to deal with.”
Thankfully they were able to find Cooper’s mom Caitlyn Rochelle.
Apparently, Cooper has been a hero for some time now.
Still, Rochelle said she was very emotional when she heard that Cooper helped to save the boy.
“It made me cry,” said Rochelle. “It was no surprise that he saw someone else in distress and went after him. He’s always been a good dog, a great emotional support animal. When my dad and I get depression, Cooper senses it and sits and lays his head on us.”
A tree fell through the roof of Rochelle and her family’s house causing it to flood and them to lose everything they owned.
Rochelle, who has an 8-month-old daughter with her boyfriend who she shares a home with, also lost her vehicle in the flood.
Her boyfriend’s sister set up a GoFundMe to help with their recovery efforts which you can find here. You can learn more about Cooper’s heroic feat in the video below.
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