For almost any dog owner in the world, it wouldn’t be hard to come up with a list of things that make dogs “worth it.”
While there are some cons to dog ownership, anyone with a loving pup knows that it is always worth the effort. They make amazing friends, are loving, can be snuggle buddies, and can be our guardians. What is a little food and care in exchange for a best friend, right?
One of the most wonderful traits dogs have is their desire to care and protect.
Even if a dog isn’t necessarily bred to be a guard dog, most of our canines have a clear sense of danger and protection. Even if the mailman is the only threat they perceive on a daily basis, they still want you to be safe! It’s this drive for protection that has resulted in some amazing stories.
When a dog senses someone in danger, they will often leap to action, even putting themselves at risk.
There have been countless stories of dogs rescuing families from fires, defending them against home intruders, and leaping in front of them as a shield. The incredible thing, however, is that it doesn’t always have to be a human!
Dogs will often to the same thing for other animals.
Jax is a black lab who was caught on camera doing just that; risking his life for a creature that he didn’t even know. Jax was hanging out on the shore of a pond one day when his guardian instinct was triggered and he jumped to action.
Jax noticed that there was a creature out in the water struggling to swim.
Once Jax knew that there was a creature who needed saving, he was all in. Literally. Jax jumped into the water and started swimming to the little creature. Gently grabbing it in his mouth, he swam back towards the shore. Looking carefully, we see it is a baby bird that he has in his mouth!
Getting back to the shore, Jax released the bird and came on dry land.
With his owner there to help, he plucked the chick from the water and it was surprisingly still alive! It appeared to be some type of finch (not a swimming bird) that had gotten stuck in the water. Even after the struggle and journey in a dog’s mouth, the little thing was still alive.
This probably has to do with a lab’s “soft mouth.”
Labs (labrador retrievers) are great dogs originally bred for swimming out into swamps and bringing back birds that a hunter shot. No wonder Jax seemed to be perfectly in his element! He was just swimming out into a pond and doing what he was bred to do. Labs are known for having a really gentle mouth in order to not damage the hunter’s trophy. It seemed to save this bird’s life!
The video is a great reminder of how incredible dogs are.
While it is always awesome to see the incredible things dogs can do, anyone who owns one is never too surprised. We live with these incredible animals, after all!
Check out the video below!
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