Our dogs at home our good boys even if they do naughty things at times. However, what if there are dogs considered to be the best among the rest of the good boys?
You’ll find these extra good boys and girls in Purina’s Hall of Fame for animals.
Purina is a subsidiary company founded in the year 2001 by Nestle. They manufacture pet foods, treats, and even pet supplements or vitamins. The company has been one of the largest pet food markets around the world for many years now.
It has been a tradition that Purina inducts the best animals they can find in their Animal Hall of Fame every year. Purina chooses heroic pets who save people from unbelievable scenarios that you don’t see every day. They induct at least two to five animals into their hall of fame each year.
The 2015 best dog of the year goes to…
With a total of 182 pets commemorated, there is one inductee from 2015 that has a story worth re-telling over and over again. Badger is Derik Hodgson’s most loyal canine. He is a mix-bred dog of Labrador and Rottweiler. Derik is a retired outdoor photographer in his 70s who lived alone in the cabin in Elgin, Ontario.
This is Badger’s heroic story.
Their story began when Derik found Badger in the woods when he was a pup. He brought the dog home and their relationship grew stronger as Badger became Derik’s reliable companion in his cabin.
One snowy day, Derik saw a picture-perfect moment outside of bald eagles on the lake that he thought would be a waste not to capture. He grabbed his camera and went outside without the proper clothes on despite the freezing temperature of negative 20 degrees Celsius. Badger followed him.
He was hoping to catch the scene before the eagles flew away. As he rushed to find the perfect angle, he slipped and fell on the ice, injuring his leg. He was unable to stand because of the ruptured tendon on his leg.
Derik forgot to bring his phone, and no one in his family knew what was happening at that time.
He desperately called for help in the cold even though he knew that it was very unlikely for people to be there. Hope was almost lost…
He grabbed onto Badger’s collar and urged him to “mush,” a term in dogsledding, commanding the dog to move or pull. Tugging on Badger’s collar for dear life, they both reached home, enabling Derik to crawl to his phone and call 911.
A lot of people asked him whether he was surprised at what happened, and he said the perfect response.
“I am alive because of a dog I saved in the woods,” Derik told Purina.
After that incident, Derik’s partner, Michelle Walsh, took Badger into her home in Ottawa while Derik was recovering in the hospital. Derik was grateful to Badger for saving his life.
“That’s what friends do, friends help one another,” Derik said. “He’s my friend, I was in real trouble, he helped me, now God bless him.”
After years of recovering, Derik could finally walk without a cane. Badger, with his heroic actions, deserved a spot in the hall of fame. Derek and Badger’s story is perhaps the warm fireplace during the cold winter.
Watch the whole story by clicking on the video below.
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