We often hear stories of people saving lives, but what about animals that end up saving lives? The stories of these 10 heroic animals are both heartwarming and inspiring. Think about these stories the next time your dog pees on the floor and you want to yell at her.
Number Ten: Magic the Miniature Mare. Magic the mini horse is a therapy horse, so she’s no stranger to helping other people. However, one day she visited a patient who hadn’t said a single word in three years. When the woman saw Magic, she immediately exclaimed, “Isn’t she beautiful?” Yes, yes you are.
Number Nine: Japanese Rescue Dog. After the 2011 earthquake struck Japan, people were living in chaos. One brave dog stayed with his companion amidst the wreckage, refusing to leave his canine friend. Rescue workers saved both the dog and his injured friend.
Number Eight: Moko the Dolphin. Moko was a New Zealand dolphin who ended up saving two sperm whales. The two whales were beached, but Moko helped guide them back into the ocean and led them back to safety, doing what no human had been able to do.
Number Seven: Simon the Cat. Simon was a favorite cat for sailors on the H.M.S. Amethyst, a British Royal Navy ship, but one day he was hit by shrapnel during an attack. Simon eventually recovered and helped rid the ship of a nasty rodent infestation. Simon was so important that his obituary was published in TIME Magazine.
Number Six: Trakr the Dog. Trakr was trained as a police dog in Canada, and he helped to locate over one million dollars worth of contraband. Following September 11, Trakr came to New York to help with the wreckage, and he is credited with finding the last survivor in the rubble. He was later chosen to be cloned because of his brave soul.
Number Five: Scarlett the Cat. Scarlett was a homeless calico in Brooklyn, New York who had kittens in a garage. The garage caught on fire one night, and Scarlett was very badly burned while rescuing her babies. Once the story broke, more than 1,000 people called to adopt Scarlett, and she eventually found a nice home.
Number Four: Cher Ami the Pigeon. During World Wars I and II, pigeons were used to send messages and conduct surveys. One pigeon named Cher Ami (translating to “dear friend” in French) delivered 12 very important messages before he was struck by the enemy. He somehow managed to deliver the message, but he later died – a hero.
Number Three: Stubby the Dog. Stubby was an adorable little stray dog who was found by Robert Conroy, a member of the 102nd infantry for World War I. Technically, animals were not allowed there, but Stubby was so well-behaved that he was allowed to stay. He was trained to smell gas and actually saved the soldiers’ lives on numerous occasions in battle.
Number Two: Bucephalus the Horse. Bucephalus belonged to Alexander the Great. According to legend, Alexander broke the horse when nobody else would go near him. He broke Bucephalus by turning his head toward the sunlight. Alexander was the only person who realized that Bucephalus was afraid of his own shadow.
Number One: Togo the Sled Dog. A case of diphtheria broke out in an Alaskan village in 1925 that required special serum to cure. However, since planes and ships could not reach the village, the serum had to be delivered by sled dogs. While Balto is often credited as saving the town, Togo actually did the bulk of the work, carrying the serum over 200 miles.