It’s official, a pit bull has won the 2009 ‘Dog of Valor’ award.

D-Boy won the award given by the Humane Society of the United States for saving his family from an armed intruder.

D-boy suffered injuries in December after the intruder shot him three times. Oklahoma City residents came to the support of the heroic dog, helping the Shoemaker family with D-boy’s medical expenses.

The Humane Society of United States held an online poll. After more than 6,000 people voted, the Dog of Valor, People’s Hero Award was given to D-Boy.

It was just six months ago, D-boy was recovering after an intruder shot him three times. The dog scared the man out of his family’s house and kept the Shoemakers safe.

“If he wouldn’t have distracted the guy, the guy probably would’ve shot me,” said Roberta Shoemaker. “I didn’t know what to do he told me to get down on the ground, and I was so scared, I couldn’t move.”

D-boy saved the lives of everyone there on that fateful day.

“If he wasn’t there and wouldn’t have done what he did, I could’ve came home to no family,” Angelic Shoemaker said.

The family knows how special D-Boy is and now the rest of the country is showing its love for a dog who went beyond the call of duty. Out of 15 finalists, D-Boy walked away with the Humane Society of the United States’ Dog of Valor award.

“D-boy’s story really touched the heart of the majority of the voters and he won the dog version of the People’s Choice Award,” said Cynthia Armstrong, director of the Oklahoma Humane Society of the U.S.

It’s an honor his family hopes will change people’s views of pit bulls.

“All pits are not bad,” Roberta Shoemaker said. “I mean, just because of the breed of the dog, doesn’t mean they’re bad.”

D-Boy showed the true heart of a hero when he put himself between the gunman and his owner. I can’t think of a more deserving dog to be honored with the Dog of Valor award.

* Pic of D-boy w/family and Cynthia Armstrong of the Oklahoma Humane Society courtesy NewsOn6.com.

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What a great story to start off a Wednesday morning.  Buffy, a German Shepard, was honored posthumously by the Humane Society of the United States.

In 2007 she stopped a gunman who was robbing her owner a gunpoint, getting shot twice in the process. For this heroic act Buffy was named Valor Dog of the Year.

Buffy was chosen to receive the highest honor in the companion dog category of the Dogs of Valor Awards “because of the extraordinary courage she exhibited when she intervened during a robbery to save her owner’s life,” the Humane Society said.

On Jan. 10, 2007 in Oakland (CA), a gunman robbed Will Bartley of $400 and credit cards at his home.

That’s when Buffy ran from the yard and jumped onto the gunman, who fired two shots. One shot hit the dog in her left forelimb.

Although the vet was able to save Buffy, she eventually had to be euthanized due to complications caused from the injuries. The robber was never caught.

“We still love and miss Buffy dearly, but this award and the countless cards and letters of sympathy we have received have gone a long way to help us heal,” Bartley said in a statement.

Congratulations Buffy,  I can’t think of a more deserving girl.

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Here’s a nice story about three dogs inducted to the Iowa Animal’s Hall of Fame.

The dogs were chosen because of their ability to comfort, assist, and stay calm under pressure.

The awards are sponsored by the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and Schering-Plough Animal Health.

The first honoree is Hericane, a Black Labrador.

Hericane,  owned by Lynette Krambeer of Des Moines, worked as a full-time residential pet at Trinity Center at Luther Park, a care facility in Des Moines.

“She had this way of knowing who needed her the most,” Krambeer said.

Next,  HJ,  a three year old Weimaraner.

HJ,  owned by Loren and Dianna Engelbrecht of Fredericksburg, saved Loren Engelbrecht’s life after he suffered a heart attack on Easter Sunday 2007.

Engelbrecht woke up around midnight feeling sick and soon developed a pain in his chest that left him immobile.

HJ roused Dianna Engelbrecht, who called for help after seeing her husband’s distress.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Loren Engelbrecht said about the dog.

Rounding up the trio is Sidda, a beautiful Golden Retriever.

Sidda, owned by Julie Robinson of North Liberty, is the only full-time learning dog in the Iowa City Community School District. Robinson is the principal of Penn Elementary School and she takes Sidda to work with her every day. Sidda is a certified therapy dog trained by Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services, a nonprofit organization in Kansas.

Students who are otherwise reluctant to read will read to Sidda. The dog also works with students who are angry or upset.

Sadly, at the age of 14, Hericane had a stroke and went to Rainbow Bridge in September 2006. I can’t think of a better tribute than having your legacy forever memorialized.

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Yeager, a 3 year old Labrador retriever, is a service dog. He  helps owner,  Sharon Yunker-Deatz,  with everyday living tasks which are now difficult due to multiple sclerosis.  Besides being a hero to Sharon,  he’s one to the community where he saved a boy’s life.

Yeager is a lifesaver, too, for a 10-year-old boy in Michigan. The boy might have drowned in Lake Michigan last summer had Yeager not alerted others by barking and paddling toward the struggling child.

The incident happened when Yunker-Deatz took Yeager to the beach last summer. He was playing in the water in a designated dog area on the beach.

Noticing the undertow had become strong owners started calling in their dogs. Yeager, instead of swimming towards shore started heading out into deeper water. Over to where a group of boys were playing and one was now in danger of drowning.

Thanks to Yeager actions some men on shore noticed what was happening and went in to save the boy.

Yesterday Mayor Jerry Abramson presented Yeager with Louisville’s Distinguished Citizen Award — the first time in 19 years as mayor that Abramson has given the honor to an animal, he said.

“He had risked his safety for someone he didn’t know,” Abramson said. “He had no relationship whatsoever with the 10-year-old youngster.”

Wow, what an amazing and heroic dog Yeager is. His brave act also won him the Valor Dog of the Year award presented by the Humane Society of the United States. He beat out hundreds of other contenders for the award.   Way to go Yeager!

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There has been so much talk lately about Breed Specific Legislation, especially regarding Pit Bulls that I thought it would be nice to post a tribute to a Pit Bull that saved a woman’s life.

We chose Maya for this award not only because she saved (Angela Marcelino) her human mommy’s life from an attacker, but because the organization behind National Dog by, the Animal Miracle Foundation, loves and supports ALL dog breeds. We don’t believe in breed bans and Maya is a testament to the fact that the Pit Bull breed can be hero dogs just like any other breed.

Hmmm…it makes you wonder what would have been the outcome if Maya wasn’t allowed to be adopted.

All dogs are capable of biting and even attacking, but it’s my firm belief that humans are to blame behind the dogs who get a bad rap. Sadly, so many dogs suffer a tragic fate simply because of their breed. Not only is Maya our Hero Dog of 2008, she is what we’re calling our AmbassaBULL to all bull breeds. I was very excited to have a reason to show the world the good side of Pit Bulls” said Colleen Paige, animal behaviorist, author and founder of National Dog Day.

It’s clear, in this situation, as is the case in many life-threatening situations that involve attacks on women, that Angela was fortunate to have a Pit Bull as her protector. But the most heartwarming aspect of this story is that Angela rescued Maya from the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter….and on June 17th, 2007, Maya returned the favor.

Regardless of your feelings about the new laws I don’t think you can argue about this dog hero.

It was Fathers Day 2007. I opened my front door and was about to walk inside when I saw someone’s shadow out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head just as a man pushed me into my house. I screamed as loud as I could, but the man had slammed the door shut behind him. “Shut up” were the only words he said to me. He was choking me with one hand. I was able to scream one last time. After I did, his grip tightened around my neck. That is when I saw a white streak run in from the other room. His grip was so tight that I could only gurgle the words “Maya, get him.” He still had a grip on my throat, as his other hand was busy trying to fight off my angry dog. I don’t know how, but I managed to get on my feet.

Read the full story as told by the woman whose life was saved.

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