According to the ASPCA, every year approximately 1.6 million dogs are adopted from animal shelters. These rescue dogs are picked out by their owners, but sometimes it seems like these pups have been guided from above to their new families, whether it’s to brighten their lives or even to save them. Could there be a divine hand working to bring these dogs exactly where they need to be? Check out these 5 rescue dogs who were guided to their perfect forever homes.
Dog Saves Navy Seal Veteran from Devastating Fire
Shortly after moving to Beaufort, South Carolina, Brian Rand decided to take a day trip to Hilton Head. Stuck in traffic, he turned into a local animal shelter to have a look around. He told the workers he was only interested in a small dog, around 20 pounds. After a quick search, he didn’t see one he wanted. Then, as he turned to leave, one caught his eye. A Labrador Chow mix named Curly. At least 70 pounds. Definitely not what Brian was looking for, but suddenly it didn’t matter. “He looked at me, and I looked at him,” he told The Island Packet. “Then, that was it. I took him home.” The two got along amazingly well.
Three years later, Curly woke Brian up in the middle of the night. “Curly was banging me with his nose,” he said. “When he does that, I know something’s up.” Brian got up to investigate what was bothering Curly, when he found the curtains in his living room were on fire. The house was engulfed within minutes, but Brian was able to get them both out safely and call the fire department. All thanks to Curly.
Rescue Dog Sniffs Out Owner’s Breast Cancer
Joanne Lowen from Kent, England had adopted dogs from Greece before, but she felt a special connection to her newest dog, Menios. He’d been found starving and wounded. He needed a lot of love and healing and Joanne was up to the task. She’d intended to foster him but wound up bonding with the pup while nursing him back to health, and officially adopted him. That’s when Menios began acting odd. He started incessantly sniffing under Joanne’s arm. Joanne, who had breast cancer twenty years prior, had just had a mammogram a few months before that was clean. But Menios was so persistent, Joanne decided to go back.
A test revealed Joanne had an invasive lobular carcinoma, a kind of breast cancer. Because it was caught in its early stages, she was able to have it removed before it spread to her lymph nodes. “’If it hadn’t been for him,” Joanne told Daily Mail, “I would have waited until my next mammogram two to three years from now, which is a long time.” Menios, the dog that Joanne had healed, had returned the favor by making sure his new owner stayed healthy.
Hero Dog Saves Young Girl and Grandma from Rattlesnake
In Tampa, Florida, Donya DeLuca’s family lost their dog of 13 years. So when she decided to immediately rescue a 2-year-old German shepherd named Haus, her husband, Adam, wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. “He looked at me like, ‘Are you serious?’” Donya told TODAY. “But I just couldn’t pass up the chance to rescue [Haus].” Haus immediately became a beloved member of the family. “He just bonded with all of us so quickly, it was like he was always part of our home,” says Donya. “Even the neighbors took to him. It was meant to be.”
Donya is now even more thankful for following that urge to adopt Haus. The family was playing in the backyard when a rattlesnake got too close to 7-year-old Molly and her grandmother. Before they realized the danger they were in, Haus positioned himself between them and the snake. Haus was bit three times, but after extensive anti-venom treatment, he made a full recovery. And thanks to him, his family is safe.
Rescue Dog Alerts Sleeping Owner to Fire
When Drew Smith, an engineer from San Diego, decided to adopt a rescue dog, he almost passed on the little Spaniel mix named Carl. The dog had teeth issues and Drew worried about how much the dental work could cost. But in the end, he decided to take Carl home. Not long after, Drew’s dog walker told him Carl did not want to go back into the house after walks. Carl was also acting more agitated and nervous. Then Drew started having unexplained headaches.
He finally realized the problem one night when he woke up to Carl barking. “He’s not a dog that barks a lot…” Carl told ABC News, “so barking for him is kind of uncharacteristic.” Even when Drew tried to go back to sleep, Carl was relentless, licking his face until his owner finally got out of bed. That’s when Drew saw the smoke. He got Carl out of the apartment and called the fire department. According to them, a fire had been smoldering in the walls of his apartment for a few days! Drew is thankful he decided to adopt Carl, not just because he is a good dog, but because he ended up saving his life. “I’m glad that I saw through what physical flaws he may have had…” Drew said.
Dog Wakes His Owners Just in Time to Save Their Newborn Daughter
A dog named Duke had passed from shelter to shelter before he was finally taken in by a family in Portland, Connecticut. Jenna and Eric Brousseau rescued Duke and six years later, he returned the favor. The couple was asleep one night when Duke came in, hopped on their bed, and started trembling uncontrollably. “He started shaking, as if there was a storm coming,” Jenna told Honest to Paws. The dog’s actions were so strange, the couple decided to get up to check on their children.
That’s when they discovered that their newborn daughter, Harper, wasn’t breathing. Eric immediately dialed 911 while Jenna patted on the baby’s back to help her breathe. They finally got her breathing again and Harper was fine. She’d thrown up during her sleep and had choked. Had it not been for Duke’s strange behavior, the couple would have never gone into her room to investigate. “We rescued him and he reciprocated and rescued our daughter,” says Jenna. The couple isn’t sure how Duke knew their daughter was in danger, but took it as yet another sign that he’d come into their lives by something greater than chance. “He was meant to be ours,” says Jenna.
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