INCONCEIVABLE DOGS

LAIKA

It would be impossible to make a list with remarkable dogs and not

Include the first animal to successfully orbit the Earth, which made

Laika a worldwide hero and probably the first dog in history to

become a global icon regardless of nationality.

MKOMBOZI

In 2012, a heroic Kenyan dog named Mkombozi found an infant,

wrapped in rags, in the Ngong Forest where she was scavenging

for food. She was seen dragging a package (with the baby inside)

across a busy road and through a barbed-wire fence before

disappearing in the poor Nairobi neighbourhood where she was living

with her puppies. The infant and dog were soon discovered after

two children heard the sound of a baby crying near their wooden shack

and alerted their parents. The baby was taken to the hospital for

treatment for exposure, where she recovered after a few

weeks in intensive care.

KATRINA

Ironically, a courageous black Labrador named Katrina became a hero

during the natural disaster that shared her name—Hurricane Katrina.

She saved a drowning man before rising floodwaters claimed his life.

Katrina, who was later rescued herself by rescue teams, was

honoured at that year’s Genesis Awards with a standing ovation.

JIM THE “WONDER DOG”

Jim the “Wonder Dog” grave

Jim the Wonder Dog was a Llewellin Setter that had some of the most

special talents any animal has ever demonstrated. According to

various sources Jim could accurately predict the sex of unborn babies as

well as the winner of the Kentucky Derby. He also predicted the Yankee

victory in the 1936 World Series, only a year before dying at age twelve.

JACKIE

Dalmation mix Jackie, seen here with Finnish businessman owner Tor Borg

Jackie, a Dalmatian mix, is easily the most notorious dog on this list and

one of the most notorious dogs of World War II. Why? Well, for those

who aren’t in the know, Jackie’s amazing ability to give the Nazi

salute on command earned her the nickname “Nazi Dog.”

JADE

Not the actual dog

In 2013, a beautiful dog named Jade saved a new born baby that had

been abandoned in Birmingham Park, England. According to the

British news, Roger Wilday, a sixty-eight-year-old man, had been

walking his nine-year-old German shepherd, Jade, when the dog suddenly

sprinted toward some bushes. Jade laid down next to what appeared to

be a discarded carrier bag and refused to return to her owner’s side

until he approached her and discovered the abandoned baby.

GREYFRIARS BOBBY

Greyfriars Bobby's statue

Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who rose to fame in

nineteenth-century Scotland for being the first faithful dog in modern history.

Bobby supposedly spent fourteen years guarding the grave of his owner

until he himself died on January 14, 1872. The story of Greyfriars Bobby

continues to be famous in Scotland to this day through several books

and films and a prominent statue honouring him has become a 

major tourist attraction of the area.

TOBY

Toby, a golden retriever, took home the American Society for the Prevention

of Cruelty to Animals’ Dog of the Year Award in 2007 for saving his owner,

Debbie Parkhurst, from choking to death on an apple in her home. When it

became apparent that she was choking, the dog leaped hard onto her chest

and forced the lodged morsel to come loose from her throat.