Seven Remarkable Dogs Who Became Heroes in History

Seven Remarkable Dogs Who Became Heroes in History

1__ Hachiko: The Legendary Dog of Loyalty

Hachiko is a Akita dog that became famous in Japan for his remarkable loyalty to his owner. Every day, Hachiko would walk his owner to the train station and return to the station to pick him up after work. However, one day his owner passed away at work and never returned to the train station. Hachiko continued to wait for his owner at the train station every day for nine years until his death. Today, there is a statue of Hachiko at Shibuya Station in Tokyo to commemorate his loyalty.

2__ Balto: The Heroic Sled Dog of Alaska

Balto was a Siberian Husky who led a team of sled dogs during the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska. The serum run was a life-saving mission to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome, which was experiencing an outbreak of the disease. Balto led the final leg of the mission and delivered the serum to Nome, saving countless lives. Today, a statue of Balto stands in New York City's Central Park in honor of his bravery.

3__ Laika: The Trailblazing Space Dog

Laika was a stray dog from Moscow who was selected by the Soviet space program to become the first animal to orbit the Earth. In 1957, Laika was launched into space aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. Although the mission was successful in demonstrating that a living organism could survive in orbit, Laika did not survive the flight. She became the first animal to die in space, but her sacrifice paved the way for future human space exploration.

4__ Trakr: The Hero German Shepherd of 9/11

Trakr was a German Shepherd who was involved in the search and rescue efforts following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Trakr helped locate the last survivor found in the rubble, a police officer who was trapped beneath the debris. For his bravery, Trakr was named "Dog World Magazine's" "World's Most Heroic Dog" and was awarded a prize by Pedigree dog food company. Trakr also went on display at the U.S. National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. In 2015, Trakr passed away at the age of 16.

5__ Chips: The Courageous War Dog of WWII

Chips was a German Shepherd who was trained to serve in World War II and participated in many campaigns across Europe. Chips captured several German soldiers and was injured during battle, but recovered afterwards. After the war, Chips was awarded many honors and was inducted into the "Dog Hero" category of the U.S. Army's military museum.

6__ Appollo: The Bravery of a 9/11 First Responder

Appollo was a German Shepherd who was trained to serve in the New York Police Department and participated in the response to the 9/11 attacks. Appollo helped locate and rescue many victims from the rubble of the North Tower and was named "Dog Fancy" magazine's "Hero Dog of the Year" in 2002.

7__ Cairo: The Loyal and Fearless Navy SEAL Dog

Cairo was a Belgian Malinois who was trained to serve in the U.S. Navy SEALs and participated in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan in 2011. Cairo worked alongside the SEAL team on many dangerous missions and became a symbol of courage and loyalty in the U.S. military. After retiring, Cairo was awarded the American Red Cross and American Humane Association's "Hero Dog" awards.

By Letter Man