Achi news desk-
A 61-year-old man in the southern Alberta town of Taber who was trapped in a muddy ditch for two days could have been there much longer if not for his dog – an Akita named Hero.
“It could have been a missing persons investigation that was reported to us,” said Const. Austin Weersink with the Taber Police Service.
The police believe that the man got stuck in mud while walking in the area, a location he often goes to with his two dogs: Arwr and Tora. He was unable to move, and the location was out of clear view from the road.
Then, on Thursday morning, the police received a call about a large dog on the loose just north of the sugar refinery in Taber – a town about 270 kilometers south-east of Calgary.
When officers arrived, they were unable to locate the dog.
A dog attack leads to a rescue
A few hours later, the police received another call regarding the same area. This time, a man said he was with his dog when they were attacked by another large dog.
The dog responsible for the attack was a hero, Taber police said in a Facebook post. When the police arrived at the scene again they saw Hero lying on a berm and whistled to get his attention.
Weersink says that’s when he heard a loud cry for help.
Living up to his name, an Akita breed dog in Taber, Alta., named Hero, saved his owner’s life by protecting him from the elements, fighting off coyotes and ultimately alerting people to a location its owner – stuck in a muddy ditch, unable to move for two days in temperatures as cold as -17 C.
“I looked to my left where the individual who was attacked was sitting in his vehicle, but his window was [rolled] up,” he said. “So I whistled again, and the shriek came again and said, ‘Help, I’m down here.'”
Weersink called for Hero to be taken under control, then walked over to where he heard the scream coming to find the man lying on his back.
“The tall grass … it’s very difficult to see someone in there,” said the police officer.
‘It really lives up to its name’
Police say Hero’s owner was able to tell them his faithful companion stayed by his side and kept him warm as the temperature dropped, and may have even fought off coyotes.
The man was rescued and taken to Chinook Regional Hospital in the nearby city of Lethbridge, Alta.
His dogs, Hero and another Akita called Tora, were taken in by the Taber Lost Paws Society while he recovered.
“[Hero] obviously quite worried, confused, but quite calm to be honest,” said Alana McPhee with the Lost Paws Society.
“It was about fighting because it was really just protecting its owner. … I guess you could say it really lives up to its name.”
Dog attack victim recovering
Curtis Dahl, the man who bit Hero, told CBC News that he went to hospital for his injuries and his dog, Jack, was also treated.
Both are now recovering, but Dahl says he understands the situation after hearing the full story.
“I think [Hero] thought my dog was a threat,” she said. “But after I thought about it, I knew why this dog did what it did.”
The Missing Paw Society has since launched a fundraising campaign for all pets that have suffered injuries, as Tora also had a rod in a previously broken leg that had some screws coming loose from “running wild between the place where her owner was confined and her residence.”
McPhee says he can tell both dogs are looking forward to being reunited with their owner.
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