22 Tail-Wagging Tales Of Heartwarming Canine Heroism That Made Us Paws For Applause

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 13, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Dogs are the best, aren't they? They wake up every day and give us unconditional love and affection, force us to go outside, stretch our legs, and encourage us to go on adventures. For the average Joe, a doggo is a great companion for life, but for others, they are more. Some dogs really saved their owners, whether it was by smelling an illness before they could feel it or by giving their lives the structure they needed to keep themselves afloat.

Get your tissues ready because these tail-wagging tales of heartwarming canine heroism are real tear-jerkers! Each of these doggo owners was saved by their wholesome puppers in one way or another. If you didn't think we deserved dogs already, you will definitely feel unworthy after these pawsitively beautiful posts of puppers. Go home and give your doggo a big hug for us!

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  • 01
    Did your dog save you?
    via u/jewelophile
  • 02
    I'm in recovery from alcohol and when I was at my worst my chihuahua was the only thing that kept me from giving up. Knowing I had to remain functional enough to feed and walk her kept me from complete self destruction, as did her unconditional love. Now I'm doing great and so is she. I truly consider her my angel. Do you have a similar story?
    via u/jewelophile
  • 03
    TeeCee90x3 17 days ago . My heeler stepped on my husband's balls. Lefty started to hurt so he went to the doctor. Testicular cancer was discovered. He had his ball removed a few weeks after his appt. My husband has been fine since.
    via u/TeeCee90x3

    Our dog steps on our private parts all the time, but we don't think she's alerting us to any medical issues, she just has no regard for our physical pain whatsoever. Just kidding! She's a good girl, and this story is absolutely mindblowing, right?

  • 04
    sharksnack3264 17 days ago • I think "saved me" is a bit strong maybe as I wasn't spiralling, was already seeing a therapist, etc. to deal with it and I've been coping in a more or less functional way for over a decade such that I don't think most people realize something's going on.
    via u/sharksnack3264
  • 05
    However, after I adopted my dog. I found I stopped getting night terrors, which I've had off and on for years. I think subconsciously knowing my dog would wake me if someone came into the room (not a real risk, but trauma isn't logical) helps. There's been a couple times when there has been a disturbance on the street outside my house and I've woken to him standing guard over me. Better quality sleep has made a huge difference to my life.
    via u/sharksnack3264

    We thought that letting our dog sleep in our bed would make our quality of sleep worse, but actually, it improved just like this person's! We didn't have night terrors, but we're not the calmest sleepers. Now, we feel safer and more loved knowing they are there next to us.

  • 06
    Content-Scallion-591 17 days ago About eight years ago I was in a violent, abusive relationship. Looking back, I genuinely am surprised I'm still alive. I had incredibly low self esteem from childhood abuse and really believed I deserved the treatment I received. But one night, he started teasing my dog, and something just snapped in me. He was never violent with the dogs, but it was like in that instant I could see his boundary pushing would eventually extend to them. I kicked him out the next
    via u/Content-Scallion-591
  • 07
    MixtapesAndCupcakes 17 days ago In a way all of my dogs have saved me. On the days I don't love myself I always love them and they give me a reason to get up, keep our schedule and to stay on track. When I'm having a bad day and am overwhelmed taking them for a walk, playing or just snuggling won't fix my problems but it gets me out of my head and in a much better mindset.
    via u/MixtapesAndCupcakes
  • 08
    HeyRainy 17 days ago . edited 17 days ago I got my Chihuahua when I was 22. She was 8 weeks old. She kept me in line for 17 years after that. I never slid down the drug or alcohol slope like my friends did, I didn't go through with suicidal thoughts, I always held a good job and a safe home so that Rita was taken care of. If she hadn't needed me to take care of her, I'd for sure be dead. She died at 17 years old and I was 39.
    via u/HeyRainy
  • 09
    skullsquid1999 17 days ago edited 17 days ago Honestly, yeah. I was so suicidal when I got my pup (admittedly not a great time to get a dog) but as he grew up he developed more issues that I know my parents or really anyone else couldn't handle. So I cannot in good conscience end my life and leave him to have a life. My only motivation some days is getting my dog outside and on a walk. Then my time outside makes me feel better because of the fresh air and I love the sound of the woods. I have pu
    via u/skullsquid1999
  • 10
    Jas Dawg 17 days ago I have been depressed since I was 10. I am coming up on 31. The last 5 years have been the hardest of my life re: suicidal ideation and anxiety. I got my dog in Feb of 2021, and it is safe to say that he saved me. He is still the reason I get out of bed everyday. I cry with him, and while he doesn't understand where my pain comes from, he does his best to heal it. I don't think I would be here today if not for him.
    via u/JasDawg
  • 11
    minkabun 17 days ago . • edited 17 days ago Busta Rhymes, Staffy/GSD/major... For my particular circumstances, it always feels a bit dramatic to say Busta saved me (mainly because so many pet owners mean it in a very literal sense and I don't want to detract from that); but he was an integral piece of a puzzle I'd been trying to solve for a decade.
    via u/minkabun
  • 12
    I had been managing (struggling with) my bipolar disorder and would frequently have 'one step forward, two steps back' moments. I felt like I was doing as much as I could but nothing would stick and I would end up in an episode or some other setback.
    via u/minkabun
  • 13
    I read 'Puppies Are Better Than Prozac.' I've always wanted a dog of my own but I never felt like I was in a stable enough place to be a good pet parent. After having a couple months of successes / momentum, I decided to adopt a problem child dog.
    via u/minkabun
  • 14
    The amount of stability and responsibility he brought me has truly been life changing. He was (still is, just a different type of problematic as he ages) entirely dependent on me, as well as needing a great deal of work to overcome his fear aggression and reactivity. Poor guy had been returned FOUR TIMES. But I brought him home and told him it was for life and that we'd figure it out together.
    via u/minkabun
  • 15
    I'd been lying if I said I got a dog and suddenly was batting 1.000; I've still had many ups and downs including bouts of depression and hypomania. That said, I have only had one major manic episode (that required he stay at my parents for a bit) in the nine years I've had him and I attribute a lot of that the the routine and consistency he helped me establish.
    via u/minkabun
  • 16
    • qwertyuiiop145 17 days ago I was working on my depression when I got my dog. I wasn't at my lowest point anymore by any means, but the long daily walks and consistent affection help keep me from sliding back there.
    via u/qwertyuiiop145
  • 17
    ravenderm. 17 days ago He is the reason I've gotten out of bed for the last two years. I wouldn't be here without him.
    via u/ravenderm
  • 18
    Sierracameryn · 17 days ago My late Golden did. I tried unaliving myself in the bathtub and he heard me. He ran to my dad in the living room and then back to the bathroom door. He did this until my dad got up to check on me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Elwood.. I miss him every day.
    via u/Sierracameryn
  • 19
    BarronVonElfonz 17 days ago YES, recovering opioid addict here.. and my boy is my reason for living as I type this.. I keep him fed, walked, and happy, and he keeps me from making terrible life choices.. it's been working out for us so far.
    via u/BarronVonElfonz
  • 20
    Famous-Composer3112. 17 days ago Nothing dramatic, but my dogs keep me happy. They make me glad to get up in the morning. That's a huge change from my dogless days.
    via u/Famous-Composer3112
  • 21
    . museum geek - 17 days ago My dog actually saved my Mum. He kept nosing and pawing at her right breast and we just kinda figured he was a perv. Once we realized it was the same spot every time, my mother did a self examine. Lo and behold, there was a lump. We hustled to a surgeon and it turned out she had a necrotic spot. She had it out the next day, and he has left her alone since then. I will be forever grateful.
    via u/museum_geek
  • 22
    Brains4Beauty 17 days ago Westie mixes for the win! I had moved to a new city for a new job, and I knew no one there. But I had my own place and was finally in a position I could have a dog (had one as a child but it was my mom's and I really didn't do any of the care of him). I got my little LouLou about three months after I had moved and yes, she saved me from falling into depression. She made me laugh, I had to take care of her, and I just loved her so much. So much a couple of years later I
    via u/Brains4Beauty

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