I don't have any cute fluffy dog stories but I have this one about my old Shepherd with a lot of heart. Max is no longer with us.
( my comments)
I was staying on my boat at a private dock adjacent to an empty lot when I had to leave for a couple weeks. My
Shepherd Max had guard duty and a friend, Bill, was feeding him daily.
According to Bill as he related it to me.
"It had been raining on and off so everything was wet when I showed up around noon. Max was his usual aloof self that I
could never warm up to. As I was leaving I stepped down onto the cinder block that served as the step and I slipped.
Down I went. (Bill is a big guy), I hit hard when I landed. In an effort to do something I worsened it by twisting to reach for anything and ended up over the side on rocks. I broke my hip, busted my ass, and was knocked unconscious.
When I came to in pain and a splitting head ache, Max was licking my face. I couldn't move without agony and there was nobody else around to help me. I could only lie there. Max kept licking my face, then he would lick my arms and legs then retun to my face. He kept it up constantly.
When I was able to raise up on my elbow, I saw that Max was licking Fire Ants off me and must have been doing it while I
was out for I don't know how long.. I got really scared (It takes a lot to scare Bill) All through the ordeal I did not receive one bite.
(Bill is allergic to insect venom and might have gone into anaphylactic shock and he had left the anti venom pen he always
has, in his truck. Again.)
I laid there all afternoon surrounded by fire ants with Max knocking them off as fast as they would climb on. They weren't swarming yet but they were constant. Max was getting badly bitten himself but paid no attention to them as he protected me."
Finally around 4pm the boat that docked at the next lot arrived back. When the captain didn't see Max in his usual place
he walked over and found them.
It was very lucky that the rain had driven most of the ants deep in their nest or both of them could have been swarmed.
Both Bill and Max healed well and from then on Bill always had a treat in his pocket and a place in his heart for Max.