Reports of a stray Akita-mix injuring locals, scrapping with coyotes, and protecting his wounded owner in sub-zero temperatures near a rural sugar factory came to the attention of police in Taber, Alberta, late last month.
The dog, Hero, was apparently only living up to his name.
The first call to police came early on Thursday, March 28, around 6:50 a.m., reporting a large canine with potential injuries on the north side of the factory property. The second call was received just hours later, complaining that a man out running with his dog had been viciously mauled by a large dog in that area. Taber Police arrived shortly thereafter and found a large Akita-mix sitting on a berm.
“As [police] members approached, they heard cries for help. A 61-year-old male, from Taber, was located near the dog, hidden behind tall grasses,” Taber Police stated. “The male was stuck in a muddy ditch and advised he had been stuck there for two days.”
Taber Police Constable Austin Weersink found the man, identified by a local dog care center as Alan, injured and lying on his back.
From the man’s statement, police learned of the heroic deeds of his four-legged companion, who stayed with him throughout the ordeal, kept him warm, and even fought off coyotes at one point.
And, it turns out, yet another dog was involved in the incident: Alan’s dog Tora had reportedly been shuttling between her stranded owner and his home and, in so doing, had sustained an injury to a previously broken leg when screws of a metal rod came loose.
The veterinary costs for all the injuries would add up, however, local benefactors reportedly helped raise the funds.
The fundraiser reached its goal by raising almost $3,000. But some of the cash, they stated, will also go toward Hero’s casualties.
CBC reportedly contacted the man whom Hero had bitten. Curtis Dahl says he has no hard feelings. After Hero latched onto the throat of his dog Jack, possibly a Rottweiler-mix, Mr. Dahl “struggled with [Hero] for about 10 minutes trying to get him off my dog,” he told the station, who shared photos of both himself and Jack stitched up, nursing wounds.
But when Taber Police informed Mr. Dahl about Hero and his owner’s situation, according to the police, he said he was “understanding of the situation and grateful the male had been rescued.”
