Celebrate August 26, National Dog Day, with these inspiring tales of canine loyalty

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a HERO DOG! They are our faithful companions, our watchful guardians, and our trusted and loyal partners. And, throughout history, dogs of all shapes and sizes have also been heroes. Bark your calendar, as we celebrate National Dog Day (Aug. 26) with stories of some of the most remarkable canine companions, soldiers, scientists, explorers, and more!

Swansea Jack

A long-haired retriever-type dog, similar to today’s Flat Coated Retriever, Jack lived in the North Dock/River Tawe area of Wales. Born in 1930, Jack's first owner was Taulford Davies. However, in the true spirit of youthful exuberance, Jack was booted out of his original home after decimating the town’s duck population while galivanting around the local park.

Rehomed to an area of town with a less tempting avian population, Jack took up residence with his new master William Thomas, and enjoyed wiling away his days lounging on the bustling docks of Swansea. It was here his career as a hero dog began.

It was reported that at first, Jack was afraid of the water, so his Thomas would encourage him to jump in and swim with some of the local kids. While he was learning to love the water, Jack developed the habit of grabbing the kids by collar and pulling them toward shore. It was a trick that would soon come in handy, when a 12-year-old boy who had been taking out the trash got into a scuffle and fell off the dock into the water. Jack jumped in after him and pulled the boy to safety.

A few weeks later, Jack jumped in to rescue a swimmer in distress—in full view of an amazed crowd on the docks—and his legend began to grow. By 1934, he had been credited with pulling 14 people to safety…and also had twice rescued some of his own brethren—a dog floundering in a muddy river, and a sack of puppies tossed into the sea.

All told, it is believed that Jack rescued 27 people in his lifetime. He received numerous honors, including Bravest Dog of the Year and a silver cup from the PDSA (a large UK-based animal welfare organization). He is also the only dog ever awarded two bronze medals (the equivalent of the Victoria Cross (UK) or Medal of Honor (US)) by the Canine Defence League, and was still earning recognition decades after his passing—in 2000, he was named named Dog of the Century by NewFound Friends of Bristol, who train domestic dogs in aquatic rescue techniques.

According to a news article after his death, Jack “had not only perfect courage and the instincts of his grand breed; but he had an innate genius for knowing just how and where to seize even the most hysterical human, struggling in deep water; and how best to tow the victim safely to shore.”

Sadly, Swansea Jack died at the young age of seven, after having ingesting rat poison. His death made national—and even international—headlines, and the Canine Defence League offered a large reward for information on who may have been responsible—but no answers ever came.

His body was eventually laid to rest underneath a publicly funded memorial that still stands on the promenade near the rugby grounds. The inscription reads:

To this day, Swansea people are known as Jacks, and fans of Swansea City soccer team are known as the Jack Army, both thought to be in honor of the famous dog.

Mancs

Born in 1994, Mancs (whose name means “Paw,” in Hungarian) was a German Shepherd and a member of the renowned Spider Special Rescue Team of Miskolc, Hungary, a team that traveled the globe doing search-and-rescue work.

As a member of the squad, Mancs was incredibly gifted at locating earthquake survivors who lay trapped deep beneath the rubble and alerting rescuers. He could locate where people were buried under the earthquake rubble—and not only could Mancs determine if the person was dead or alive, but he could also indicate this to the other members of the rescue crew. If he sensed a dead person, he laid down; when he sensed a live person beneath the rubble, he stood up, wagged his tail and barked. 

Alongside his owner László Lehóczki, Mancs helped in several high-profile earthquake rescue missions, including the 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador and India. His most famous case was when he helped rescue a 3-year-old girl who spent 82 hours under the ruins after the 1999 Izmit earthquake in Turkey.

Mancs died of pneumonia in 2006. In 2015, Mancs was honored posthumously with his team with the European Citizen's Prize for their many years of life-saving efforts. Attending the ceremony as the guest of honor was Hatira Kaplan—the young woman Mancs had rescued in Izmit.

Taro and Jiro

In January 1957, a team of 11 Japanese researchers and 15 Karafuto-ken sled dogs (also known as Sakhalin huskies) arrived at the Showa Research Station in Antarctica. The researchers would spend roughly a year at the station, and then be replaced by another team. The dogs, a hearty, rugged breed well-suited for working life in a snowy climate, would remain on the base, ready to assist each successive team. Among the canine team members, were three-year-old brothers Taro and Jiro, who were also the youngest of the dogs.

In early 1958, a severe, strong, and unexpected storm approached, and the first team had to be emergency evacuated by helicopter. Because the second team was due to arrive shortly, the dogs were left tied at their stations, along with the food and water they would need for their next few days.

Unfortunately, the weather remained prohibitive. Conditions worsened, and the ship carrying the second team had to abort its mission—the way would not be passable for nearly another year, meaning the dogs were, to the great sadness of their team, abandoned and considered lost.

In January 1959, the third expedition team returned to the base in Antarctica, fully expecting to find the remains of their 15 canine compatriots. However, they only found that seven (Aka, Goro, Pochi, Moku, Kuro, Pesu, and Kuma from Monbetsu) had lost their lives while still chained. The other eight dogs had managed to break free from the chains. Amazingly two of the dogs, Taro and Jiro, were found alive—thin and a bit bedraggled, but otherwise fine—near the base. The remaining six (Riki, Anko, Deri, Jakku, Shiro and Kuma from Furen—who was the sire of Taro and Jiro) were never found.

Even more amazingly, the expedition crew’s stored foodstuffs and supplies were never breached, nor did the pair resort to cannibalism (common during famine), leaving the bodies of their chained packmates to rest. Researchers believe that Taro and Jiro instead relied on their own resourcefulness, eating “penguins, feces of seal, seabirds, and fishes (trapped in the ice).”

And so, after enduring a harrowing 11 months of the brutal Antarctic conditions, Taro and Jiro were joyfully reunited with their human teammates. And then what did the hero dog pair do? They went back to work, staying with the new pack and pulling sleds for the expedition.

Jiro died of natural causes in Antarctica in 1960; his remains are on display at the National Science Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, along with fellow Japanese hero dog Hachi (see below). Taro returned to his hometown of Sapporo, Japan, in 1961, and lived at Hokkaido University until his death in 1970. His remains are displayed there.

Sallie Ann Jarrett

Dogs have long served on the battlefield, doing everything from playing a role in logistics and communication; to working as sentries, trackers, and guards; to simply providing an invaluable morale boost to troops.

A brindle-coated American Staffordshire terrier, Sallie was given to Captain William Terry of Company I as a puppy in 1861—although she was truly “owned” by the entire 11th. Sallie was an army dog from the start, joining soldiers during their drills and standing with the color guard for dress parade.

She campaigned alongside the troops, and did not stay out of the fray when the firing began. In fact, she accompanied her regiment into battle, taking a position at the front lines and barking at the enemy. Sallie saw action in each of her regiment’s engagements, which included Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Petersburg.

At Gettysburg, Sallie became separated from her regiment on the first day of fighting, and the soldiers feared she had perished in the fight. The brave pup, had not, in fact died…but when she was unable to get through Confederate lines, she returned to where the 11th had been fighting earlier, on Oak Ridge. She was found her there, days later, dehydrated, hungry, and tired—but still “at work,” faithfully attending to her injured compatriots and guarding the bodies of the fallen.

Despite enduring bullet wounds and injuries, Sallie fought alongside her unit nearly until the war’s end. Sadly, on February 6, 1865, during the Union advance at Hatcher's Run, Virginia, she was struck by a bullet and killed. So beloved and respected was the terrier, that several soldiers put aside their arms to bury her on the spot, despite being under fire.

25 years later, in 1890, the surviving members of the 11th gathered at Gettysburg for the dedication of a monument erected on Oak Ridge in their honor. The towering statue featured a larger-than-life solider marching at the top…and at the bottom? Was a bronzed likeness of Sallie Mae, lying at the base keeping watch over her troops, just as she had during her life.

Strelka and Belka

These hero dogs boldly went where no man…er, dog…went before!  

On August 19, 1960, Soviet space dogs Belka (which translates to “Squirrel” or "Whitey") and Strelka (meaning “Little Arrow”) became the first living creatures to be shot into orbit and return to earth safely. The pair’s successful journey in Sputnik 5 paved the way for Yuri Gagarin to make the first manned spaceflight eight months later.

Neither dog (both of whom had been rescued off the streets), suffered any ill effects from the journey. Live footage showing the chreerful pups as they floated in zero gravity delighted the world. The duo returned home as adored celebrities and were immortalized in everything from figurines and statues to comics and postage stamps.  They even went on tour, each wearing her own custom-made jumpsuit.

Strelka later had a litter of 6 pups with Pushok, a fellow Soviet space program dog. One of Strelka’s puppies, Pushinka (“Fluffy”) was presented to Caroline Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. 

In the spirit of Cold War détente, romance blossomed with Pushinka and Charlie, another of the Kennedys’ dogs, resulting in four puppies nicknamed “pupniks” by JFK. Descendants of Strelka the space dog are still living today across the U.S. 

You can watch footage of Belka and Strelka before, during, and after their space flight here.

Faith

Man’s best friend has four legs…unless she doesn’t. Meet Faith, the bipedal canine who inspired millions around the globe with her positive attitude and happy spirit.

Faith was born in an Oklahoma flea market with two fully functioning rear legs, but only a single malformed stub for a front leg (which was later removed). She was adopted by Jude Stringfellow, who took Faith in when the mother dog was found trying to smother the deformed puppy. 

The Stringfellows fell in love with the feisty three-week old chow-lab mix puppy, and even though veterinarians urged them to humanely euthanize her, the family was committed to helping Faith not just survive—but also to thrive.

Jude and her family knew that getting Faith’s chest and head up off the ground would be crucial, so they used peanut butter to get the puppy moving, and with the family’s corgi nipping at her heels, Faith learned to hop around on her rear legs. Eventually, she taught herself to walk.  

Faith didn’t let her disability stop her—and she quickly became an inspiration to everyone from children to retirees to soldiers. Faith and Jude travelled around the world to hospitals, airports, and other places to greet returning soldiers—many of whom had lost limbs or suffered other severe injuries during their deployments.

The plucky pup visited more than 2,300 wounded warriors in hospitals and wards throughout the world, and was seen by more than 2,000,000 active soldiers at bases, airports, and ceremonies. So recognized was she that in 2006, Faith received the honorary rank of E5 Sergeant in the U.S. Army. 

When she wasn’t visiting soldiers, Faith took part in a children’s reading program, and travelled around as a featured guest on talk shows and at other conferences, workshops, and events (she even went on tour with Ozzy Osbourne!).  

Faith passed away in 2014, at the age of 12, her family at her side. 

Hachiko

Being a hero is many things, and sometimes, those things are very simple. This hero dog didn’t fight in a war, or save children from deadly epidemic, or help explore far reaches of the universe. This hero dog simply was…a dog. The loyal, faithful companion that makes us love the canine species so much.

Hachikō was a Japanese Akita, adopted in 1924 by Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo. Every day, Hachikō would accompany his master to the train station to see him off to work, and after woo-wooing his goodbyes, would trot home. Then, in the early evening, Hachi would return to the station and await Professor Ueno’s arrival.

That the dog was never formally trained for this, and undertook the ritual on his own was remarkable enough…what happened next, even more so.

One day, the professor suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while at work. He died instantly—and never came home. But that day, and every day after, at precisely the same time, Hachikō came to the platform, met the train, and waited for his owner. He continued until his own death, more than nine years later.

By the time of his death, everyone knew of the loyal dog who made the lonely trip to wait for his owner every evening. Hachi had become a national celebrity—a symbol treasured by the Japanese people as the spirit loyalty, devotion, and faith. The Akita is revered as the national dog of Japan.

Hachi died on March 8, 1935, from what scientists later determined to be terminal cancer. His body was found near the station, and was laid in state as mourners—including the widow of Professor Ueno—paid their respects.

Hachikō’s remains were interred next to Professor Ueno's grave in Aoyama Cemetery. Today, a statue stands in Shibuya station, with a plaque commemorating him at the exact spot where he waited every day. The nearest gate is called the Hachikō exit. Every year, on the anniversary of his death, people from all over gather at the Shibuya station for a ceremony honoring his loyalty.