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Brave
English Setter Named 44th Reward Dog Hero of the Year
 Newport, KY - Sadie, a three-year-old English
Setter from Bethpage, Tenn., has been named the new Reward
Dog Hero of the Year. Sadie is the 44th winner of this prestigious
pet award, which is sponsored by Heinz Pet Products.
On a winter
day, Sadie and her owner, Michael Miller, set out behind their
home to the woods to hunt. Michael had taken this trek frequently,
as he is an avid quail hunter. When they had traveled about
one-third of a mile, and out of sight of their home, Michael,
only 36 years old, had a severe heart attack.
To get
his dog's attention, Michael blew the whistle around his neck
before collapsing to the ground. Sadie quickly arrived at
Michael's side. When Michael realized he could not walk back
home because of the blinding pain, he reached out and grabbed
Sadie's collar. Sensing danger, Sadie took charge and dragged
Michael, who was now fading in and out of consciousness, over
a hill back to his home and up to his back door.
Sadie
then barked and howled until Michael's wife, Lisa, came to
the back door and found Sadie standing alongside her unconscious
husband. Lisa then called for an ambulance, and Michael was
rushed to the Saint Thomas Heart Institute in Nashville, Tenn.
where he underwent emergency triple bypass surgery.
"I certainly
would have died in those woods if Sadie had not been with
me," said Michael. "I could have never made it on my own,
and it's amazing that she was able to drag me back to the
house." Michael weighs about 180 pounds; Sadie weighs 45 pounds.
Michael
has now returned to good health, and Sadie is being showered
with extra love and attention from the whole Miller family.
For being chosen the 44th Reward Dog Hero of the Year, Sadie
will receive a year's supply of Reward dog food, an engraved
dog bowl, a dog hero medal, a certificate of merit and a $500
cash prize. A friend of the Miller family read about the Reward
Dog Hero program in a local newspaper and nominated Sadie
for the award.
"Sadie
is a wonderful companion, and I love her very much. I think
with the prize money she has earned, I'm going to build her
a new pen," Michael stated.
In this
year's Reward Dog Hero of the Year contest, four runners-up
will also be awarded a $200 cash prize and a certificate of
merit.
Runners-Up
Bubba,
a black Labrador from Transer, Pa., pulled his nine-year-old
master, Michael Gabriel, by the jacket from a rain-swollen
creek. The young boy had gone to investigate the swiftly moving
stream that spans the family's 10 acres, when he slipped and
fell in.
Blackie
and Comet, two mixed breeds from Freedom, Ind., saved
Evelyn Jewell VanSickle's life. Evelyn went to her barn to
change a light bulb when she slipped off the ladder and fell
to the ground. She lay slumped against bales of hay and couldn't
move. Her dogs snuggled close, keeping her warm, and alive,
while the temperature outside plummeted to 41 degrees. Finally,
after 48 hours, she was rescued and treated for dehydration,
hypothermia and broken bones.
Duke,
a 12-year-old Welsh Corgi, from Cathedral City, Calif., pushed
his 85-year-old owner, Jack Lustman, out of the way of an
oncoming truck, saving his life. Jack and Duke were taking
their regular morning walk, but because of road construction
along the usual route, Jack decided to cross in the middle
of the block. As Jack stepped off the curb, Duke barked and
pulled at the leash, yanking Jack back onto the sidewalk just
as a truck going the wrong way sped by. The truck missed Jack
by a matter of inches.
Jake,
a nine-year-old Boxer from Cave Creek, Ariz., saved his seven-year-old
owner, Courtney Hanse, from a rattlesnake. When Courtney came
eye-to-eye with the snake, the usually mild-mannered Jake
knocked Courtney out of the way and then attacked the snake.
Jake sustained several snake bites before Courtney's mother
and her brother pinned the rattlesnake down with a shovel
and killed it. Jake has recovered fully.
Rowdy,
a three-year-old Golden Retriever from Fort Worth, Texas,
saved the life of his owner, Karin Martin, who has a chronic
medical condition requiring her to take nourishment from a
feeding tube inserted into her heart. One night, as Karin
slept, the tube became dislodged and instead of the nutrients
trickling in, blood was spurting out. Rowdy began licking
Karin's face and nudging her chin with his nose to waken her.
When Karin awoke, she managed to shut off the valve. Had Rowdy
not roused her, Karin's doctros say she would have bled to
death.
Reward
is proud to sponsor this program which rewards heroic dogs
for their feats every year. For more information on Reward
and the heartwarming stories of the Reward Dog Hero Program
visit www.rewarddog.com
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