A January 26 car accident left Shannon Lorio battered and bloodied. In a remote, wooded area, she lost control of her car on a curve. Her car went off the road and down an embankment, and she was thrown from the car and onto the trunk. She remembers pain, and bleeding, and an enormous presence above her.
That presence belongs to a dog now called Hero — a two year old German shepherd who likes to wander. Too many horror movies gave Lorio a moment of panic that the dog was going to eat her; instead, the seventy pound Hero grabbed Lorio by the collar of her shirt and dragged her fifty yards through briars and underbrush, back to the edge of the highway. Hero waited and let Lorio lean on him until she could flag down another motorist for help.
Lorio believes Hero is a fitting name for her four-legged savior, and believes that she owes her life to the dog.
I was especially touched by this story because Hero’s owners have decided to give him up — they signed him over to the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society after the accident because he kept making a break from the house and yard. My own Moose dog came to me because his people surrendered him for being “too stubborn”. I’m sure his love of great escapes had something to do with it, too.
Lorio would adopt Hero herself, if she didn’t already have six dogs. Instead, she’s been showering him with toys and treats in gratitude. And Hero won’t be in the shelter for long — more than fifty people have come forward to offer to give the heroic dog a new home. A local dog trainer will also evaluate him to see if Hero might not be perfect for search and rescue work.
More stories about heroic pets:
- Hero Dog Dies During Rescue
- German Shepherd Saves Toddler
- Belle the Beagle Saves Diabetic Owner
- Flint Michigan’s Pit Bull Hero
- Hurricane Katrina’s Heroic Lab