Hero Hounds save owners’ lives during the Victorian Bushfires

Amongst all the sadness and tragedy of the Victorian bushfire disaster, stories of courage and remarkable survival have immerged. Amongst them is the story of Levi, a tenacious terrier and previously unwanted stray, who became a hero when he dragged his elderly owner away from their burning house to the safety of the farm dam.

According to the Herald Sun, 90 year old Gladys Cross had her dog Levi on lead, in preparation to evacuate as the fire approached her Steels Creek home, when all of a sudden her house was ablaze. That’s when Levi sprung into action and dragged Gladys 100 meters through smoke and burning grass to the dam where they sheltered for several hours while they watched their property burn. Gladys survived, receiving only minor burns thanks to her quick thinking K9.

Similarly, the miraculous story of Coco and Cody has become a local legend in the Taggerty region. Husband and wife Peter and Nina were away from their house when they heard about the fires and asked their neighbours to rescue their dogs. When Peter met with his neighbours in Alexandra he was distraught to learn that they had not had time to get Coco and Cody to safety. Nina was particularly affected by the news as she considered her dogs to be “her babies”. Struggling to come to terms with the news and refusing to believe her babies were gone Nina was distraught, so her husband took her to hospital.

Whilst in hospital rumours came in from Taggerty that there was a house still standing and that there were dogs inside barking. Residents went to the rescue of the dogs and as they did so they noticed a near-by shed on fire. They were able to extinguish the flames and save three more houses from destruction. Not only did the dogs’ barking save several properties but the news of their survival was the lifeline that saved Nina, their owner.