HONEY
In September, we lost our precious
Honey ... National Dog Day's Hero Dog of 2006
who was hit and killed by a car. Less than a year
later,
ironically and shockingly, she was
killed by the very same thing she saved her
owner from. Honey will be greatly missed.
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Brave puppy saves owner from car accident to earn honor January 10, 2006—The Animal Miracle Foundation has named its “Hero Dog of the Year” for 2006. This year’s courageous canine honoree is Honey, an English Cocker Spaniel puppy from Nicasio, California.
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Honey’s feat of heroism began one autumn day in late
October. She and her owner, Michael Bosch, were just heading out
that morning in Bosch’s SUV when the sunlight blinded him. With his
sight momentarily limited, Bosch misjudged the turning range he had
between the driveway and a deep ravine running on the other side of the
road. The vehicle, with Bosch and Honey inside, rolled over five times
then dropped 50 feet down a ravine and landed upside down. Bosch
hung upside down for eight hours, trapped by a tree that had come
through the roof of the car, crushing his legs. He was still recovering
from a heart attack he had suffered just two months prior. The car was
on an isolated 70 acres with the nearest neighbor ¼ mile away. Bosch
realized that Honey, who was only 5 months old at the time, was his only
possible salvation. He managed to release her through the gaping hole
in the windshield and urged her to find help.
Honey made her way from the accident site through a half-mile of bramble through the thick forest, finally ending up on the doorstep of Robin Allen. Honey pawed at Allen and whimpered for her to follow. According to Allen, Honey literally “was bringing me (to the accident scene). She was directing me.”
When they reached Bosch inside the mangled vehicle, Honey paced back and forth like a worried parent. By the time rescue crews arrived, Bosch’s pulse had weakened and, if not for Honey’s act of heroism, he would not have survived.
Honey’s story becomes all the more remarkable when you consider that Bosch rescued her from a local shelter just two weeks before the accident.
“We chose Honey as the National Dog Day Hero Dog of 2006 because she went above and beyond the call of duty to show she truly is man’s best friend,” said Foundation Director, Paige. “Here was a dog that had just found a new family, but her loyalty was strong enough to save the life of her owner. Honey is the perfect example of everything dogs are capable of; of everything they contribute to our society.”
“I am so honored to have my puppy Honey honored this
way,” says Bosch. “She deserves it – she saved my life.”
As part of her reward for “canine chivalry”, on National Dog Day, it
seems Honey’s favorite food is Nutro and as part of her reward, Nutro is
kicking in a full year’s supply of food to keep Honey in champion form.
"Honey is an incredible dog and we are extremely proud of her. When we learned she was a member of the Nutro family, we were honored to know our product helped fuel her to being named 2006 National Dog Day Hero Dog of The Year,” says Ladd Hardy, Senior VP Marketing, Nutro Products, Inc.
National Dog Day's major focus is to pay homage to the unconditional love, companionship and bravery that dogs bring to us on a daily basis. Whether its service dogs that help the blind, handicapped or other-wise challenged humans, military dogs that serve in wars and public disasters (bomb-sniffing, hurricane relief, 9/11 rescue) or our own loving companions, National Dog Day will celebrate all dogs, from all walks of life.