Tails of courage celebrated at the Purina Hall of Fame

From Left to right top: Lynn O’ Conner & Kyra, Constable Matthew Williamson & Quanto. From Left to right bottom: Adam Shaw & Rocky, Chyrl Field & Meskie
Photo: Purina Hall of Fame/ inductees

This year’s induction brought tears of joy, gratitude and sorrow to the animal guardians and guests attending the 46th annual Purina Hall of Fame. Four dogs and one cat were honored for their acts of bravery and courage.

Highlights included a video presentation about their acts of heroism. Followed by a red carpet walk with their handler to the stage to be given a medal. The short walk was met with the whirl of the camera’s clicking and a crescendo of joyful clapping by onlookers, whose tears flowed freely. It was an emotional day with plenty of tissues on hand needed for this year’s Canadian animal heroes ceremony held at PawsWay.

There was Kira and Jake, two German Shepherds from Peterborough, ON who saved their guardian Lynn O’Conner when a bear attacked her, biting her stomach and upper thigh. The dogs fought the bear desperately to draw attention away from Lynn. First Jake tried, then Kira who barked and bit at the bear to get its attention to giving chase, which it did. Lyn was able to escape and has since made a full recovery. Sadly, Jake passed away in November of old age.

In memory, Quanto, from Edmonton, AB, a five-year-old police dog that died in the line of duty last October 2013. His life was cut short by an assailant who had stabbed him to death, his partner Constable Matthew Williamson did his very best to try to save him by ferrying him to the nearest trauma centre where veterinarians tried to work on Quanto.

Another Canadian hero is Rocky, from Fort Saskatchewan; AB a Husky-Labrador mix along with his human companion Adam Shaw came to the rescue of two girls Samantha and Krymzen last March 2013. One of the girls had fallen through the ice and her older sister Samantha was trying to rescue her and she fell in and was carried away on the North Saskatchewan River. Krymzen was pulled out. Adam had Rocky jump back in the water to swim towards the older sister, and for her to onto grab onto Rocky’s leash, she held onto it while Shaw called Rocky back towing the young girl. Both sisters were treated and released.

This year’s heroine puss is Meskie, a 17-year-old Calico-Angora mix from Little Shemogue, NB. In August 2013, Chyrl Field a retiree was asleep in her reclining chair when a fire broke out in the front of her house. It was her cat Meskie’s persistence on pouncing on her stomach, waking her up. Field understood something was wrong and had to get out of the house. It was a close call. If it had not been for Meskie alerting Chyrl to the fire that night – Chyrl knows the pair would have perished.

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