A Dog Saves a Man's Life in Málaga
Written and verified by the lawyer Francisco María García
There are stories of people that owe their life to a dog’s heroic action. Sometimes the dog even risked his own life when saving the person’s. Stories like these have transcended public opinion. It is very common for rescue teams to use dogs for specific actions; it has a highly proven success rate.
The dog that saved his life
A resident of Seville that was drowning in the port of Málaga owes his life to a dog’s barking. This made it possible for his owner to come see what was happening and notice the man in the water. He quickly informed the Port Police to start the rescue mission. This operation was started thanks to Nanook.
The person in the water was over 60 years old and suffered various injuries, so they transferred him to a hospital for recovery. To get him out of the water, the Port Police agents had to dry him with blankets. Then, they put him in their patrol car with the heat at maximum temperature to warm him up.
Nanook’s heroic act
Like he does every morning, Nanook, a one-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, went out for a walk with his owners Alba and Jose Ignacio. They left around 7:30am and were close to the number 1 dock of the Málaga port. They say that Nanook is a very calm and good animal, and always wanting to play.
When they were coming back home, the animal started to bark insistently. This is not common for him, and even less so if there is nobody around, which was usually the case so early in the morning. Since the dog wouldn’t stop barking and pushing his owner, the owner stopped following him. He was able to hear faraway cries for help from an older man in the water. Jose Ignacio calmed him down and sounded the alarm.
The Civil Guard and the Port Police came to the site along with Málaga port operators and other people that were walking by at that time. While the rescue was taking place, Nanook was waiting nervously to see what would happen. When they rescued the man and the sanitary services arrived, the animal returned home like he does everyday, satisfied with his action.
The help of dogs saves your life
The vast majority of cases in which a dog saves a person’s life are done by animals that have not been trained for it. In many cases, they do not even know who they are helping. Different studies keep generating conclusive data about the reasons why our dogs do these actions.
Researchers still cannot confirm with certainty if the dogs are motivated internally to help people, or if it’s simply that they are able to react in specific situations following a certain behavior.
Dogs in general have a special motivation to help human beings, even strangers; the important thing is that the dog understands that we need his help.
Protecting the pack
You need to remember once again that dogs come from wolves. They are used to life in a pack, with mutual aid, coordination, vigilance, and protection for all the members of said pack. Therefore, when a dog considers people as part of his pack, this instinct comes out in very difficult or delicate situations.
As we can see, it would be a kind of sense of teamwork or the common good. Even though many people say that dogs have fidelity and love for all people, the explanation for these rescue acts is based more on dogs’ predisposition to form part of a group and protect the members of that group.
Source of the main image: Neil Barnwell
This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.