Hero Pets 2022: Here are 10 pets that performed acts of heroism in the last 12 months - including Milo the Golden Retriever

These animals all went above and beyond the call of duty in the last year.

As 2022 draws to a close, pet rehoming and adoption specialists Pets4Homes have collated a list of heroic pets from around the UK - and the details of their courageous deeds - to celebrate the bond between pet parents and their animals.

They scoured regional and national news from the past twelve months to find the most impressive and significant feats by our furry friends - from faithful canines who saved their families from house fires to pets who drew attention to people in trouble when out walking.

They then got Pets4Homes users to vote for their top 10.

Lee Gibson, MD at Pets4Homes, said: “Brits are well known to be a nation of animal lovers. We recognise that each animal has something unique and special to offer to both their owners and the wider community, with every pet having their own quirks of personality. This is something that we want to celebrate. Every pet is a hero in their own way: our furry friends bring us joy and companionship. But these pets have also shown their courage by saving lives or raising the alarm to signs of distress and danger, continuing to impress us with their intuition and intelligence. In putting together this round-up of tales of heroism and courage shown by pets throughout the year, we are delighted to shine a light on the achievements of these remarkable animals.”

Here are the pets whose quick actions avoided tragedy.

Coco the Bulldog and Polly the Labrador Retriever

In September, Coco and Polly began barking manically to alert twin sisters Molly and Chloe Appleron-Reeve, aged 24, to a raging fire in the living room of their Cornwall home. These courageous dogs detected the danger well before the smoke alarm went off. The sisters called the emergency services and waited safely outside, thanks to being alerted to the danger by their hero pets.

A number of four-legged heroes have made the headlines in 2022.

Milo the Golden Retriever

Milo, a Golden Retriever guide dog, was nominated for an award from The Kennel Club due to his heroic behaviour. In addition to supporting his owner Scott as a guide dog, he saved his life by preventing him from crossing the road when a police chase meant that crossing was unsafe.

Poppy the Cockapoo

In February, Poppy the dog spotted a man struggling in the sea and barked until her owner realised what she had noticed. Her owner then called the emergency services who were able to save the man from the freezing cold water.

Wally the Miniature Dachshund

Wally the Sausage Dog saved his family from danger by warning them of a house fire - at the time, there were five children in the house. Wally alerted his owner, who was outside, by running over, barking and running back and forth between the house and his owner. His owner was then able to make sure the children got out of the house safely.

Billy the Cat

Billy’s owner, Sam, believes Billy saved her life as he woke her up in the early hours by jumping on her chest and meowing when she began to show signs of being unwell. After being woken by Billy, Sam was able to get her mum to help her and at hospital was diagnosed with a heart attack.

Suki the Saluki-Collie

In July, a 76-year-old man who had fallen 200ft into a ravine while out walking on holiday in Yorkshire was saved by a passing family who were alerted to his predicament by the barking of his dog and were then able to get help. Suki valiantly guarded her injured owner for 36 hours, waiting until she heard people who might be able to help him.

Edgar the Cockapoo

In March, heroic cockapoo Edgar saved a man who was stuck in the mud in Putney, south-west London. Edgar - a hearing dog - alerted his owner, John, who is deaf, to a man stuck in the mud by refusing to move past and leading John to the man. John was then able to help the man to escape from the mud.

Tiny the Yorkshire Terrier

David Salisbury was woken up by Tiny’s relentless barking at 5.30am alerting him to the carbon monoxide alarm, which was set off due to a fire in a nearby property. He credits Tiny’s super-hearing with saving him from the dangerous gas, as he had not heard the alarm sounding downstairs.

Storm the Alaskan Malamute

In May, Storm saved his neighbour’s cats by pushing them out of the window of their burning home and then waited patiently to be rescued himself. Prior to this act of bravery Storm was rewarded back in 2019 for saving his owner from a burglary by stopping the thieves from getting upstairs and chasing them out the house. When Storm is not saving the lives of his owners or rescuing cats from blazing fires, he is assisting and supporting his loving owners on a daily basis. Storm has been awarded a Blue Cross medal

to recognise his amazing bravery.

Ratty the Rat

Rescue rat Ratty saved owner Caroline from a house fire when she fell asleep with a lit cigarette, which began burning a hole in her dressing gown. Ratty sprung into action and moved the cigarette to a non-flammable surface and scampered up Caroline’s leg to wake her.