Dog Names Meaning Happy | Popular Male and Female Names | Wag! - Wag! (2024)

Felix was the name given to a mixed breed stray that was taken in bythe firefighters of Engine Co. 25 in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago sometimebetween 1910 and 1920. Where he came from is disputed, some say he was a pupleft on the doorstep, others say he was an injured dog given to the firehouse, andstill, others say he found his way therehimself. He learned the alarm bells and would hop on the firetrucks, ready foraction, and had his picture taken on one of the first motorized water pumptrucks. Felix started out guarding the firetrucks while the men were fightingthe fire, but it didn’t take long before he became more involved. Stories tellof a dog who climbed ladders and into thefire with the fireman, sometimes helping them to find ways out of the infernoand once alerting them to the presence of an infant child, saving it from a tragicdeath. From the time he started with the Firemen until his death on the job in1926 when he was struck by a motorist, Felix missed only one run in his entirecareer. The uncommon mutt was honored after his passing with honors reservedfor those who died in the line of dutyand buried in a fine mahogany casket, and a bronze statue of Felix standsoutside the Palos Hills Library.

Chara, a Norwegian Elkhound, was a hero for Kris Church-DiCicco rightfrom the start. Kris has been deaf since birth and in 2007 Chara was partneredwith Kris to help her be more aware of the auditory world around her by alertingher to telephones, doorbells, and crying children around the home and dangerslike sirens or oncoming traffic when out and about. Then in 2008, Kris sufferedan accident at work that caused her to develop a disorder known as Reflex SympatheticDystrophy type II with Dystonia. It’s acomplex disorder that is still not clearly understood by the medical communityin which the sufferer experiences episodes of intense pain and swelling thatare often accompanied by uncomfortable changes in the skin. These episodes,known as myoclonic dystonic attacks, are often unpredictable and can bedebilitating. Chara decided that this would be her purview as well, and shetook it upon herself to learn how to detect oncoming attacks 15 to 45 minutesbefore they hit and began to alert her owner. Chara once again proved herheroism when Kris’s son Nicholas developed a severe cold at just two weeks old and stopped breathing. The ever-alert little Elkhound quickly summoned herhandler and the newborn was saved. For her life-saving efforts Chara washonored with the 2015 Hero Award in the Guide/Hearing dog category which shereceived in Los Angeles, where she and her family attended the American HumaneAssociation Hero Dog Awards gala, and her story has been told in multipledifferent books, including “Loyal” a book put out by National Geographic.