In 2014, German Shepherd 'Nikki' was posthumously honoured as a canine hero for hauling her owner to safety from a car that plunged down a cliff 17 years ago. When the car was hanging over the cliff, Nikki managed to drag her severely injured owner out and up a steep bank before help arrived. A true hero.
Angels among us
These two rescue dogs didn't save the life of a human - they saved each other. When the pair were due to be put down at a shelter in Atlanta, Georgia (US), a heart-wrenching photograph was posted on Facebook by the online animal welfare group Angels Among Us Pet Rescue. The two hugging dogs melted hearts everywhere, and just two hours after the post went up, both dogs found a new home.
Dory the lifesaver
When Simon Steggall - a diabetic - quietly slipped into a coma on the couch in his Cambridgeshire home in England, it was his one-and-a-half stone rabbit, Dory, that noticed something was wrong. Dory jumped onto Simon and started thumping furiously on his chest until Simon's wife, Victoria, noticed something was wrong - just in time to call the paramedics and save Simon's life.