Meet Sako, the King Shepherd that protected a seriously injured teen for almost two whole days.
Joseph Phillips-Garcia, then 16, was picking wild potatoes and fishing with his cousin, friend, aunt, and dog, Sako, when the car went off the road on their way back. Sako and Joseph were the only two survivors of the crash.
Thrown from the car, Joseph blacked out. When he woke up hours later he could barely move. The Purina news release stated that the loving pup helped the teen every which way he could.
“To help keep him warm, Sako lay close to Joseph and helped move wood closer to him so he could make a fire with the lighter he had in his pocket. To keep him hydrated, Sako helped Joseph to drag himself closer to a nearby creek so he could drink some water. To keep him safe, Sako ran into the bushes and surrounding area to fend off coyotes and other predatory animals who were circling the crash site, howling and posing an imminent threat to Joseph.”
The boy was found forty hours later by his cousin who was searching for the group. Thankfully after a 3-hour rescue process, Joseph was rushed to the hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries on his broken collar bone and femur.
Sako was honored for with a medal for his brave and loyal actions and Purina inducted him into their 47th Animal Hall of Fame round-up.
Check out all of this year’s hero dogs here.
