Two heroic pets inducted into the 2024 Purina Animal Hall of Fame
These Dogs Don’t Need Capes or Shields to Be Real-Life Superheroes
MISSISSAUGA, August 3, 2022 – In a time when we could all use some good news, Purina PetCare is honouring three amazing life-saving canines for their heroic acts. This year’s inductees into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame demonstrate that animals will go to extraordinary lengths to protect their loved ones, even in the face of danger.
The Purina Animal Hall of Fame is the longest running Canadian pet-recognition program in history, celebrating outstanding acts of animal heroism since 1968. To date and including this year's newest inductees, there have been 189 animals (161 dogs, 27 cats and one horse) inducted into the program. The three dogs joining the ranks in 2022 were inducted due to their incredible intuition and dedication to their humans.
“The connection between pet and person is an unbreakable bond and each year we are amazed by the ways in which loyal animals save human lives,” said Jenn Terra, VP Marketing, Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada. “This year’s inductees have shown an incredible ability to sense trouble and take action, rescuing their people in distress.”
The 2022 Purina Animal Hall of Fame Inductees:
Daisy: A kind & gentle sweetie pie
Daisy’s Mom Keri Kasaboski was working from her office in the basement of their home, responding to some emails. As her office assistant, Daisy was sitting on the couch next to Keri, waiting for her next task or treat. Her husband, Darin, who had wrapped up a midnight shift earlier that day, was fast asleep in their bedroom upstairs.
Suddenly, Keri felt a “popping” in her brain and she collapsed to the floor. Daisy quickly ran to Keri’s side and sat beside her, licking her face, and rousing her. She couldn’t get up. Keri started calling for Darin, but her voice was weak, and she was drifting in and out of consciousness, so her husband couldn’t hear her. Daisy then darted up the stairs & jumped on the bed where Darin was sleeping.
Darin awoke to Daisy licking his arm and found it unusual behaviour for their pup but thought maybe she just needed to go outside for a washroom break. Darin got up expecting to take Daisy outside, but instead she beelined for the basement. Now hearing Keri’s cry for help, Darin ran down the stairs to the basement behind Daisy and found her lying on the floor. He immediately called 911.
Keri suffered from a Right Ischemic Stroke. Daisy’s swift actions helped Keri get to the hospital for treatment, before the damage was permanent. The doctors were able to completely remove the blood clot that resulted in Keri’s stroke, leaving no residual effects. Keri has thankfully made a full recovery!
Foreman: A highly trained service dog and genuine dynamo
Foreman was born to be a life-saving service dog. A true hero that has helped save the life of his human, Sinéad Zalitach, numerous times since being placed with her in November 2019.
Sinéad has an exceptionally rare and life-threatening condition called Parkes Weber Syndrome, affecting fewer than 800 people worldwide. Due to the rarity of Parkes Weber Syndrome, there aren’t many treatment options for those who live with it.
One chilly November night, Sinéad was awoken from her sleep by licks and nudges from Foreman, who was alerting her to bleeding from arteriovenous malformations (also known as hemorrhaging) in her foot. Foreman quickly sprang into action and retrieved her first aid kit, with bandages, gauze, and a tourniquet, from the shelf beside her bed, as well as her phone, so she could call for help. Without Foreman, it’s very possible that Sinéad would have bled to death in her sleep, or while trying to get help for herself.
Foreman also regularly detects and alerts Sinéad to dangerous blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations, that if undetected would result in fainting.
Foreman is a one-of-a-kind service dog, performing life-saving acts each & every day.
Krypto: A smart, fun-loving Sheepadoodle
Krypto was named by his 6-year-old best friend Jack Harrison who is the biggest Superman fan ever. Little did anyone know that he would live up to his Superhero name in a big way.
The Harrison family was all fast asleep one October evening when Dad Kyle was abruptly awoken by Krypto’s wet tongue licking his face. He ignored Krypto at first, in favour of a solid night of sleep, but Krypto quickly came back with more aggressive licking, pawing, and nudging with his nose. Now awake and suddenly aware that Krypto’s behaviour was very out of character, as he had always been a great night sleeper, he got out of bed. Kyle looked out the window and saw bright orange flames shooting up the side of their house. He ran downstairs and realized that their deck and the side of their house were on fire, with flames now as high as the second storey. Mom Jackie and Kyle quickly got their son and Krypto outside and called for help.
The fire chief believed the cause of the fire was from some grease drippings from the BBQ that sparked and smoldered under the deck before igniting. The fire alarm did not go off as the smoke was outside, so if Krypto had not alerted Kyle when he did, the flames would have gotten into the roof and attic and spread quickly through the house. And with the fire only 3 meters from the gas tank, the family got out just in time.
The fire fully destroyed the deck, the exterior house siding was melted, and the brick was charred. Everyone that mattered that day was safe because of Krypto.
For more information about the Purina Animal Hall of Fame visit our Animal Hall of Fame page.
About Nestlé Purina Petcare Canada
Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world’s most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats.
Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products and our support for pet-related organizations across Canada.
Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.ca.
Contact:
Fiona Provan
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Relations
Nestlé Purina PetCare
905-287-3821
