5 Animals Whose Stories Will Inspire You.

Animals are beautiful and amazing creatures, these amazing creatures perform heroic and amazing acts that are most times beyond their capacity.

We heard of dogs performing heroic acts during wartimes, cats solving murder cases, and birds helping with communications. Here are 7 animals whose stories will genuinely inspire you.

1. Smoky the four-pound Yorkshire Terrier

During World War II, American soldiers were under attack on an airfield in the Philippines. The only way they could communicate from the airfield was by running telephone lines through an underground pipe.

Getting humans to place the lines would’ve been challenging and dangerous, so it was Smoky to the rescue! She belonged to a corporal, who called her and helped her find the way through the pipe with the wires attached to her collar.

In addition to saving as many as 250 people’s lives by allowing the construction of the communication line, Smoky was also just a morale booster and a calming, happy presence to have around for the soldiers and for hospital patients. She is remembered as one of the earliest-ever therapy dogs.

2. Snowball

In 1994, a murder case rocked the small Prince Edward Island, located off the coast of Canada. A 32-year-old woman named Shirley Duaguay went missing, and her body was found months later.

Most people believed that her estranged husband, who was known to be abusive, was to blame. However, there was no evidence to convict him. That is until someone found a bag in the woods containing a blood-stained jacket, sneakers, and some white cat hairs. The victim’s husband, Douglas Beamish, owned a white cat named Snowball.

A geneticist at the United Cancer Institute ran a DNA test and matched the cat hairs from the bag with Snowball’s DNA. Paired with some evidence from the victim’s body, Snowball’s “testimony” was enough to convict Beamish. It was the first time non-human DNA was used in a murder case. Since then, pet DNA has helped solve many violent crimes.

3. Pickles

In 1966, the Jules Rimet trophy (the precursor to the FIFA World Cup trophy) was stolen from its supposedly secure location in London’s Central Hall shortly before the start of the World Cup.

The British detectives on the case all came up empty. High-profile companies offered rewards to anyone who found the trophy. And then, a week after the cup disappeared, a man named David Corbett was walking his dog in a South London neighbourhood when the pup, Pickles, started sniffing around underneath a bush.

Corbett came over to investigate, and, sure enough, the Jules Rimet trophy was tucked underneath, wrapped in newspaper.

For his find, Pickles received a silver medal from the National Canine Defence League and even appeared in a spy film called The Spy with a Cold Nose. It’s especially incredible considering that Pickles wasn’t a police dog, or specially trained in any way

4. Sergeant Stubby

Sergeant Stubby, a mixed breed dog with a stubby tail, started out as a stray who hung around a group of soldiers while they were training in New Haven, CT. He eventually became the most famous canine hero of WWI.

Stubby served in 17 battles in France alongside his best friend Private J. Robert Conroy and the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. The fearless pup performed a number of vital roles, including alerting troops to incoming gas attacks, catching German spies, locating missing soldiers in between the trenches, and boosting morale.

At the war’s end, the brave dog received a medal from Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American forces in Europe, who saluted the dog’s “heroism of highest calibre” and “bravery under fire.” The famous hero dog led parades, met three Presidents, and became the mascot of Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

5. Cher Ami the pigeon

During World War I, this homing pigeon lived up to her name and was a “dear friend” to the American troops.

Cher Ami delivered 12 messages during her service to the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France, but none was more important than the missive she delivered in early October 1918.

On that day, Major Charles White Whittlesey and more than 500 men were trapped behind enemy lines without food or ammunition.  Afraid that his battalion would be killed by friendly fire, Whittlesey attempted to send messages to his compatriots via pigeon.

The first two birds were shot down, but Cher Ami successfully navigated a barrage of fire to deliver this message: “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.” The shelling stopped and the troops were saved. Cher Ami received the Croix de Guerre medal for bravery. Upon her death in 1919, her body was preserved and placed on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

Conclusion

On a lighter note, I think DJ Cuppy’s dogs should make this list. Recall that the Nigerian Disc Jockey and Producer Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola professionally known as DJ Cuppy revealed that some Nigerians are sending their account details to her dogs. However, we can not verify that the dogs credited their bank account otherwise, it would’ve inspired kindness. LOL.