Jack Russell Terrier the Family Hero

by Mary
(Franklin, IN)

Yasha and Gunner lived in a small Indiana town.

Yasha was not a terribly pretty dog. He was actually a downright odd looking mix of a husky and a greyhound. He didn't do any great deeds. He was a beloved family member, behaved very well, and even did a few tricks, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yasha's mother, a beautiful red Husky, was hit by a car when he was 2 weeks old. He and his six brothers and sisters were bottle fed until they were old enough to eat food and be adopted. Yasha was lucky. He was adopted by his forever home when he was 7 weeks old. He was a good dog, but not extraordinary. When he was two years old he got his first job. His owner worked with horses and Yasha tagged along every day to "guard" the barn. I can't say there was a mean bone in Yasha's body. He loved people as well as other dogs and cats. He would even go out to pasture and play with the horses at work. He showed no aggression toward anyone or anything.

Gunner was a german shepherd that had been kept in a kennel outside with no human interaction for 3 of his 7 years. Yasha's family adopted Gunner because they felt so bad for him. He had problems with his hips and didn't know how to be a family dog, but he wanted to so badly. Slowly, Gunner learned how to ask to be let outside to go to the bathroom. He learned to sit and lay down. He learned that cats were his friends and not his toys. He also loved people. Gunner loved his family's children and his new owners. It had taken 7 years but he had finally found his forever home.

On a nice April afternoon, Yasha and Gunner sat on the porch with Tom. They both loved the porch on nice days. The porch was peaceful. There were birds, rabbits, people walking their dogs, children playing at the small park across the street. Gunner liked to jump down off the porch and lay on the cool ground. The problem was that once he jumped down, he needed Tom's help to get back on the porch. Tom was working on his computer while Yasha and Gunner enjoyed the day. Then there was a growl.

Tom looked up and saw two strange german shepherds come up onto the porch. They were both growling at Tom and began to come toward him. Tom didn't know what to do. As the dogs lunged at Tom, Yasha jumped up and got in between the dogs and his master. A brutal fight began. One of the dogs went for Yasha's front end, while the other went for the back end. Gunner was trying to get back on the porch to help Yasha but couldn't do it on his own. Yasha was bitten many times, thrown into the air, bitten more, and tossed into the air again. Tom did the only thing he could think to do. He reached out and shoved one of the strange dogs as hard as he could. The dog fell off the porch and ran away. The second strange dog followed.

Yasha was bleeding badly. He had bruises that were so dark and swollen, you could see the black and blue skin through his thick white fur. He laid on the porch and shook from fear. Tom immediately called the police and the local animal control. Yasha was taken to the vet right away. He had to have quite a few stitches and 4 different drains put in him to keep fluid from building up.
Yasha is now a hero to his family. Two very large dogs tried to attack his beloved master and he stepped in. This is a dog who adores everyone and everyone loves him. He had never bitten anyone or anything before in the 6 years he had been alive. He didn't know how to fight, but he did it anyway. All to protect someone he loved from being attacked. The results of this could have gone in a far different direction with Tom being torn to bits.

The previous story is 100% true. I was there and witnessed it. I am the fortunate person who adopted Yasha when he was 7 weeks old and Tom is my other half. Yasha is expected to make a full recovery but may need reconstructive surgery for the massive tissue damage to his right side. The two german shepherds were owned by some neighbors whose 3 year old daughter had opened the front door and let the dogs out. They are very upset and remorseful about what their dogs did and have offered to pay all of Yasha's vet bills. I have always been proud of Yasha but this outweighs anything he has ever done. And even though he is still stitched up and wearing a lamp shade on his head, he remains as sweet and well behaved as ever. I don't know what would have happened had he not stepped in and I'm glad that I don't know. He is our hero