We've all heard stories of true heroic efforts from dogs -- some have alerted owners to fires or intruders, others have chased off threatening animals. I even read of a large Lab who dragged his injured owner to safety on a hiking trip.

I'm not asking for stories of that magnitude, but has your dog shown any hero qualities? Do you think he or she would rise to the occasion if the opportunity presented itself?

I'll start on a small scale.

Rusty, Lab: On at least three occasions, he's intervened when he believed another dog was threatening my Yorkies. He's no fighter, and he prefers being left alone entirely, but twice at dog meetups and at least once while on a walk, he's placed himself between an intruder and the Yorkies. In a desperate situation, I think he could save their lives.

Alex, Lab: This is more obscure, but a Lab I owned for 14 years was pretty intuned to my moods. One day years ago I was living alone and especially depressed about a relationship. I was lying in bed, maybe even crying. He hopped up on a waterbed that he hated and comforted me. It worked. He was my hero that night.

Funny how my two Labs don't seem to be the smartest of dogs I've owned, but they've shown the only hero qualities I've seen in dogs.

How about your dogs? Any heroes out there?