A 7-year-old German Shepherd/wolf mix named Shana is quite a canine hero in Alden, N.Y., as the story spreads of her efforts to save her owners during an October surprise storm.
Eve and Norman Fertig, both 81 years old, were treating injured birds in the wildlife sanctuary on their Alden, N.Y., property last October when they got hit by a surprise storm. They left as the storm intensified, but were soon trapped by falling trees and heavy snow as they tried to walk back to their home. Eve realized they could die in the bitter cold, but, fortunately, their dog, Shana, a 7-year-old German shepherd/wolf mix, was with them.
As the cold and snow chilled Eva and Norman, who were without heavy coats and gloves, Shana started digging under the snow and trees.
The dog dug a 20-foot-long, foot-wide tunnel to the home.
Shana barked, and when the couple hesitated, the dog came back and tugged on Eve’s jacket. Eva says the 160-pound dog pulled her onto its back and crawled through the tunnel. Her husband held on as well as they slowly crawled all the way back to their home. They made it back to the back deck and opened their door, falling into the house exhausted but safe.
From the archives - originally published February 2007