Terminally Ill Dog Hailed As ‘Hero’ After Foiling Attempted Burglary

A terminally ill hospice dog is being hailed as a “hero” after foiling an attempted robbery at his foster carer’s home.

Tango is in renal failure and has a heart murmur. “Tango’s previous family was no longer able to care for him so he was surrendered to our shelter,” KC Routos, from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL), told Newsweek.

“While Tango is doing well in his foster home, it’s hard to guess what his prognosis is so the foster homes make sure their time is special.”

Tango is currently being fostered through the shelter’s Golden Paw Hospice foster program which was set up to help provide in-home care for those cats and dogs at ARL who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

A little tender love and care can make a huge difference to a shelter pet—especially a dog like Tango. A 2018 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science concluded that just 15 minutes of one-on-one petting was enough to boost the well being of a shelter dog.

The Golden Paw Hospice foster program represents a natural extension of that, with unwell pets getting the love and care they need in a setting away from the noise and activity of the shelter.

“Our amazing hospice fosters open their hearts and homes to ARL hospice dogs who are in need of a loving home to share their final months, and sometimes years, with,” Routos said.

Tango had been enjoying his most recent stay with a foster family, who were quick to note his “talkative” demeanor. During the past few weeks, Tango had been known to bark at everything from people to squirrels and even stray plastic bags.

But a little over a week ago, Tango’s talkative nature proved surprisingly useful. According to ARL, late into the evening of Sunday, February 25, an intruder broke into his foster family’s home.

Tango was the first to react and, according to the shelter, began “barking intensely,” alerting his sleeping foster family that something was wrong. In doing so, he also managed to scare the intruder off. Though a few small items were missing, far worse may well have been taken had Tango not intervened.

Though his foster family have been left understandably shaken by the experience, the ARL said that Tango has been keeping a close eye on things, watching out of the front window of the house for anything suspicious.

A brave pup who likes toys, snuggles and a comfy bed, Routos believes Tango’s actions serve as an example of the special bond that can be struck up between a foster carer and their hospice dog.

“Tango’s story represents how truly special the human-animal bond is—and how amazing shelter animals are because many often come from families who showed them unconditional love and have needed to make a difficult decision to surrender their pet due to life’s circumstances,” Routos said.

“Fostering changes lives—not only the animal’s life, but also the people who generously open their home to them as Tango’s story shows.”

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