Dog Saves Baby Before He Goes Overboard

Dogs are real guard animals, especially towards children. No matter the breed or the size of the animal, they will always be ready to help us when we need them, without even having to ask them. This is the case of a dog who rescued a baby that was about to end up in the sea.

The protective instinct is a particularly developed characteristic in dogs, and it is closely linked to their social structure. Being animals accustomed to living in packs regulated by a very specific organization, dogs acquire a sense of group that leads them to watch over all the other members of the pack.

We hear about this type of examples very often, and today we will talk about a fact that has remained impressed for its extraordinary nature.

A hero dog

In September 2013, a video was released online which, since then, has not stopped circulating, becoming increasingly popular.

The incident took place on a beach in Turkey, during a family walk. A mother was playing with the family dog ​​while keeping an eye on her baby, who was playing in the sand next to her.

The game consisted in throwing a twig, which the dog retrieved and returned to its mistress. In a moment, while the woman was waiting for the dog to return the stick, the baby began to crawl quickly towards the sea.

Realizing that the child was about to reach the water, the dog forgot about the game and ran in its direction, slipping between it and the sea in order to prevent the child from being overwhelmed by the force of the waves. After a few moments the mother arrived to retrieve the baby and put him to safety.

The video spread quickly after being uploaded to YouTube, and it caused debates over whether the dog’s gesture was conscious (he knew the baby was in danger), or whether it was a mere coincidence.

The relationship between dogs and babies

To understand this dog’s behavior, it is necessary to keep in mind a fundamental aspect of the way dogs relate to us.

The social structure of dogs is hierarchical, that is, it provides for the presence of a leader (the alpha member), a role occupied by the master or owners based on the characteristics of the breed.

In environments where children are present, the role of the adult is increasingly important compared to that of minors, a factor that leads dogs to relate to them as if they both belonged to the same hierarchical level. This is why these animals are great playmates for the little ones.

An aspect to keep in mind when you have children and you decide to keep a dog at home, is the importance of clearly establishing the hierarchical organization: if the dog sensed that the child’s mother has a lower role than the child himself, he may have a rejection of the little one. On the contrary, if he considers the mother the alpha limb, he will adopt the child and respect him.

Author: Freebird

However, things change in the case of newborns, as  dogs treat babies as if they were their own puppies, and therefore tend to watch them more carefully.

Dogs are able to identify human babies (just like their own puppies) as the weakest members of the pack, and consequently in need of greater control.

In fact, it is known that dogs warn their owners when the baby wakes up, that they take care of them as their own puppy, that they always keep an eye on them to check that they do not go away and that people or animals flee. considered threats to the little ones.

With all this in mind, it is easy to understand the fact that the dog was actually looking after the baby, as a dog would never even allow his own puppies to go near the water and risk drowning.