ALLIGATOR-FIGHTING DOG NAMED HERO OF THE YEARMIAMI -- A dog that fought an alligator to save its 85-year-old owner has been given the U.S. Dog Hero of the Year Award by Heinz Pet Products.Blue, an Australian blue heeler from LaBelle, Florida, suffered puncture wounds as it saved owner Ruth Gay. She'd fallen on a canal bank near her home while they were out for a nighttime walk. Her cries for help attracted the alligator. The dog fought it off and then led Gay's daughter and son-in-law to where she was lying when they arrived home an hour later. She had broken her nose and dislocated a shoulder. A spokeswoman for the Heinz said, "In all 47 years of this program, we've never had a winner who fought an alligator." |