The news can be tough to watch when the main characters are liars, murderers and crazies. However, there are heroes in everyday stories. Being a hero does not have to be a profession. These stories prove that a little bravery exists in all of us. So step aside losers, let’s hear it for the heroes.

“I’ll go to jail for my dog”
What would you do if your puppy broke his leg and you couldn’t afford the medical bill? For 19-year-old Bronson Stewart from New Zealand, euthanasia was not an option for his pup “Buck.” The puppy was hit by a car and needed either his leg pinned back together or to have it amputated, but Stewart could not afford either procedure. The clinic would not give Stewart his dog back because they wanted the puppy to be put out of his pain. Stewart, who said Buck was like his brother, returned to the clinic to “visit.” Next thing the clinic knew Stewart was running away with puppy in arms, stealing his own dog. At this point in time the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals) got involved out of concern for the puppy. This story is nostalgic of Dorothy’s plight to save Toto. Of course, the clinic and the SPCA do not serve as an adequate Almira Gulch, they were correct in their reasoning. The true lesson of this story is that the media does have a positive power. When Stewart appeared on television defending his “theft,” the New Zealand public called in by the hundreds, donating over $625, well over the amount needed to save Buck’s leg. There is no bond like a boy and his dog, so bravo to the people of New Zealand for upholding that moral.

3 years, 3 digits
There is the saying “Everything I learned, I learned in kindergarten.” However, this story proves it is never too early to learn about safety. Three-year-old Jaden Bolli was spending the day with his grandmother in her home in Maple Shade, N.J. When his grandmother reached to get a puzzle for them to play with, she had a seizure. Jaden, being the only one in the house, found a phone and dialed 911. The 911 coordinator thought the call was very unusual because most calls from children that young are dialed by accident. However, Jaden Bolli knew exactly what he was doing; just a few days prior his mother had taught him what to do if something bad were to happen. Thanks to Jaden and his smart mother, his grandmother made it to a hospital to be treated.

Cat-astrophe averted
A fire is one of the most frightening dangers to be faced with, sudden and rampant. A couple expecting twins were asleep on their living room couch when their house filled with smoke from a fire in their bedroom. The couple’s 13-year-old white and brown tabby cat, “Baby,” jumped on them and woke them up. The couple called 911 and ran out of the house with their dog and Baby; however, the hero cat went missing after the fire. Luckily, the strictly indoor cat has been reunited with the family she saved.