Dog Saved Elderly Lady from Tsunami?

You may have seen the video of the dog in Japan that refused to leave the side of another canine injured by the tsunami. Now another heroic dog story has surfaced, but this time it includes a person. Daily Yomiuri Online has reported a twelve-year old shih tzu named Babu very insistently led her owner straight away from their home right before the tsunami struck and up a hill. Immediately after taking their place on the hill, a very large muddy wall of water engulfed their house, where they had been just minutes before.

Babu has a particular way of letting her 83 year-old owner, Tami Akanuma, know when she wants to go out for a walk, but there was something a little different about it that day. Babu was more animated, and the lights in the home had gone out, when she bolted out the front door. She headed away from the normal walking route and instead went towards a hill. Akanuma heard a warning message about a tsunami approaching over the community speaker system, and followed Babu. The dog kept running way, then waiting for Tami to catch up, repeatedly until they had traversed a kilometer. On the hill Tami looked backwards and saw the land they had just crossed covered in cold sea water and mud.

Babu and Tami survived that day, which was the worst of the disaster in terms of the forceful destruction, and are now staying in a shelter with about sixty others. Akanuma’s house was about 200 yards from the coast in Taro-Kawamukai. The average life span is about twelve years and Babu just turned twelve. Some believe Shih tzus descended from Tibetan dogs that lived over ten thousand years ago. Modern day Shih tzus are descended from just fourteen that were saved from the Cultural Revolution.

It has been thought some animals can feel vibrations and hear sounds humans can’t perceive and therefore are alerted earlier to natural disasters like earthquakes.

Image Credit: Public Domain

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Heidi H.

11:21AM PDT on Aug 7, 2012

I've had all sizes of dogs but my littlest dog was the most clever ever. Dogs are so amazing.

August 7
send a green star

Debbie C.

4:27AM PDT on Jul 27, 2012

Awww Babu. I hope you are getting lots of extra hugs and kisses for being such a hero!!

July 27
send a green star

devon l.

2:35AM PDT on Jul 27, 2012

I'm interested in hearing more about the myth that Shih tzus are descended from Tibetan dogs that lived over ten thousand years ago.... Stories from ancient times draw me in !
This was a heartwarming story of where truly dog was womans best friend...loved it..

Gianna M.

3:07PM PDT on Jul 25, 2012

Dogs are wonderful, they company improves our healthy, physical and mental.