Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-326) and index.

pt. 1. Domestic companions -- Lulu the pot-bellied pig ... stops traffic -- Dory the rabbit ... leaps into action -- Mkombozi the dog ... rescues an abandoned baby -- Frisky the dog ... kisses his owner -- Honey the cocker spaniel ... meets the neighbors -- Shana the half-breed wolf ... digs a tunnel of love -- Toby the golden retriever ... performs the Heimlich maneuver -- Khan the doberman pinscher ... tosses the toddler -- Willie the Quaker parrot ... learns a new word -- Inky the cat ... knocks on the door -- Angel the golden retriever ... wrestles a cougar -- "Free-of-charge mutts: ... fend of a suicide bomber -- Stormy the quarter horse ... drop kicks a feral boar -- Kabang the aspin ... stops a motorcycle -- Pudding the Maine coon ... plays doctor -- Lilly the pit bull ... Confronts a freight train -- Czarue the stray ... keeps a lost girl warm -- pt. 2. Trained to serve, inspired to heal -- Fonzie the dolphin ... makes a boy laugh -- Dakota the golden retriever ... predicts heart attacks -- Endal the Labrador retriever ... becomes Endal, the wonder dog! -- Roselle the guide dog ... leads the way out -- Trakr the German shepherd ... finds the last survivor -- Rocky the K-9 ... catches an armed fugitive -- Cheyenne the pit bull ... keeps a vet from suicide -- Betsy the quarter horse ... bows to a child -- Molly the pony ... loses a leg and inspires hope -- Chancer the golden retriever ... calms the storm -- Treo the Labrador retriever ... sniffs out a bomb -- Ricochet the surfing dog ... rides with the disabled -- Daisy the Labrador retriever ... detects breast cancer -- Cairo the Belgian malinois ... assists Navy SEAL Team Six -- pt. 3. Wild saviors -- Jambo the gorilla ... comforts a fallen boy -- Ugandan vervet monkeys ... adopt a runaway -- Binti Jua the gorilla ... consoles an injured child -- Donna Nook gray seals ... keep a woman afloat -- Lulu the kangaroo ... saves a farmer -- Bottlenose dolphins ... round up the lifeguards -- Ningnong the elephant ... runs from a tsunami -- Ethiopian lions ... rescue a girl from kidnappers -- Bottlenose dolphins ... stop a shark attack -- Mila the beluga whale ... lifts a drowning diver -- pt. 4. Legends and folktales -- Mediterranean dolphins ... give a Greek poet a ride -- Gelert the wolfhound ... saves the baby -- Moustache the poodle ... joins the French revolution -- Barry der Menschenretter ... saves travelers in the Swiss Alps -- Pelorus Jack ... guides ships through rocky straits -- Sergeant Stubby ... sniffs out gas in WWI -- Wolves in India ... raise two girls in their den -- Togo the Siberian husky ... goes the extra mile -- Chips, dog 11-A ... takes Italian prisoners.