Kathie Vaughan was driving a used truck she had just purchased when suddenly it
began to fishtail. Once she brought the truck to a stop, she thought everything
was fine, but she was mistaken. The cabin of the truck was beginning to fill with
thick smoke. Most people would have jumped out of their vehicle, but Vaughan is
a paraplegic and is paralyzed from the waist down by Multiple Sclerosis. Knowing that her truck might explode at any moment, Vaughan tried to push her Rottweiler Eve out of the cabin along with her wheelchair,
but the black smoke prevented her from finding the wheels to her chair.
Vaughan began to panic, but suddenly realized that the Rottie had grabbed her arm
and pulled her out of the truck. Eve then dragged her owner by the ankle ten feet
to safety. A few seconds later, the truck burst into flames. Realizing that the
truck could explode, Vaughan knew that she had to get further away. With her head
and body throbbing in pain, Vaughan could hardly move. Eve then got close to her
owner, offering her collar for support and as the injured woman held on, was dragged
forty feet to safety.
For her heroic act, Eve was awarded the prestigious American Humane Society's William O. Stillman Award for bravery.