We’re calling it: Figo is officially the world’s best dog. Here’s why
The next time you rhetorically ask your pet, “Who’s the best dog in the whole wide world?” Remember this name: Figo. Figo, a Connecticut-based Golden Retriever, is, in fact, the BEST DOG in the whole wide world. As a service dog for his blind owner, Audrey Stone, Figo is used to taking extra-special precautions to protect his master. Some of that loyalty stems from extensive training, but some of it is just Figo’s big dog heart.
So when he was crossing the street with Stone recently, and a small bus came hurdling toward them, Figo did the most selfless thing possible. He bravely put body between his owner and the oncoming vehicle so that he might take the brunt of the impact.
“I don’t know if [the driver] thought [Stone] was going to move faster, but it looks like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her,” witness Paul Schwartz told The Journal News.
“The dog took a lot of the blow,” a police chief on the scene confirmed to the paper. “And he did not want to leave [Stone’s] side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.”
Stone suffered a broken ankle, elbow and three ribs. Figo hurt his leg, but he apparently didn’t even whimper. Instead, as EMT workers bandaged the dog, he pulled toward his master to be there for her. When Stone was taken away in an ambulance, Schwartz reports that Figo “seemed a little lost” without her.
Figo received the hero treatment at Middlebranch Veterinary clinic where he has become the star of their Facebook page. The vet clinic is offering daily updates on Figo, stating, “He is resting comfortably and recovering nicely from his wounds.” Earlier today they posted another update that he was “feeling frisky.”
After a media blitz about Figo’s bravery, he continues to inspire goodness all around him. The Journal News reports that “an anonymous benefactor came forward to pay the veterinary bill for the 8-year-old dog.” Our hearts can’t handle this.
When they’ve fully recovered, Stone and Figo will be reunited again. From her hospital bed, Stone, a 62-year-old dog lover, stated, “[Figo] needs the Purple Heart from the president.” Yes, absolutely, and an endless supply of Milk-Bones. That is one good dog.
