German Shepherd Hero.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska State Troopers are presenting a special award to Buddy, a German Shepherd that led authorities to a fire at his owners' property near Willow.

Buddy will receive the engraved silver-plated dog bowl Friday afternoon in Anchorage.

Troopers say Buddy and his owner, 23-year-old Ben Heinrichs, were in the family workshop on the Caswell Lakes property April 4 when a heater ignited chemicals.

Heinrichs, who sustained minor flash burns on his face, dashed out as the fire grew. He then told Buddy "we need to get help."

The dog took off and eventually found a trooper responding to a call about the fire. Buddy led the officer through winding back roads to the house and the trooper guided firefighters to the scene.

The workshop was destroyed, but only some window trim on the house was damaged

Lab Loyal to Owner, Even in Death

Through the last six years of his life, Parley Nichols, 81, never left his Hartville, Ohio, home without his dog Lady. The two were best friends, soul mates and constant companions who took care of each other.

So when Parley, who had developed dementia, went missing on April 8, it was no surprise that Lady, his 6-year-old golden retriever that he bought as a puppy, was also gone.

"Dad had been wandering around, and we kept looking for him for a solid week, sending out flyers, doing whatever we could," Terry Nichols, one of Parley's two sons, tells PEOPLEPets.com. "With his dementia, he would struggle to hear you talk to him, then four hours later he seemed okay. We were very worried."

Finally, a neighbor called saying someone had driven by a field outside of town and heard a dog barking, trying to attract attention. But when Nichols and other family members drove to the area, they found nothing.

"When we went a second time to a different place by a creek, we found Lady and my dad, who was already dead," Nichols tells PEOPLEPets.com. "Lady was standing by his side protecting him. We are sure that she never left my dad for seven days, staying alive by drinking water from the creek."

Lady didn't know what to do when she saw other members of the Nichols family arrive at the scene on April 14. They had to pull her away from her master and place her in the back of their pickup truck.

"I don't know how dogs perceive things but she knew she had to stay with dad no matter what," says Nichols. "And she did."

Decorative Luggage Tags

"Do it, Say it, Wear it!" That is the motto of Studio250.com, an online store. Unforunately they don't have any other canine items other than these luggage tags at this time. If you like their store, let them know and send them a note stating you'd like to see more dog-centic accessories.

Make your bag stand out with this adorable luggage tag. Made of durable rubber and 4" x 2" large size will easily seen. Reverse side contains a plastic protected card to fill out our personal contact information. Don't leave home without it!

We went and checked these out for you. In addition to what is pictured above, they also have tags representing a Terrier and Dachshund. They have a price tag of $12

'Ritz'-y canines

At the Miami (South Beach) location of the Ritz-Carlton, you're not the only guest that has the ability to be pampered.

For a prices starting at $250 (in addition to the human price tag), the Ritz is offering quite an experience for your pooch.

Rooms feature a luxurious four-poster dog bed with Italian Frette sheets, made-to-order doggie treats from the kitchen, and water bowls filled with Fiji or Evian water.

Why not finish with a relaxing massage, color enhancement, and grooming?

Top 10 Pet Health Claims

According to the ASPCA, fewer than 10% of pets are covered by insurance.

Out of the reported claims, here are the top 10 claims (2009 and running):

1. Ear infections
2. Skin allergies
3. Pyoderma/hot spots
4. Gastritis/vomiting
5. Enteritis/diarrhea
6. Urinary tract infections
7. Benign skin tumors
8. Osteoarthritis
9. Eye inflammation
10. Hypothyroidism

VIDEO: Dog Sled

Sorry it's been a while since our last post, but sometimes life outside the internet takes over.

Anyway, here is a cute two minute video of some golden labs playing in the snow we thought you may enjoy. There's nothing like seeing a pet, or any animal for that matter, discover something new to enjoy and then begin to play.

http://www.dogwork.com/snow2/