‘I grabbed the thick fur around her neck……she dug in her claws and pulled me as hard as she could’

In an incredible act of canine heroism, a farm dog valiantly yanked its owner from the grip of icy death in a frozen creek.

With dogged persistence and amazing strength, the pooch pulled, prodded, and pawed her owner up a steep bank and across a wind-whipped pasture to safety.

"Biyou saved my life," a grateful Lisa Parker said. "My tough little dog refused to let me give up."

For her amazing bravery, the 3-year-old Australian shepherd mix won the 46^th annual Skippy Dog Hero of the Year Award.

The ordeal occurred on Parker’s farm near Richmond Dale, Ohio. A prized mare was missing and 42-year-old Lisa went out looking for her.

When Lisa reached a creek and looked down the bank, she saw her horse, Castor Creek, caught in a hole in the ice.

"She’d fallen down the bank and when she tried to stand, the ice broke. She was weak and I had to save her immediately," Lisa recalled.

She worked her way carefully down the bank and grabbed the mare’s halter. When Lisa heaved, she slipped on the frozen earth and landed in the icy water.

"The chest-deep water took my breath away. I was so incredibly cold, I could hardly move," said Lisa.

"I tried to climb out but kept slipping back in, becoming more exhausted with each attempt."

Fading fast, and only minutes form freezing to death, Lisa screamed for help – and Biyou heard her!

"By the time she arrived, I was nearly unconscious," said Lisa. "But just having her there lifted my spirits and gave me hope.

"I grabbed onto the thick fur around her neck and she pulled back as hard as she could. Biyou was incredible – she dug her claws into the frozen ground, and pulled me out, inch by inch.

"I couldn’t stand. She grabbed my sleeve and tugged – and I slowly crawled up the nearly vertical bank. When I reached the top, I collapsed.

"As I struggled for breath, Biyou licked my face and whined, and somehow I summoned the strength to crawl and stumble the 200 yards to my house, with Biyou at my side, watching my every move."

Once inside, Lisa peeled off her frozen clothing, sat next to the heater and called her cousin for help.

A rescue party went out to save the mare, but sadly, it was too late and she had to be destroyed. Lisa recovered without complications.

The Parkers entered Biyou for the dog hero of the year award – and she won!! Biyou received a one-year supply of Skippy canned dog food, a $100 gift certificate for dog grooming and a Dog Hero food bowl. Lisa got a two-night stay at a resort in Sedona, Ariz., complimentary spa services, round-trip airfare to Phoenix, Ariz., and $100 cash.

But for Lisa, the biggest prize of all is Biyou.

"Only someone who has a close bond with a dog can appreciate how I feel about her. She’s my hero and my guardian angel."