Jack Russell Bingo saves his owner’s life – constantly: whenever 10-year-old Cole suffers one of the life-threatening episodes in which he stops breathing, Bingo barks to alert Cole’s parents. When leading fire investigator Sam, a springer spaniel, smelled accelerant on a discarded shirt it led to the arrest of an arsonist.  Zoe, the water rescue team golden retriever, jumps out of helicopters to save drowning swimmers and is strong enough to pull an overturned boat to shore with the stranded fisherman still clinging on.

With 38 real-life stories such as these, Extraordinary Dogs details how super-heightened senses, strength and loyalty allow dogs to perform remarkable acts. It explains the biology behind their physical make-up – their muscular strength; how their movable ears help to pinpoint sound; how their huge number of scent receptors powers their astonishing sense of smell; how with a possible sixth sense they can anticipate disaster, whether human or environmental; and it also dispels many myths, for example that dogs’ sight is limited: not so – they have amazing ability to see movement over long distances.

Divided into nine chapters, the book divides broadly into two camps: the dogs whose agility, strength and endurance makes them ideal for rescue and other work in harsh environments; and those whose super-human abilities enable them to help humans in need in a variety of ways. The first chapter examines the science of their physical make-up: how they smell, hear, see, move, and whether some of their abilities constitute a ‘sixth sense’. Each subsequent chapter explores an element of the world of dogs with true-life stories of their exploits, showing their roles in the human world, as carers, as rescuers, as life-savers and protectors, and examining which breeds exhibit particular capabilities and why.

Filled with fascinating and heart-warming descriptions of canine bravery, intelligence and instinct, Extraordinary Dogs examines the complex and intriguing interactions of dogs and their best friends – humans.