Watch below as a stumbling man falls on the train tracks at Sydney's Berala station. Fortunately, a passer-by acted quickly. Very quickly. From 9News:

Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins, a former driver, told 9NEWS that incidents like those “stop the hearts” of train operators who are unable to avoid a collision.

“You might say a few expletives under your breath, you’re waiting for that impact,” he said.

The driver in the incident did activate the vehicle’s emergency brakes when the man came into vision however, at full speed, a train takes about a kilometre to come to a complete stop.

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In Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, three puppies were immobilized in a pool of tar. Fortunately, someone called Animal Aid, an organization that rescues and treats street animals.

Prying them loose was impossible for the tense rescue team, so we had to cut the tar loose from the rocks below and bring the puppies and the tar and gravel they were stuck in back to the hospital. Determined volunteers and staff spent hours to soften the tar with oil and dishsoap, with time out only to plant kisses on the puppies’ noses. Multiple warm baths later…and wow. For babies who had been on the brink of death, this is what happiness looks like.

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Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba planned to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti last spring. They ran into engine trouble in late May, and were eventually rescued by the Navy on October 25, 900 miles southeast of Japan. Read the rest

How adorable is this rescued earless seal hugging and playing with a seal plushy at the Okhotsk Tokkari Center in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan!

"Tokkari" is the Ainu word for "azarashi" (earless seal), and as the center's name would imply, this facility specializes in sheltering and conservation of earless seals. Visitors can observe the natural ecology of these graceful seals, and even take part in close-up interactive activities. All the while, the center serves as a conservation facility, treating earless seals that have been injured or caught in fishing nets, and returning them home to the ocean. The Okhotsk Tokkari Center holds and extremely important role as Japan's one and only marine animal conservation facility.

(@mombetsu_land via Laughing Squid)

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Life with a Great Pyrenees is really everything great about having a dog. My buddy, Nemo, is pretty darn amazing. It is no surprise the AKC is honoring them, today.

I can not say enough good things about Nemo. He's fairly brilliant, intensely loyal, loves kids, wants to be pet and snuggled, and sticks by my side most of the day. My eight year old daughter, who is quite small, can walk him with ease. He loves his cat and his Cavalier King Charles, although he can be bossy at times.

Nemo gets stopped, while we're walking, to be pet by so many folks it is ridiculous. Folks who don't like dogs, however, are mortally afraid of his size. Small dogs may try to eat him, it can be quite comical.

If you are interested in a Great Pyrenees, I work with a rescue here in California that'll help you out! We've always got more dogs than I can believe.

I think they should be breed of the decade.

From the AKC:

The Great Pyrenees dog conveys the distinct impression of elegance and unsurpassed beauty combined with great overall size and majesty. He has a white or principally white coat that may contain markings of badger, gray, or varying shades of tan. He possesses a keen intelligence and a kindly, while regal, expression. Exhibiting a unique elegance of bearing and movement, his soundness and coordination show unmistakably the purpose for which he has been bred, the strenuous work of guarding the flocks in all kinds of weather on the steep mountain slopes of the Pyrenees.

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The organization that rescued my dog Nemo is under a lot of financial pressure. A number of very needy dogs have come along in a very short period of time. The video above details just some of their current hard-luck cases. They've started an Indiegogo project to find some help. Read the rest

"More than" 200 Chihuahuas were rescued earlier today after a search warrant was executed in Benton, Pa. [AP] Read the rest