Rescue dogs brought in on zipline to save victims of Chinese landslide

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In a deadly landslide in the Xinmo village in Mao County, China, a rescue dog was brought in using a zipline to help search for survivors. Ten bodies have been recovered and rescuers continue to search for 93 missing people after the landslide in the country’s southwest section devastated the village.

According to the Daily Mail, three people including a couple and their one-month-old infant were rescued on Saturday. The parents are in stable condition, however the baby has been sent to intensive care with pneumonia induced by inhaling mud. It is suspected the landslide had been the result of recent, heavy rains. As excavators removed tons of rubble, rescue dogs and their human companions searched for signs of life. Tragically, experts say the chances of anyone else surviving are slim. 

Although landslides have occurred before in the area, the size of this one was unprecedented. Described as 18 million cubic meters of earth and rock tumbling down the mountainside (636 million cubic feet), some of it fell as high as a mile from the ground blocking out a mile of road and river. Villagers were composed of 46 families who were mainly  farmers and did not have the money to move away to a safer zone. Efforts have been underway by the government targeting the poverty of the community; trying to improve conditions to attract tourists to the nearby ancient village of Xinhua and its once beautiful landscape. All tourists were evacuated safely.

The United Nations has offered help and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while offering  condolences issued a statement that,

 “salutes the efforts of the national relief and recovery teams. The United Nations stands ready to support the authorities in any way it can if needed.”

(Photo of rescue dog on zipline  screenshot via Facebook and Reuters)

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And a very sad goodbye to TatorTot, the pit bull who saved a little boy’s life

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On May 1, at 12:55 p.m. Christi Smith of Plymouth hugged TatorTot for the very last time. The brown and white pit bull had been on death row four years ago at the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, but he was one lucky pooch – when he was rescued him from euthanasia.

And that’s when a Ruff Start Rescue volunteer Christi raised her hand and offered to foster the rather lively puppy and teach him some doggy manners to help him find a home. TatorTot had only spent a few nights with Christi and her family, when the dog alerted her to a medical emergency involving her then four-year-old son Peyton. The child had been sleeping, but had lapsed into a life threatening low glycemic state and had to be rushed to the hospital.

“I’m never going to let this dog go,” stated Christie after her son was revived with an adrenaline shot. “I owe him for the rest of his life.”

Christie had no trouble keeping her promise; tragically TaterTot was a victim of cancer. On the family’s Facebook page, devoted to her dog’s incredible life – but way too short, his distraught mom wrote:

“I lost my heart and soul today. Words can not explain the devastation I feel. I did the best that could for him; he had a great life, I owed him everything I had.”

Going back down memory lane, for anyone not remembering or having been familiar with this awesome’s dog story, here was the original post. This writer reported on it when I wrote for the Examiner.com and kept it – I was so moved:

“I put my son to bed at about 8:30 in the evening. He woke up between 12 and 1:30 to ask for something to drink. He was acting weird, really out of it. I chalked it up to being deliriously tired. I wasn’t too concerned. TatorTot was concerned, though. After putting Peyton back to bed, not even 20 minutes later, TatorTot began running back and forth from Peyton to me. He was barking and acting like something was wrong. I was like, ‘What, didn’t you get enough exercise today? Come lay down, it’s bedtime.’ He didn’t let up.”

“Finally, I went to check on my son. He was barely breathing. TatorTot was on his bed, barking and pawing at him, licking his face. Any normal child would have woken up. He wasn’t waking up.”

Rest in peace TaterTot – you are the ultimate ‘spokesdog’ for anyone questioning the bully dog breeds.

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Dog gives life to save guests at wedding from suicide bomber

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An intuitive dog, who somehow realized that a teenage girl in Maiduguri, Nigeria, intended to inflict harm, is being hailed a hero. According to the Associated Press, the dog intercepted and “grappled with” a female suicide bomber who was at a wedding ceremony on Sunday.

While the dog tangled with the teen, the suicide vest detonated, killing the bomber and tragically, the heroic dog who tried to bring her down. Thanks to the dog’s intervention, the villagers in attendance at the wedding ceremony were spared injury and death.

Victor Isuku, a Nigeria Police Force spokesperson in Borno State, commented on the incident, which is believed to be the work of Boko Haram Islamic extremists:

A female suicide bomber with [an improvised explosive device] strapped to her body attempted to infiltrate a wedding ceremony gathering in Belbelo community of Jere. She was however prevented by a watch dog, so she had to detonate the IED to kill herself and the dog. The dog was owned by a resident in the locality.”

(Images/Eims)

Two dogs shot and killed after man allows them to walk in public off-leash. Read the story here.

Two off-leash dogs shot and killed

Dog shot while protecting owner from armed intruder

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A pit bull named “Blue,” is being hailed a hero after taking a bullet to protect his owner from a dangerous armed intruder. According to a press release from Penn Vet, the frightening incident took place one morning in February at the home of Nina Teller and Leroy Buchanan.

According to the release, Buchanan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when the invasion took place – Buchanan stated, “I told Blue to get after the guy. He locked onto the guy’s leg and that’s when he fired his gun.” The men who broke into the house and fired the gun fled the scene, but Blue had been hit and he was seriously injured.

Teller stated, “It was pretty scary and I was shaken up. But I was worried about Blue. He was bleeding a lot. We were scared for him.” When the police arrived, Teller stayed to give her statement while Blue and Buchanan were rushed to Penn Vet in a patrol vehicle.

Blue initially appeared to be stable when he arrived, but shortly thereafter, his condition deteriorated. Penn Vet described the frightening situation for the injured canine hero:

His condition rapidly declined, so we started tapping his right side. Suddenly he decompensated from a respiratory standpoint and turned very gray. We weren’t getting negative pressure, and the air just kept coming through his chest.

Blue did not improve, so clinicians intubated him and continued tapping his chest. Though Blue’s wounds were on his left side, there was a continuous leak to his right side through the mediastinum, which connects both sides of the chest.

In order to remove air from his chest and allow the lungs to expand more normally, a chest tube was placed and Blue was connected to continuous.

Blue had to undergo emergency surgery and a portion of his lung was removed – thankfully, with close monitoring after surgery while in the intensive care unit, Blue made a remarkable recovery. Just four days after being shot and undergoing major surgery, Blue was able to go home with his relieved owners.

Thanks to Ryan Hospital’s Charitable Pet Care Fund, Blue’s owners were able to receive financial assistance for the considerable veterinary bills resulting from their injured pet’s life-saving care.  Sally Powell, Director of Operations for Ryan Hospital, stated:

These funds allow pet owners who have taken good care of their pets, and have fallen on hard times, the opportunity to get some financial help. This is a wonderful program for responsible pet owners as well as a huge morale booster for the staff.”

Powell noted how this fund was particularly meaningful in Blue’s situation:

Blue was shot trying to protect his family during a home invasion. Our Charitable Care program allowed this ‘hero dog’ to return to a family that loves him dearly and is forever grateful for his protection.

Read more here.

Images via Penn Vet

DNA results are back for family’s seized German shepherd – read the story here.

Rescued pup repays his owner by saving him from home fire

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In Jackson, New Jersey, the dog Jim Zimerla rescued from an animal shelter proved to be man’s best friend. On Sunday, the Labrador retriever, named Marley woke his favorite human up at 3:00 a.m. as a fire blazed inside of their mobile home.

According to Wave3, Jim had been fast asleep with his hearing aids out, when  the five-year-old Marley jumped up on Jim’s bed to awaken the man. As the exit had already been blocked by the fire, Jim had to think fast and opened the bedroom window. First he pushed the dog out before jumping out himself:

“There was no thinking, it was just get to the window. I was able to get it open and you know put him out the best I could and I jumped out,” Zimerla said.  “If it wasn’t for Marley, Marley’s my hero. It’s just as simple as that, Marley’s my hero. I knew when I got the dog we were meant to be. The love that I got for him, he just returned it tenfold, and then I gave him a steak the next night.”

As Jim and his relatives help to get life back together for the two “besties,” Marley is staying with a friend while Jim lives temporarily in a nearby hotel. The two just can’t wait to get back together, and really who can blame them? How many times have we heard about rescued dogs returning the favor? May there be thousands and thousands more stories just like this. Need a new best friend?  Adopt a dog from a shelter – someday he may save your life too.

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Heartbreaking farewell as soldier drapes American flag over body of his canine partner

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It was a heartbreaking moment when a U.S. Air Force soldier held his beloved German shepherd that served alongside him until the very end last week and . As reported by Inside Edition, Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Smith found out that his former partner-turned-pet had to be humanely euthanized because of a severe disease affecting the very quality of the devoted dog’s life. And so an American flag helped to pay the proper respect for a military hero.Soldier drapes flag over mil 2

For nearly Bodza’s entire 12-years of life, the German shepherd served the United States as a military dog. In 2012, the canine hero was paired with Smith while in deployment in Kyrgyzstan. And when Bodza was retired by the government a few years later, Smith was there to adopt him; since then the two have seen each other through a number of life’s challenges, but that was alright – anyone with a love for their dog knows the loyalty to each other. Bodza loved life- he loved long car rides, chasing shadows, licking windows when he became excited and the companionship of his human friend:

“My boss said, ‘Hey, go check your Jeep,'” Smith recalled. “They went out and put a bowl, a brand new leash and two collars, and they put [Bodza] at the back of my Jeep. I got to take him home the same day he retired.”

So when years later, Bodza had trouble jumping into Smith’s jeep, it was originally thought the dog suffered from age related arthritis or hip dysplasia – so common with German shepherds. Smith monitored the dog’s condition for months, but when his front legs weakened and the dog would slip beneath his own legs, further testing was performed. Bodza was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, an incurable disease that affected his spinal cord, and Smith was forced to make the difficult decision to euthanize Bodza.

“I held him in my arms the entire time. I’ve never cried that much my entire life. It was the saddest thing — he was dragging himself along the tile floor because it was hard to maneuver. Instead of putting him on the table, I had a minute with him on the floor,” Smith explained. “I just kept holding him, rubbing and kissing his head, telling him, ‘I’m going to miss you.’ “My boss immediately said, ‘Where’s your American flag? You should have one in your building. Find it for me now.'” Smith said.

They then draped the flag over Bodza’s body, in recognition for his service to the country. And so we lose another American hero, but he was honored just as all those who serve our country should be. Rest in peace Bodza. You served our country as a hero.

(Photos of Bodza draped with American flag via Inside Edition)

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Indiana officer’s K-9 partner insists on kissing his partner during photo shoot

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Indiana Conservation Officer Levi Knach and his faithful K-9 partner, Kenobi were scheduled to pose for an official photograph. It seems however Kenobi had thoughts of love and cuddles, but not before Indiana State Parks’ Facebook gave us a peek at what was to quickly go viral:Kenobi 2

“Indiana Conservation Officer Levi Knach and his K-9 partner Kenobi show some puppy love in their portrait ‘attempt.’ Officer Knach works in DNR Law Enforcement District 2. Kenobi is cute, but make no mistake – he is a trained, working officer and can track people and locate a variety of objects ranging from venison to ginseng. We are grateful for the work that our ICOs do all over the state to protect and serve people and to conserve our fish and wildlife resources.”

It’s not hard to imagine Officer Knach trying to keep a professional look, but hey … who could maintain any kind of stoicism with kisses and hugs like that? The four photos went viral courtesy of  Aww Subreddit on Reddit, where they received 53,000 “upvotes” and more than 400 “oh so adorable” comments. On the department’s Facebook page, nearly 3,000 viewers “liked” the photos. Check it out – you will too; they’re both very cute! Kenobi 3

On a serious note, Kenobi works with the department to track people as well as a variety of objects ranging from “venison to ginseng.” We are all proud of the officers – two legged and four legged and thank them all for their service protecting people and our wildlife resources.

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Dumb stranger tries to attack woman walking 110-lb Rottweiler

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An uber-aggressive, or perhaps dumb, stranger tried to attack a woman who was walking her 110-lb Rottweiler, “Hercules,” along the Sawmill trail in the Grogan’s Mill community of Woodlands, Texas, over the weekend. According to KHOU News, the man’s attack was thwarted when Hercules turned on him and began biting.

Hercules is still a puppy at just 10-months of age, and his owner, Catalina Humphrey, has never seen him display aggressive behavior, but the young dog intuitively knew that the stranger was up to no good on Saturday afternoon, and he did his part to ensure that his owner wouldn’t be harmed. Humphrey told KHOU, “To know he protected me, I am beyond grateful he did that. He is a hero, because he saved my life.”

Hero Rottweiler

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has been informed of the attack and they were able to get DNA from the dog’s mouth, and the scratch that the man left on Humphrey’s shoulder. The man who grabbed Humphrey is described as a clean-shaven black male in his 20’s. He is believed to be about 5-foot-10 and weighs approximately 175 pounds…and he is likely recovering from multiple dog bite injuries.

Anyone with information about this situation is asked to reach out to MCSO at 936-760-5800 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-STOP (7867).

(Screenshots via KHOU News)

 

Loyal dog saves life of his injured companion protecting her on railroad tracks

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A loyal dog saved the life of his injured companion in an incredible and heartwarming declaration of love in Uzhgorod, Ukraine on Monday. According to China’s Rescues and Shelters Facebook page, which brings awareness to people of the rescue organizations and recognized helters contributing to the welfare of dogs and cats, a terrified dog faced imminent death as she was too weak to move and was stranded on railroad tracks for two days before help finally arrived. dog-ultimate-loyalty-2

In spine tingling footage, the dogs can be seen cowering on the tracks as the train speeds towards them. Their bodies seem frozen in time for the moments it takes the train to travel over them. In the unimaginable seconds to follow, the train passed and the dogs appeared unharmed.

The story of Panda and Lucy are unlike any heard in the past. When Lucy was too injured to move from the tracks, Panda curled up next to her to keep her warm and pushed her head down as the train sped over the two. When area residents tried to help, Panda was unsure of their intentions and growled and barked to scare everyone away. Denis Malafeyev discovered the loyal dog and his companion and shared the video. He doesn’t know how Lucy was hurt, but stated she may have been hit by a train while crossing the track.dog-ultimate-loyalty

“It’s such a touching story. I got a phone call from a friend who said that there were two dogs lying on the railway track near Tseglovka village for two days. When we arrived, it turned out that one of the dogs, the female was injured and couldn’t move. But the male dog was protecting her from us. I saw a train approaching – and felt sick. The male dog heard the sound of the approaching train, came close to the female dog and laid down next to her. Both of them pushed their heads towards the ground, and let the train pass,” Malafeyev stated.

The dogs were rescued soon after the incident and have since been returned to their owners.

(Photos and video of loyal dog saves his injured companion Facebook)

Check out the video which has since gone viral. Is there any doubt that dogs are our best friends?

 

Hero pit bull puppy stops would-be rapist

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A five-month-old hero pit bull puppy knows where his loyalty lies – he managed to stave off a would-be rapist who attacked his favorite human – 18-year-old Maya Fairweather. According to the New York Post, the pup named Apollo, managed to sink his teeth into the attacker’s lower leg and had no intention of letting go until he knew his owner was safe from harm, and the bad guy was long gone.

Maya had been visiting her boyfriend on Monday night in Brooklyn when she decided to take her active pooch for a walk and a run in the nearby park. Attaching Apollo to his leash and donning her headphones, the two walked to Red Hook Stadium Park. When she felt someone pull her headphones, originally Maya thought it was her boyfriend, but  at that moment, the assailant knocked her over and tried to pull off her pants. That’s when Apollo rose to action.

“I fell down on my hands. I just closed my eyes because they say that if you see their face, they will kill you. I froze. I was really scared,” stated Maya.

The attacker was unaware that Maya still had her hand on the puppy’s leash, and that’s when Apollo took it into his own paws to attack. Apollo is normally a very friendly puppy and jumps on everyone for a pat and a hug, but the fierce little guy wasn’t about to let anyone hurt his favorite lady. Ironically Maya never wanted a puppy, but how she has changed.

You’re a good boy Apollo; you are a wonderful representative of your breed.

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(Photo of hero pit bull puppy screenshot NY Post)