Tuesday True Story -- Dog helps save man paralyzed in biking accident

This is a true story from right here in my home town of Austin, TX.  Just shows you how much we get from our pets!

by JIM BERGAMO / KVUE NEWS

This story sounds like something out of a movie: A freak accident leaves a cyclist unable to move, so his dog takes over.
Five weeks ago, on Oct. 30, Paul Horton set out for his morning bike ride.  As always, his dog Yogi, went along for the run. However, this ride would end like no other and offer proof why dog is "man's best friend."
Paul Horton, 57, wound up at St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital after he failed to negotiate a seemingly little jump from trail to paved road near Lake Travis.
"I had probably done that 100 times, 200 times," said Horton.
But on the morning of Oct. 30, he did not.
"I went over the handle bars and landed on my head on the concrete ... and life changed," said Horton.
Life changed because he was now paralyzed from the chest down.  Horton lay motionless for 45 minutes. With no one in sight, he realized his four-year-old golden retriever, Yogi, who had been along for the run, was still by his side.
"I expected him to behave like Lassie and run down to the police station and tap out my location in Morse code or something," said Horton.
Yogi did not do that, but did something just about as impressive.  Horton's neighbor, Bruce Tate, recalls walking down Mountain Trail with his wife when they were met by Yogi.
"Yogi is a quiet, happy dog, he's never noisy at all, but he was barking furiously to get our attention," said Tate.
The Tates followed Yogi throughout the wooded area and down the hill.  When they saw Horton,  they called 911.  To this day, the Tates wonder what would have happened if Yogi had not interrupted their walk.
"I don't think we would have seen Paul without Yogi," he said.  "I think Yogi saved his life."
"For somebody who cannot move and cannot ask for help, you can develop a pressure ulcer, you develop an infection, a clot, and you can die if you are not rescued soon," said Dr. Juan Latorre, the Medical Director of St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital. "So I think the dog was critical."
"He is my hero, I mean he is my hero. It is possible that if he had not done what he did, they might have walked right on by and gone down the road and there is no telling when somebody else would have come by," said Horton.
Horton has some movement in his arms, hands, and upper body. His rehab specialist says in just a month he has made the kind of progress it takes some patients a year to achieve.
Horton and his wife Shearon are extremely grateful to St. David's, their friends and neighbors, and most of all, to Yogi.

Tuesday True Story -- Believe it: The story of a dog named Ripley

Here is a story from the Orlando Sentinel about a dog that was discovered and saved.  Enjoy!


Believe it or not, this picture is of a dog.

The poodle was found in a ditch in Houma, La., with hair so matted that he couldn’t walk. He was taken in by My Heart’s Desire, a local animal-rescue group, given a shave and a name — Ripley.
“You would have never believed there was a dog under there,” says Tracey Lapeyrouse, co-founder of the shelter. “He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout.”
Enter Orlando-based Ripley’s Entertainment Inc., which is making a $400 donation to the shelter and will give a gift card to Ripley’s future family for pet-related expenses.
“Ripley the dog is what Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is all about,” says Tim O’Brien, vice president  of communications. “It’s unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone.”

Ripley, after

The company’s connection with animals goes back as far as founder Robert Ripley, who once had a one-eyed dog named Cyclops. So it’s not hard to imagine that Ripley the dog’s story is being considered for an upcoming Believe It or Not book.

Tuesday True Stories -- Moe couldn't escape the speeding car in his path

 I just found this site and read the story of Moe.  I was really moved at the compassion and care he has received by all except the driver of that car.  Please visit this site and sign up.  It's totally free and maybe you will see something there that moves you to contribute, who knows.  To read all about Moe and others just like him, please visit Bidawee.org.

_________________________________________________________________________________
For some, going to the airport means a trip to paradise, unfortunately for Moe this was more like a nightmare. Moe desperately tried to out run the speeding car that was bearing down on him. Unsuccessful, he was left by JFK Airport with one leg severely broken, one leg dislocated and numerous deep lacerations. Moe now faces a long road of expensive surgery and many hours of recovery before he is able to resume his life as a loving companion. With your help we can make sure he gets the medical attention and compassionate care he deserves.

Police rescued Moe as he dragged his wounded body around JFK Airport. They brought Moe to a city shelter, but its facilities couldn't give him the care he needed to survive. Those at the shelter feared that Moe would have to be euthanized so they emailed Bideawee with a plea to help save Moe and give him another chance at life.

Moe has so much courage and kindness is his two year old body. When Moe came in we rushed him into the exam room where he allowed the doctors to examine both his legs and treat his gashes without any resistance in spite of how much pain he was experiencing.

Moe is now safe at Bideawee, although he's still in pain, he knows that he will receive the surgeries and care necessary to make a full recovery. Due to the severity of Moe's injuries his heeling process will be a lengthy one. He will not be able to put any weight on his hind legs for a long time as his little body recovers from the trauma he experienced.

Moe is such a friendly, sweet dog. He craves attention as he awaits the surgery he so desperately needs. What we want most is to help Moe heal and give him a second chance at life so that he can find a forever family that will give him the love he so richly deserves.

Please make a donation today to help Moe heal so we can find him his forever home.     



If you are unable donate at this time we understand. We would love to keep you in the informed on what's new at Bideawee. Please join our Bideawee online family today to receive Bideawee News, pet health tips, rescue stories and more! Become a member now - It's Free.

Email Page

Print Page

Rattie Idol Contest!!!

Go to this link to get all the details.  This sounds like fun and the proceeds go to help rescued rat terriers. 
If you have a rattie, send your fee and try to win!  This year there are 3 categories and 3 prizes!
 

RATTIE CUTIE PIE Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Cutie Pie winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Cutie Pie winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Pet-A-Roo Pet Carrier by Outward Hound - size Medium, black

RATTIE PERFORMER Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Performer winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Performer winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Roadie Canine Vehicle Restraint System Multi-Use Safety Harness, for dogs 15-20 lbs.

RATTIE STYLE Winner will recieve:
For our two-legged Rattie Style winner, a Rat Terrier Ball cap, a Tote Bag from SitStay.com, a "Dog is my Co-Pilot" T-Shirt, a $50 e-gift certificate to restaurants. com and for our four-legged Rattie Style winner a $25 Petsmart Gift Card and a Quick Release Dog Backpack by Outward Hound, size small (dogs up to 18 lbs).

Related articles by Zemanta

• 9 reviews of Rat Terrier (rateitall.com)
• The Voice You Hear is Not Your Own (timesunion.com)

OMG!!!! Who could be so seriously cruel and hateful?

Here is a blog post I found at Dandelion Arts that just stopped me cold.  I was dumbfounded and my heart was broken.  I absolutely cannot understand this behavior.  I am so grateful for the person who found and rescued this little boy.  He certainly has not experienced any kernel of kindness from humans in his life it seems.  Maybe, now, he can see that people don't have to be horrible and he can feel love.

This is just not acceptable behavior in a civilized nation.  This needs to be investigated and prosecuted.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Helping poor little Prince Babe get to rescue...

I'll be helping this poor little urchin get to rescue next week. His name is PRINCE BABE, an approximately 5-year old Chihuahua that was found in a box near an apartment complex. Here is what the foster mom wrote about Babe:

As you can see he is quite pitiful. However, he looks tremendously better than when I got him on 1/4/10. When they first saw him at Whitfield Animal Hospital on 12/30/09, he weighed 4 lbs. He now is 5 lbs. and 11 ounces. He has also had several medicated baths which help with the peeling skin - a by-product of bad nutrition and a bacterial infection. He is taking antibiotics, prednisone, and soloxine. The first few days I had him, he just slept. I woke him up to eat after which he would go potty (he uses puppy pads.) I didn't think that was healthy so I took him to Dalton Animal Care where they put him on the medications and advised the medicated baths. They also clipped his nails, cleaned his ears, etc. It didn't take but a day on the meds before he actually became alive. He still doesn't play - don't think he knows how, but he does get up and roam around the house and eats like a horse. He also loves to be held and petted.

Such a sad little guy. I hope after our "transport train" gets him to his destination that he will be loved and cherished, instead of abandoned in a box suffering from disease and malnutrition. I don't understand this behavior.

LAFD says saving dog was the right thing to do

 I am so proud of these firemen.  Saving a dog is a true act of kindness and shows that we still have an idea of what is right in the world.  I read this article, after watching the dog rescue on the news, and I was amazed that anyone would find fault with this rescue.  What if this had been a child?  Dogs are family to most people and deserve to be treated as such.  These men were acting in the best interest of the dog, the community and of each other.  They are to be honored and respected. 

______________________________________________________________________
_ ______________________________________
By SUE MANNING
The Associated Press
Monday, January 25, 2010; 4:56 PM


LOS ANGELES -- Saving a German shepherd stuck in the rising Los Angeles River was the right thing to do, the risks were slight, rescue crews were on standby, extra taxpayer money wasn't used and the alternatives were unacceptable, authorities said Monday.
The helicopter and swift water rescue crew members that saved the dog on Friday have been hailed as heroes, feted on television and radio and congratulated on the Web and in print. But they have also been vilified by a few in blogs, on social networks and story comment sections.
"You're not going to please everybody. There's always 10 percent, they either don't like animals or think we are wasting taxpayer money," Capt. Steve Ruda said.
The dog, nicknamed Vernon after the city where he was rescued, remained in quarantine at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey, just south of Los Angeles.
Joe St. Georges, 50, the 25-year firefighting veteran who hoisted Vernon to safety, lost a fingernail and fractured a thumb when the dog bit him during the rescue. St. Georges just needs time to heal and he will be back at work, Ruda said. "He's anxious to get back to work to be with his crew."
The dog, which appears to be about 4 years old and weighs about 65 pounds, was eating everything given to him, sleeping well and showing no signs of rabies, said Capt. Aaron Reyes, director of operations for the SAACA shelter.
If no owner shows up, "we do have a mile-long list of people who want him," Reyes said.
On several Internet sites with comments about the rescue, the only people who left their names were those who supported the effort. There were a couple of open critics, but their identities were not easy to decipher.
Friday's rescue was televised nationally by the major cable channels.
About an eighth of a mile downstream from the rescue site, the water was much deeper and the current much faster, Reyes said.
The dog would have drifted on down and died. Do you just wait at the mouth of the river and wait for the carcass? Any way you slice it, that is unacceptable. They would not have been able to live that down," Reyes said. "They made a decision and we support that decision."
Firefighters on the ground said a crew could get the dog and the helicopter pilot, who had been standing by just 45 seconds away from the river, reported he could clear high tension lines in the area, Ruda said.
Swift water teams were on standby because of weeklong storms that had dumped as much as 8 inches of rain on some parts of Los Angeles County, Ruda said. Although as many as 50 firefighters were at the river, no firefighters were called in on overtime to take part in the rescue.
"All life is important," Ruda said. To prove his point, he pointed out that firefighters carry oxygen masks for cats and dogs that become victims of fire.
In addition, he said, 900 people die every year across the country in water accidents and one-third of them are rescuers. If St. Georges and his crew had failed to get the dog, "civilians, do-gooders and good Samaritans" would have been in the river, Ruda said.
The dog is thoroughly enjoying all the attention, Reyes said. "He's a big lover" and caters to women at the shelter.
---
On the Net:
LA Fire Department:http://www.lafd.org
Shelter:http://www.seaaca.org

Here's the link to the original article

Help me save Jessica.

This is a plea to save a little rattie out in California.  She is in dire need of a foster or forever home before her elderly owner succumbs to pancreatic cancer and she ends up at the pound.  If you, or anyone you know can help this lovely little one, please, please contact Patti whose email is listed at the end of this post.

_________________________________________________________________________________
This little dog is looking for a home quickly or will be brought to the pound.  She is a rat terrier and weights about 12 to 15 lbs at most.  She is a bit shy at first, but warms up quickly.  She was potty trained, but now will use newspapers and would probably catch on quickly again to go outside and do her business.  She is learning to walk on a leash because she always had the backyard to use.  She is also great with other dogs, but not sure on cats.  Her neighbors are trying to help rehome the dog and they can't keep her so they are just trying to help her. If you aren't interested in her please forward it onto your friends and e-mail list   The owner was 83 yrs old yesterday and has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given about a month to live.  Jessica (the dog) was kept mostly in a kenneled cage we think because the women was just a little too old to handle a young pup.  She loves to run the yard and play.  She is a spayed 2 ½ yr old dog.   If interested in taking her please contact Patti 818-717-8575 or patti@pattirussell.com

Grieving family fetches son’s dogs from Iraq

I know that today is Thanksgiving and I should be posting something about the holiday, but I found this posting and felt it deserved to be featured.  This family made a significant sacrifice to give their son's dog a long trip home.  I'm sure they will always be grateful to have such a loving and playful reminder of the love of their son.

After reading this, I am truly thankful for the pleasure and love I share with my Satchmo.  He has given me great joy and comfort, as only a pet can.  I wish everyone could experience the unconditional love you get from having a four-legged friend.

God Bless!

___________________________________________________________________________________
Sgt. Peter Neesley holding puppy Boris We learned about this story from author, Greg Mitchell, who has been pursuing stories about non-combat American deaths in Iraq. Greg is the esteemed editor of Editor & Publisher, the journal of the newspaper business which has won several major awards for its coverage of Iraq and the media. He has written eight books, his latest just published today: So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits — and the President — Failed on Iraq.
It is often said that a free press is the watchdog of democracy, insuring that the conduct of our leaders is examined with a critical eye. This makes Greg Mitchell the watchdog of watchdogs, his weekly column “Pressing Issues” over the past five years intensely scrutinizing the coverage of the Iraq war, the media’s views of the credibility of the Bush Administration, and such related topics as 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, and the CIA Leak Case.
Actually, back in 2003, Mitchell was one of the few mainstream journalists to question the grounds for war, this book providing a unique history of the conflict from the hyped WMD stories to the “surge.” It is a must-have book for anyone concerned with how we got into Iraq and why we can’t seem to get out.

This photo shows Neesley on a visit to his nephew’s 4th grade class in Grosse Pointe Farms, the school’s newsletter, describing it this way: “Sergeant Peter Neesley, uncle of Patrick D., visited Richard Elementary while home on leave from Iraq. Sgt. Neesley led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance and visited several classrooms answering questions from our inquisitive students. Thanks for spending valuable time with us Sgt. Neesley and don’t forget to write and keep in touch. Thanks to all the men and women in the armed forces. We are so proud of you!”

According to Greg, this is how the discovery began.

Peter Neesley died in his sleep on Christmas Day in Iraq last December — but the dogs he rescued there live on, miraculously, back at his home in the USA. I’m proud to say that I had at least a tiny something to do with it. I wrote about Sgt. Neesley’s passing right after Christmas, both at Editor & Publisher (which I edit) and on my blog, when few knew about it. I also printed a photo of him taken recently with a group of kids at his old elementary school. The outpouring of response I received from friends (near his Michigan home and scattered) and family was incredible. Through their postings, many were able to get in touch with each other. He was clearly quite a young man, someone who hailed from a very well-off area who had a lot of other choices in life — but joined the military.
But the story didn’t end there. It turned out that all of these people, and more, soon learned, from my writings or elsewhere, that Peter, 28, had saved and cared for a couple of dogs over in Iraq, and they were now in peril. So his family and friends, with the help of media and local groups, launched a campaign to rescue them, again, and bring them to the U.S.
An AP story revealed: “In e-mails and phone calls from Iraq, Neesley talked about how he came across Mama, a black Labrador mix, and Boris, her white and brown spotted puppy, while on patrol in their Baghdad neighborhood. One of Mama’s puppies was later killed by a car, so Neesley and his friends built a doghouse to shelter the animals. Photographs show Neesley feeding the dogs and kneeling next to the red-and-white doghouse and Boris walking along the cracked sidewalks of Baghdad.”

After he died, “Still grieving, the family decided that they would honor Neesley’s wishes and try to bring the dogs home to Michigan. ‘To have something that they can hold and touch and care for that Peter cared about, that’s the whole thing,” said Julie Dean, his aunt.”
After four weeks of work, and the help of the Iraqi Society for Animals, the dogs recently arrived in the U.S.
Carey Neesley said her brother decided to re-enlist in the Army in 2005 after learning that one of his friends was killed in Iraq, leaving behind a wife and two children. Protecting others was part of his life, she said. “He didn’t want another young man who had a wife and kids at home to die,” she said. “He’s always had such a strong sense of family and protecting those who can’t protect themselves. Caring for a mother and her stray puppy, why would you ever think to do anything else?”
My own small role concluded when the well-known Banfield Pet Hospital office in Portland, Ore., contacted me saying they wanted to offer free lifetime care to the two dogs, at one of their local hospitals in Michigan, and asking me to put them in touch with the family. I contacted Julie Dean — and last week the offer was accepted and announced. Peter, at least, would be happy about this.

You can also hear a 4 minute NPR “All Things Considered” Feb 19th report with Sgt. Peter Neesley’s sister, Carey. In this AP photo by Paul Sancya, Patrick Neesley is petting Boris as his mom, Carey, holds him after arriving in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, from Iraq. She has indicated that the dogs are slowly adjusting to their new environment.

Neesley says both Mama and Boris are “very sweet and very mild-mannered dogs,” but Mama is used to having to protect her pup, as well as her food and territory. “So we’re just kind of trying to ease her into the fact that she’s safe and sound here, and nobody’s going to hurt them,” Neesley says.
The dogs also have to adjust to the Michigan winter. “They’re not used to the cold and especially not the snow,” Neesley says. “I have to carry the puppy out in the snow; he will not go. He goes to the bathroom right away and wants right back in the house.
“I think they’ll adjust. You know, right now, their coats are very thin because of the weather in Baghdad. And I think, you know, [once] their coats get a little bit warmer and they get used to it, they’ll be OK, but I think right now it’s a shock.”
Neesley says the family is thankful for all the help they got with the dogs. “They’re tremendous dogs, and we are so fortunate to have them and so grateful to everyone who played a part, down to the soldiers who were caring for them on the base, you know, making sure they were safe and fed until we could get them,” she says.
The family still keeps in contact with those soldiers, Neesley says. “There are two in particular … who were very concerned about the dogs’ welfare, and were very close to Peter, and we exchange e-mails,” she says. “I think part of what we’ve learned from all of this is that there are so many good, kind people in this world. There really are.”

Posted on Land of PureGold Foundation