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A bag of kittens dumped on a country road and left to die were rescued by an
unlikely hero. A dog named Reagan found the bag and dragged it all the way home to his owner, then whined until she opened it.
unlikely hero. A dog named Reagan found the bag and dragged it all the way home to his owner, then whined until she opened it.
Riviera Beach—
Bruce's first day of work involved giving hugs and kisses to military veterans in wheelchairs.
The 2-year-old black Labrador retriever got the serious group to crack broad smiles on Monday during his first visit to the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach. Vets Helping Heroes donated Bruce, a trained military therapy dog, to the
hospital's nursing home. The Boca Raton-based nonprofit pays to have service dogs
trained to care for disabled military veterans. They're going to have a great time with that dog," said the organization's founder, Irwin Stovroff, as he watched Bruce lick face after face at the nursing home. Vets Helping Heroes raised $10,000 to have Bruce trained for six months to provide therapy to the residents at the center. Hospital administrators asked
Stovroff in February if he could find them a canine companion. The hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Deepak Mandi, said service dogs such as Bruce help ward off depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans. "In the past, it's been very therapeutic," Mandi said. "The rate of healing increases." U.S. Army Veteran Charles Filler laughed as Bruce
crawled onto his wheelchair on Monday afternoon and licked his white beard
repeatedly. "That was tremendous," said Filler, 78, who served in Vietnam. He said Bruce reminds him of his old, long-haired dachshund, Dusty, who traveled with him when he was stationed overseas. It will be great to see Bruce every day, he said. The dog will "clock in" at 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and will leave each day at 4 p.m., said his handler, Chaplain Gary Leopard. He will visit about 100 military vets live at the hospital's Community Living Center."On the weekends, it's play time [at my house]," said Leopard, who takes Bruce home each night. Bruce started training for the job when he was 1-1/2. His trainer, Sam Agro, said he was rambunctious then, but soon learned how to behave around fragile adults. He was also exposed to alarms and loud noises like he might hear at the nursing home. Agro, who works for Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Fla. near St.
Peterburg, has trained many military service dogs for Vets Helping Heroes.The training can cost up to $50,000, depending on the level of training needed. Some are trained as guide dogs for the blind. Other dogs help handicapped veterans keep their balance, fetch dropped items or carry a backpack around. Some dogs can even warn their owners when they are about to have a seizure. Stovroff started Vets Helping Heroes in 2007 after discovering that there was no federal funding to provide service dogs to disabled veterans returning from Iraq. Since then, the organization has given 65 trained dogs to disabled
veterans around the country. Stovroff, a World War II veteran, flew B-24 Liberator bomber planes with the U.S. Air Force. One of his planes was gunned down in
1944 and Stovroff was held prisoner in Germany for more than a year.
Bruce's first day of work involved giving hugs and kisses to military veterans in wheelchairs.
The 2-year-old black Labrador retriever got the serious group to crack broad smiles on Monday during his first visit to the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach. Vets Helping Heroes donated Bruce, a trained military therapy dog, to the
hospital's nursing home. The Boca Raton-based nonprofit pays to have service dogs
trained to care for disabled military veterans. They're going to have a great time with that dog," said the organization's founder, Irwin Stovroff, as he watched Bruce lick face after face at the nursing home. Vets Helping Heroes raised $10,000 to have Bruce trained for six months to provide therapy to the residents at the center. Hospital administrators asked
Stovroff in February if he could find them a canine companion. The hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Deepak Mandi, said service dogs such as Bruce help ward off depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans. "In the past, it's been very therapeutic," Mandi said. "The rate of healing increases." U.S. Army Veteran Charles Filler laughed as Bruce
crawled onto his wheelchair on Monday afternoon and licked his white beard
repeatedly. "That was tremendous," said Filler, 78, who served in Vietnam. He said Bruce reminds him of his old, long-haired dachshund, Dusty, who traveled with him when he was stationed overseas. It will be great to see Bruce every day, he said. The dog will "clock in" at 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and will leave each day at 4 p.m., said his handler, Chaplain Gary Leopard. He will visit about 100 military vets live at the hospital's Community Living Center."On the weekends, it's play time [at my house]," said Leopard, who takes Bruce home each night. Bruce started training for the job when he was 1-1/2. His trainer, Sam Agro, said he was rambunctious then, but soon learned how to behave around fragile adults. He was also exposed to alarms and loud noises like he might hear at the nursing home. Agro, who works for Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Fla. near St.
Peterburg, has trained many military service dogs for Vets Helping Heroes.The training can cost up to $50,000, depending on the level of training needed. Some are trained as guide dogs for the blind. Other dogs help handicapped veterans keep their balance, fetch dropped items or carry a backpack around. Some dogs can even warn their owners when they are about to have a seizure. Stovroff started Vets Helping Heroes in 2007 after discovering that there was no federal funding to provide service dogs to disabled veterans returning from Iraq. Since then, the organization has given 65 trained dogs to disabled
veterans around the country. Stovroff, a World War II veteran, flew B-24 Liberator bomber planes with the U.S. Air Force. One of his planes was gunned down in
1944 and Stovroff was held prisoner in Germany for more than a year.
The world is a bit dimmer today - a special light from an incredible dog - has
gone out.
Leo, a lovely fawn-colored Pit bull, was an ambassador of his breed.
Leo possessed an amazing temperament which allowed him to visit with ailing cancer patients at hospitals as a certified therapy dog.
But life for Leo was not always this way - prior to his life of spreading joy
to others, he was one of the notorious "Michael Vick" dogs.
Thankfully, Leo's past did not define him - nor condemn him to a dark
future. Leo was adopted into the family of Our Pack, Inc
gone out.
Leo, a lovely fawn-colored Pit bull, was an ambassador of his breed.
Leo possessed an amazing temperament which allowed him to visit with ailing cancer patients at hospitals as a certified therapy dog.
But life for Leo was not always this way - prior to his life of spreading joy
to others, he was one of the notorious "Michael Vick" dogs.
Thankfully, Leo's past did not define him - nor condemn him to a dark
future. Leo was adopted into the family of Our Pack, Inc
The dog that survived an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber has found a permanent
home in New Jersey.Daniel, a beagle mix named by animal control workers in Alabama after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den, joined four other rescued dogs last Thursday at the home of Joe Dwyer and his family in Nutley, about 10 miles west of New York City."He's in extremely good shape, especially in light of what he went through," Dwyer said Wednesday after returning from a trip to the veterinarian. "His attitude is just incredible."Daniel surprised workers at the Animal Control facility in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3, the day he was supposed to be put down with several other animals in a
stainless-steel box roughly the size of a pickup truck bed that was filled with carbon monoxide.The dog emerged frightened but unscathed.
home in New Jersey.Daniel, a beagle mix named by animal control workers in Alabama after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den, joined four other rescued dogs last Thursday at the home of Joe Dwyer and his family in Nutley, about 10 miles west of New York City."He's in extremely good shape, especially in light of what he went through," Dwyer said Wednesday after returning from a trip to the veterinarian. "His attitude is just incredible."Daniel surprised workers at the Animal Control facility in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3, the day he was supposed to be put down with several other animals in a
stainless-steel box roughly the size of a pickup truck bed that was filled with carbon monoxide.The dog emerged frightened but unscathed.
The puppy was one of five stray dogs that Sulphur animal control officer Scott Prall put to sleep Friday — or so he thought. Prall found one of the dogs alive Saturday in a trash bin set aside for dead animals and took it to veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski."He was prancing around. He heard me drive up, and he looked up and saw me,"
Prall said Wednesday. He said he initially found the stray dog near the animal shelter Friday and tried to kill it by injecting the dog with two lethal doses of a sedative in a
foreleg and the heart. Each dose should have been enough to kill the dog, and
the second injection was meant to ensure it worked.
Prall said Wednesday. He said he initially found the stray dog near the animal shelter Friday and tried to kill it by injecting the dog with two lethal doses of a sedative in a
foreleg and the heart. Each dose should have been enough to kill the dog, and
the second injection was meant to ensure it worked.
A Texas dog survived being hit by a car and falling from a highway overpass. Flash, a 2-year-old German shepherd mix, plunged 40 feet from the Austin ramp. A Good Samaritan found the dog and took him to an area animal center. The canine suffered skin burns and a broken leg and but veterinarians are confident that he will walk again.
"It's going to take a lot of work but he'll get there, and he's a fighter,""I don't even know if a human could survive that."
"It's going to take a lot of work but he'll get there, and he's a fighter,""I don't even know if a human could survive that."
We've all heard cats have nine lives, but ABC 4 found a dog that has a few extra as well. The little dog was run over by a train, not once, but twice -- and survived.His bark is back. And he's getting healthier everyday, which is pretty amazing considering on Sunday night,
the Shih Tzu was nearly smashed by a train near Kearns High School. "I saw this little guy between the rail,” said Fred Krause, “and of course and it was too late to do anything about it."Krause is a Utah Railway engineer and at the time he didn't know if the dog had survived the rail line encounter,
but he figured the odds weren't good.“There's nothing you can do,” Krause said. “It breaks your heart. But there's nothing you can do."After Krause made his delivery to Kennecott, he began the return trip to Midvale and he spotted the Shih Tzu again. He was alive and playing a game of chicken with the train. “I'm flashing the lights, blowing the horn, trying to get him out of the rails,” Krause said. “And he just ran right down the rails at us. I tried to slow down, got it from 20 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour when we hit, thought for sure we killed him."Because Krause has his own Shih Tzu, a seven year old named Milo, he couldn't stop thinking about the canine. So when he got off work, he went into doggie
detective down the tracks. "I took my flashlight and walked down the rails and saw a heap of fur and thought this is it,” Krause said. “I shined a light on him and he turned around and looked at me."Krause decided to take him to the vet and then home and help him recover
the Shih Tzu was nearly smashed by a train near Kearns High School. "I saw this little guy between the rail,” said Fred Krause, “and of course and it was too late to do anything about it."Krause is a Utah Railway engineer and at the time he didn't know if the dog had survived the rail line encounter,
but he figured the odds weren't good.“There's nothing you can do,” Krause said. “It breaks your heart. But there's nothing you can do."After Krause made his delivery to Kennecott, he began the return trip to Midvale and he spotted the Shih Tzu again. He was alive and playing a game of chicken with the train. “I'm flashing the lights, blowing the horn, trying to get him out of the rails,” Krause said. “And he just ran right down the rails at us. I tried to slow down, got it from 20 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour when we hit, thought for sure we killed him."Because Krause has his own Shih Tzu, a seven year old named Milo, he couldn't stop thinking about the canine. So when he got off work, he went into doggie
detective down the tracks. "I took my flashlight and walked down the rails and saw a heap of fur and thought this is it,” Krause said. “I shined a light on him and he turned around and looked at me."Krause decided to take him to the vet and then home and help him recover
A dog amazingly survived being struck by a car Friday morning around 9:30 a.m. on the I-290. Tonawanda Police say the dog was running loose down the highway when it was hit. It is described as a medium-sized Shepard mix, brown and black, and wore an orange collar with no tags. It sustained several injuries, including a fractured pelvis, and town of Tonawanda Animal Control took it to the Brighton Eggert Animal Clinic for treatment at no cost to the town.
Police received reports about a naked couple that was running around on a road in Snellville, Ga, in the proximity of Atlanta on Sunday night.So, not your average weekend jogging... The man and the woman manged to get home and when police arrived to investigate, 25-year-oldNicholas Modrich answered the door in his birthday suit.Modrich admitted that he and his partner had taken LSD, and added that they had also fed some to “Oscar”, who was
missing.Police soon realized that Oscar was their dog and started searching for it, but by the time they found it, the animal had been hit by a car. The dog was taken to the local vet and survived, but we don’t know any details about his condition.
missing.Police soon realized that Oscar was their dog and started searching for it, but by the time they found it, the animal had been hit by a car. The dog was taken to the local vet and survived, but we don’t know any details about his condition.
A massive predawn fire ripped through three multi-family
homes in Paterson, N.J., Monday morning, sending people
running for their lives.One man who escaped praised his dog, Hazel, for saving his brother and another relative by barking loudly when the fire began in the home next door.
"My dog was barking, so we all woke up and got out of the
house," said Ahmad Brownfield. "She was just barking like crazy and we got up," said his
brother, Jaquis Brownfield.Ahmad Brownfield said he was able to grab his phone but left
all his other belongings.One person was rushed to the hospital and a firefighter with
minor injuries was also taken away by ambulance, officials said. Firefighters say the blaze erupted on East 23rd Street near 15th Avenue. It quickly spread to two houses nearby, reaching three alarms by 3:05 a.m..All three homes are multi-family structures. Authorities said 24 people were displaced.Dozens of firefighters fought the blaze, with help from Passaic and Clifton companies.The cause remains under investigation.The Red Cross said it was helping those who were left homeless from the blaze.
homes in Paterson, N.J., Monday morning, sending people
running for their lives.One man who escaped praised his dog, Hazel, for saving his brother and another relative by barking loudly when the fire began in the home next door.
"My dog was barking, so we all woke up and got out of the
house," said Ahmad Brownfield. "She was just barking like crazy and we got up," said his
brother, Jaquis Brownfield.Ahmad Brownfield said he was able to grab his phone but left
all his other belongings.One person was rushed to the hospital and a firefighter with
minor injuries was also taken away by ambulance, officials said. Firefighters say the blaze erupted on East 23rd Street near 15th Avenue. It quickly spread to two houses nearby, reaching three alarms by 3:05 a.m..All three homes are multi-family structures. Authorities said 24 people were displaced.Dozens of firefighters fought the blaze, with help from Passaic and Clifton companies.The cause remains under investigation.The Red Cross said it was helping those who were left homeless from the blaze.
A Florida family's Golden Retriever is being called a canine hero, while the family's cat should probably be sent to the "dog house." Bubba, the retriever, started barking when flames erupted inside the Lake Worth duplex just before midnight. It started in the front portion of the home, where Saundra Frazer had fallen asleep. Charles McCauley, who lives in the back of the home with his girlfriend, also heard the barking and came running into the front room where he saw Saundra trying to extinguish the flames with a blanket. "When I walked out I smelled smoke, so I run to the other door and when I run to the other door the whole wall and her room was engulfed and she was trying to fight it," McCauley said.
McCauley said the fire kept growing so his next instinct was to get everybody out. They escaped safely. Bubba's loud barks are being credited with waking everyone up and getting
them out of the burning house. They believe if not for him they would have died in the fire. The occupants believe the fire may have started when the family cat knocked over a burning candle. The house was heavily damaged. The American Red Cross is helping the three residents with temporary housing and food.
McCauley said the fire kept growing so his next instinct was to get everybody out. They escaped safely. Bubba's loud barks are being credited with waking everyone up and getting
them out of the burning house. They believe if not for him they would have died in the fire. The occupants believe the fire may have started when the family cat knocked over a burning candle. The house was heavily damaged. The American Red Cross is helping the three residents with temporary housing and food.
On August 17, Tom and Marie Morgan of Ridgefield, Washington were walking along the edge of a tributary of the Lewis River with their six year-old daughter Taylor and family dog Maggie. The river was in full flow due to recent heavy rains. As Taylor ran forward to throw a rock into the river, the bank collapsed and, falling into the rushing torrent, Taylor was quickly swept away "I couldn't keep up with her," said her father, "the water was too quick." I was running as fast as I could along the edge when Maggie bolted past me for about 30 yards and then leaped into the river. I lost sight of both of them for
a second and then I saw Maggie with Taylor's jacket collar in her mouth trying
to swim towards the bank. The river took them down about another hundred yards
before Maggie was able to reach the bank. Even though they went under a few
times she didn't let go once. If it hadn't been for Maggie, we would have lost
our daughter."An eyewitness who was jogging nearby when the incident happened said, "The dog sprinted and jumped about 12 feet out into the river just in front of the
child. They both went under and when they came up the dog had her jacket in its
mouth and was dragging her to the bank. The dad ran into the water's edge and
grabbed the other side of the child's jacket and they both dragged her up onto
the grass. I have never seen anything like it."Sergeant Michael Brodie of the local police department said that in twenty years on the force he had not seen anything like it either.
"I have never heard of a dog jumping into a river to save a child before. The family is
very lucky to own a dog with this degree of devotion. When I took the report at
the family's home, the dog sat there looking back and forth between me and
Taylor and I could sense something extremely unusual between them."
Taylor's father Tom says that it is not the first time Maggie has displayed
an unusual degree of devotion towards Taylor. "Maggie never lets her
out of her sight. About two years ago she rushed into the house, breaking the
screen, barking as if she had gone crazy. She is usually very gentle and quiet.
When my wife and I rushed to see what was happening she ran out into the yard
where we found Taylor lying on the grass having trouble breathing. She had been
stung on the neck and is highly allergic to bees."Maggie has been a member of the family since Taylor was just two years old. The parents don't know where Taylor got the name from but said it just stuck. "We have always known there was an unusual bond between them. When Taylor was younger and first walking, Maggie would move toys out of her path and always sleeps just outside her bedroom door as if on guard." When asked about
her river rescue, Taylor responded "Maggie loves me."Today, the Morgan family received notice that Maggie has been nominated for a Commendation of Bravery by the police department. Unfortunately, the medal may be given posthumously. "We found out last month that Maggie has been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma cancer and will not be with us in a few months; we haven't told Taylor yet as she will be devastated. It will be the
hardest thing we have ever had to do. The two have an inseparable bond that is
based on real love. We owe our daughter's life to her."
a second and then I saw Maggie with Taylor's jacket collar in her mouth trying
to swim towards the bank. The river took them down about another hundred yards
before Maggie was able to reach the bank. Even though they went under a few
times she didn't let go once. If it hadn't been for Maggie, we would have lost
our daughter."An eyewitness who was jogging nearby when the incident happened said, "The dog sprinted and jumped about 12 feet out into the river just in front of the
child. They both went under and when they came up the dog had her jacket in its
mouth and was dragging her to the bank. The dad ran into the water's edge and
grabbed the other side of the child's jacket and they both dragged her up onto
the grass. I have never seen anything like it."Sergeant Michael Brodie of the local police department said that in twenty years on the force he had not seen anything like it either.
"I have never heard of a dog jumping into a river to save a child before. The family is
very lucky to own a dog with this degree of devotion. When I took the report at
the family's home, the dog sat there looking back and forth between me and
Taylor and I could sense something extremely unusual between them."
Taylor's father Tom says that it is not the first time Maggie has displayed
an unusual degree of devotion towards Taylor. "Maggie never lets her
out of her sight. About two years ago she rushed into the house, breaking the
screen, barking as if she had gone crazy. She is usually very gentle and quiet.
When my wife and I rushed to see what was happening she ran out into the yard
where we found Taylor lying on the grass having trouble breathing. She had been
stung on the neck and is highly allergic to bees."Maggie has been a member of the family since Taylor was just two years old. The parents don't know where Taylor got the name from but said it just stuck. "We have always known there was an unusual bond between them. When Taylor was younger and first walking, Maggie would move toys out of her path and always sleeps just outside her bedroom door as if on guard." When asked about
her river rescue, Taylor responded "Maggie loves me."Today, the Morgan family received notice that Maggie has been nominated for a Commendation of Bravery by the police department. Unfortunately, the medal may be given posthumously. "We found out last month that Maggie has been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma cancer and will not be with us in a few months; we haven't told Taylor yet as she will be devastated. It will be the
hardest thing we have ever had to do. The two have an inseparable bond that is
based on real love. We owe our daughter's life to her."
A toddler, lost overnight in the woods, with only a t-shirt to protect her
from 30-degree weather, isn’t the kind of story that usually ends well. But it did for three-year-old Victoria. Thanks to her Queensland heeler named Blue.“We have to give a lot of credit to Blue,” said Kim Rayfield, the girl’s aunt. “He pretty much stayed with her all night.”
Or maybe we should call him Lassie?Victoria wandered away from her Cordes Lake home and got lost in the nearby mountains. She was off to find the family’s other dog, Rusty, who she mistakenly thought was lost. Not long after, her parents noticed her missing.
Some 15 hours later, she was discovered by searchers in a Department of
Public Safety helicopter. They found her lying on the ground, face down. She had
been lying amid the brush and rocks, with her feet frostbitten and her body in
scratches. Blue was right at her side. The dog had been keeping her alert and
warm all night.At first, Blue seemed apprehensive, protective of Victoria, according to the
newspaper. But then she smiled and Blue relaxed.“I think once the dog realized we were there to help them out, he was very excited,” Department of Public Safety pilot Matthew Uhl said.Victoria was treated for mild frostbite on her feet and was kept overnight
for observation. She is expected to be fine.
from 30-degree weather, isn’t the kind of story that usually ends well. But it did for three-year-old Victoria. Thanks to her Queensland heeler named Blue.“We have to give a lot of credit to Blue,” said Kim Rayfield, the girl’s aunt. “He pretty much stayed with her all night.”
Or maybe we should call him Lassie?Victoria wandered away from her Cordes Lake home and got lost in the nearby mountains. She was off to find the family’s other dog, Rusty, who she mistakenly thought was lost. Not long after, her parents noticed her missing.
Some 15 hours later, she was discovered by searchers in a Department of
Public Safety helicopter. They found her lying on the ground, face down. She had
been lying amid the brush and rocks, with her feet frostbitten and her body in
scratches. Blue was right at her side. The dog had been keeping her alert and
warm all night.At first, Blue seemed apprehensive, protective of Victoria, according to the
newspaper. But then she smiled and Blue relaxed.“I think once the dog realized we were there to help them out, he was very excited,” Department of Public Safety pilot Matthew Uhl said.Victoria was treated for mild frostbite on her feet and was kept overnight
for observation. She is expected to be fine.
