Man saved from snake by dog

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — During a routine stroll on a friend’s farmland off Peachers Mill Road, a 70-year-old man, Darrell Layne, found himself face-to-face with a copperhead snake. Luckily, he had a fellow veteran with him: Onex, a black Labrador not afraid of a fight.

 Onex had served in the Army in the Middle East before landing in Clarksville in November. He was trained in Iraq  to sniff ordnance and was a rescue dog too.

“I was very lucky to get him,” Layne said. “It wasn’t your normal adoption.”

 When Onex saw the snake threatening Layne, he crouched forward growling, which diverted the snake’s attention. But now the attention was on Onex, and the snake bit the dog twice on the face.

That gave Layne the opportunity to grab a fencepost and kill the snake.

Onex was in bad shape though. Layne had to rush him to the veterinarian, where the dog was treated for two days with fluids and anti-venom.

 The dog’s head remains swollen from the bites, but a full recovery is expected, Layne said. “Dogs can be the best partner you have, and unconditional love describes Onex,” he said. “People need to take care of their pets like they would their best friend.”

Source

Meet the Dogs of War

Their razor sharp teeth are made from titanium, their body armor can withstand clouds of hot shrapnel, and they've been trained to wear oxygen masks for high altitude dives into enemy territory. Say hello to the US Military's dogs of war - including the bomb-sniffer that joined the hit squad of 79 Navy SEALS that took out Osama Bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan. The dog would have dropped into the battle zone strapped to the chest of one of the SEAL team members as he rappelled from one of the three Black Hawk helicopters landing in Abottaban, Pakistan. Wearing body armor equiped with an infrared camera, the dog could stream live images to team members in other parts of Obama's hide-out and back at the base. A radio mounted near the dog's ears would have let SEALS in other parts of the compound give orders to the dog. Read more ...

Stubby, the heroic dog

The single most decorated dog in U.S. history. See my earlier post about Stubby, or read more about Stubby at the Smithsonian Museum.

Soldiers and dogs deploy for Afghanistan

FT. LEONARD WOOD, MO -- Families and friends said their farewells to about a dozen military men, women, and dogs Monday. Ft. Leonard Wood held a deployment ceremony for the Engineer Canine Company, 5th Engineer Battalion. The group included 5 working dogs and their handlers, plus 4 veterinarian technicians. The soldiers are headed to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Source

Jasmine

I received the following story in today's email ... (Thanks, Lois) In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished and had clearly been abused. In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims..to restore the dog to full health and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home. But Jasmine had other ideas.. No-one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or any other lost or hurting animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick. Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier Cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman Cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them." "But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings. "She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs. She licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose." Jasmine - the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits. And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm and then went into the full 'foster mom' role. Jasmine, the greyhound, showers Bramble, the Roe deer, with affection and makes sure nothing is matted. "They are inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them." Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse. From left - Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, orphaned Roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine, with a Mothers heart, doing best what a caring Mother would do.

A heroic bird

A parrot that alerted his owner about a baby who was choking was recognized as a hero by the Red Cross. Willie the parrot was given the Animal Lifesaver Award during the "Breakfast of Champions" event in Denver. Willie received the award for his actions in November, when he and owner Megan Howard were baby-sitting a toddler. Willie repeatedly yelled "Mama, baby" when Howard went to the bathroom and the toddler started to choke on her breakfast. Howard saved the baby by performing the Heimlich maneuver but she said Willie "is the real hero." Source

Here's one tough little squirrel

(via Slightly Warped)

Foster mom of the year

Lisha is a nine-year-old Labrador who has played surrogate mother to more than 30 animals including a hippo and porcupine has her paws full caring for her latest charges. The dog's amazing ability to make friends with any animal species is documented in these wonderful family snaps taken by her owners. Lisha with her adopted cheetah cubs, Josh and Jordan Lisha is helping raise three one-month old tiger cubs after their own mother rejected them. Lisha, pictured with another one of her charges, an orphaned pygmy hippo. Source

Mules can be heroes, too!

Jolene Solomon of Tennessee is beginning the new year with her life, her mule named Lou and little else. Solomon had just finished eating supper on New Year's Day when Lou's braying and acting up got her attention. Solomon, 63, who lived alone, stepped outside, she saw her house was on fire. She called 911 and as she waited for firefighters, her home and everything in it burned to the ground. Solomon said she has 'lost it all', but credits Lou with saving her life. (Source: Yahoo News)

War dog joins Fox Lake American Legion

Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion Post has a new member with four legs, a bite of about 1,200 pounds of pressure per square inch and a willingness to eat meat on a floor. Dexter became the first military working dog to receive a membership card for American Legion Post 703 at a ceremony Wednesday. Post 703 Cmdr. Jerry Kandziorski said national Legion officials indicated it may well have been a first in the United States. "He was a tried and true veteran," Kandziorski said. "He took his time in service and performed his duty. We think he deserves the recognition that should come to anybody." Dexter is a Navy veteran who served in Iraq with his handler, Petty Officer 1st Class Kathleen Ellison. One of the 10-year-old German shepherd's heroic actions occurred in July 2004, when he detected explosives on the gas tank of a garbage truck that would have targeted a mess hall for U.S. troops at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. About 75 guests watched Dexter's membership ceremony at the Fox Lake American Legion hall, which was complete with an honor guard and invocation by Post 703 chaplain Bill Gordon. Source: Daily Herald

Dogs Serving Veterans

A very touching slideshow from the New York Times: Dogs Serving Veterans. Pictured here: Sue Downes, 28, was deployed to Afghanistan as a military police officer when she lost both legs in an explosion in 2006. Through the Neads (National Education for Assistance Dog Services) Canines for Combat Veterans program, she was paired with Lila in 2007. The dog has become a loving and intuitive companion, helping Ms. Downes walk and deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. "She helps me with a lot of stress issues, which I didn't expect her to do," she said. See more photos of veterans and their companion helpers. Source: New York Times Photo: Winthrop Handy

Baylor Law Commencement Includes Juris 'Dog'tor' Degree

Skeeter Jones graduated from Baylor Law School but will never take the state bar exam or address a jury. He doesn’t seem to care, however, and is content with just being scratched behind the ears or playing with an empty, plastic Coke bottle. Skeeter, a playful service dog, received his honorary Juris “Dog”tor, making him the first nonhuman to be conferred a degree from the institution. Actually, Skeeter is a service dog, who assists Amy Jones. A skiing accident in 2002 left Jones a quadriplegic, and she uses a wheelchair. In 2004, Jones was paired with Skeeter, a black Labrador retriever, whom she describes as a “wonderful help.” Source: Baylor University (via Legal Blog Watch) Thanks, Leslie!

Fearless puppy scares off 3 bears in NJ back yard

A 15-pound cocker spaniel-poodle mix named Pawlee scared off a mother bear and her two cubs Sunday morning after they strayed into his owners' back yard. Whether his bark was worse than his bite, Pawlee's tactic worked just fine. These three bears got the hint and took off. "We had just let him out for the morning and he ran into the yard and started barking his head off," owner Fran Osiason said. Osiason said her 9-year-old son, Jacob, went outside to see what the commotion was about and came running back in to report there were bears in the yard. She was worried that the mother would come after Pawlee to protect her cubs, but the pugnacious pup, just 8 months old, had other plans. His barking drove the two cubs up a tree, and they eventually climbed down and hopped over a fence with their mother and retreated into the woods. Source: AP

Dog Saves Abandoned Baby

A newborn baby abandoned outdoors in winter by her 14-year-old mother was found safe in a dog pen with a mother dog and her brood of puppies near the city of La Plata. The dog's owner, Fabio Anze, found the naked baby girl on Thursday, being kept warm among his dog China's puppies. Anze called the police and the baby was taken to a hospital. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero hospital, told television and newspaper reporters that the baby was just a few hours old when she was found, and was in good health although she had some bruises. Nighttime temperatures are chilly but not freezing in the Southern Hemisphere winter in the rural area around La Plata, 40 miles south of Buenos Aires. Police said they had located the 14-year-old girl who gave birth to the baby outdoors during the night. It was not clear whether the mother left her baby in the dog's pen or whether the dog found the baby outdoors and carried it in to join her puppies. Source: Reuters

An 'Angel' to the rescue

Six orange tabby kittens were rescued because of the keen senses of Angel, a boxer/pit bull mix, who was recently surrendered to the Nevada Humane Society. Frank Gomez and his 9-year-old stepson, Joel Fontes, have been regular volunteers at Nevada Humane Society this summer. The pair were volunteering on Monday, walking their favorite dog. Angel, a 2-year-old dog that came to the Humane Society's shelter after her owners moved without taking her along. The walk was brisk, but was interrupted when Angel became obsessed with something in the bushes. Gomez assumed it was Angel's inquisitive personality at play and didn't take it seriously. But Angel refused to give up and Gomez discovered six 3-week-old orange tabby kittens in a box where they were abandoned. Humane society staff were summoned, but not before one of the kittens escaped from the box. After returning to the scene, Angel led Gomez to the lost kitten, who picked her up and handed her over to safety. (via L.A.Unleashed)

the Dickin Medal

The Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 by Maria Dickin to honor the work of animals in war. It is a large bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on ribbon of striped green, dark brown and pale blue. Traditionally, the medal is presented by the Lord Mayor of the City of London. It has become recognized as "the animals' Victoria Cross". As of February 2008, it has been awarded 62 times. (wiki) The Medal, which can only be considered on receipt of an official recommendation, was awarded 54 times between 1943 and 1949. The recipients comprised 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, three horses and one cat. In October 2000 a Canadian dog called Gander was added to the Roll of Honor. Since then, a further six Dickin Medals have been awarded and all to dogs. Tthe only cat to be awarded the Dickin Medal is Simon. Awarded posthumously 1949, the record states that Simon “Served on HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident, disposing of many rats though wounded by shell blast. Throughout the incident his behavior was of the highest order, although the blast was capable of making a hole over a foot in diameter in a steel plate.” You can read the list of recipients at PDSA Dickin Medal: 'the animals' VC'. You can see more pictures of brave animals at BBC's World's Hero Pets.

Man rescues drowning bear

It was a site you don't see everyday in the Panhandle in Florida. A man saved a bear from drowning last week. It all started after residents spotted a 375-pound black bear roaming through a neighborhood 40 miles south of Tallahassee. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) found the bear underneath a beachfront home. They say it was probably trying to cool off. The goal was to lure it back into the wild. So, officials used a tranquilizer dart on it. But, there was a problem. It did not work immediately. Biologist Adam Warwick, who struggled with the bear, said it tried to escaped and went into the Gulf of Mexico. It was at that point Warwick said he could see the effects of the tranquilizer on the bear. He made a quick decision. Warwick went in after the animal. The bear was about 25 yards from shore when it went into the water. Warwick said his adrenaline just kicked in. He didn't want the black bear to drown. Source: Firstcoastnews Thanks, Leslie!

Special and unusual felines

We hear about famous and heroic dogs all the time; cats, not so often. I think it's because cats are not braggarts like dogs. Sure, there are many, many exemplary cats out there - they just shun publicity. Here are the stories of some very unusual kitties: Oscar a.k.a. "Unsinkable Sam" The black and white patched cat had been owned by an unknown crewman of the German battleship Bismarck. He was on board the ship on 18 May 1941 when it set sail on Operation Rheinübung, Bismarck's first and only mission. Bismarck was sunk after a fierce sea-battle on 27 May, from which only 115 from its crew of over 2,200 survived. Hours later, the cat was found floating on a board and picked from the water, the only survivor to be rescued by the homeward-bound British destroyer HMS Cossack. Unaware of what his name had been on Bismarck, the crew of Cossack named their new mascot "Oscar". About five months later, Cossack was hit and destroyed by a German submarine, and Oscar was again among the survivors. The cat was then brought aboard the famous aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, but only three weeks later, this ship, too, was torpedoed by a submarine. This luckily ended the cat's naval career. He was transferred first to the offices of the Governor in Gibraltar, and then sent back to the UK, where he saw out the remainder of the war living in a seamen's home in Belfast. Sam died in 1955. Simon Simon served on the Royal Navy sloop HMS Amethyst 1948 through November 1949. Simon received the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross for gallantry after he protected food stores on the HMS Amethyst from an infestation of rats, despite being badly injured in shelling by Chinese Communist forces during the country’s civil war. He was later posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery, instituted in 1943 by Maria Dickin CBE, the founder of veterinary charity the PDSA, and was given the rank of "Able Seaman". Simon is the only cat among 62 animals to be awarded the Dickin Medal. Ms. Ruby LeGato Ruby patrolled the Alamo in Texas from 1981 through 1985. Ruby was awarded a certificate of completion of the Basic Security Officer Training course from San Antonio College. In 1988 Ruby was immortalized in Rita Kerr's book, "The Alamo Cat". A bronze plaque marks her final resting place on the grounds of the Alamo. Fred He came from the streets of Brooklyn, a cool customer on four legs, the perfect bait for a sting on a fake veterinarian. In February 2006, Fred was enlisted by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office as an undercover secret agent, posing as a would-be patient to help the NYPD apprehend Steven Vassall, a Brooklyn man suspected of acting as a veterinarian without proper license or training. On 18 May 2006, Fred was presented with a Law Enforcement Appreciation Award by Brooklyn district attorney Charles J. Hynes. Fred was later honored on July 8, 2006, at "Broadway Barks 8!", the New York City Theater District’s dog and cat adopt-a-thon benefit hosted by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters. He was presented with the Mayor’s Alliance Award, which is given to remarkable animals. Fred died on 10 August 2006 when he escaped from his home in Queens, New York and was struck and killed by a car. Fred was 15 months old. Tama Because of budget cuts, the only stationmaster the Kishigawa Train Line in Japan can afford is Tama, a nine-year-old cat. The railway company formally appointed her as "stationmaster" in January 2007. Happy with her successful job as stationmaster, the company promoted Tama to "super-stationmaster" in January this year, making her "the only female in a managerial position" in the company's 36-strong workforce. The company feeds her in lieu of salary. Wizzo Fighting the war on rodent infestation, the 95th Mission Support Group is using a "military working cat" to help reduce the amount of damage to equipment caused by rodents living in the supply warehouse. The cat, named Wizzo, calls the 95th Mission Support Group's supply warehouse his home. The feline lives and works around the clock as a mobility rodent deterrent. So far, Wizzo has caught a bird, a rat and three mice, which officially makes him an ace. The supply team keeps his kill count posted on a board for him. Felix , or was it Félicette? France launched a black and white stray tomcat of the Paris streets on October 18, 1963, on Veronique AGI sounding rocket No. 47 from the Hammaguir test range in Algeria. Was it a male named Felix. Or a female named Félicette? Whichever, it was the first cat in space as the capsule in the rocket's nose cone separated at 120 miles altitude and descended by parachute. Electrodes in the cat's brain transmitted neurological impulses to a ground station. The cat was recovered. Photo: Cats in simulated spacesuits [NASA archive] Thanks to LA Unleashed for tips to the Ruby and Tama stories.

What a dog!

Sergeant Stubby, a Bull Terrier mix, is the single most decorated dog in U.S. history. He was picked up as a stray in 1917, by Private J. Robert Conroy when the homeless dog appeared at the training camp of the 102nd Infantry at Yale University. Conroy and buddies kept Stubby with them through all their drills and training and, in July 1917, when it came time to ship out for France, they smuggled Stubby aboard ship. Within weeks of their arrival in the European theatre, the 102nd was under fire on the front lines in France. The boom of artillery fire didn't faze Stubby in the least, and the men learned of incoming bombs by watching him. Stubby could hear the whine of shells long before the men. For 18 months Stubby carried messages under fire, stood sentry duty, and helped paramedics find the wounded in “no man’s land”. He gave early warning of deadly gas attacks and was credited many times with saving his entire regiment. When Stubby found and helped capture a German spy who was mapping a layout of the Allied trenches, he was awarded the honorary rank of Sergeant - the first dog to be given rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. When seriously wounded by shrapnel, he was sent to the Red Cross hospital for surgery just like any other soldier. Once recovered, Stubby returned to his regiment and continued to serve until November 11, 1918, the day the war ended. Named a life member of the Red Cross and the American Legion, Stubby was awarded many medals including one by General John J. Pershing. Called to the White House several times to meet Presidents Harding and Coolidge, he led more regimental parades than any other dog in history. Stubby spent his final years with John Conroy, the soldier who had rescued him so many years ago. He died of old age in 1926. Stubby's remains were preserved with technical assistance from the Smithsonian Institution. Stubby, his medals and personal effects were donated to the Smithsonian by Conroy and can still be seen there.

Moko the dolphin is a savior of whales

Moko the dolphin had already won over humans at Mahia Beach, where she plays with swimmers in the New Zealand surf and pushes kayaks along with her snout. Now the friendly bottle-nosed has shown her empathy for other species, by saving two whales from almost certain death after they became stranded. Human attempts to guide the two pygmy sperm whales through a narrow escape route from the beach had consistently failed, and all seemed lost until the dolphin intervened. Moko, a regular visitor to Mahia Beach on the east side of North Island, appeared to communicate with the whales before guiding them to open water. Source: Times on Line