SFDOG News

Dog Reunites With Family After 6 Years

(01-28) 03:22 PST Saint Louis (AP) --

Cujo was a frisky 7-year-old when he sneaked out of his owners' south St. Louis yard in July 2000. Now, thinner and grayer and with a tale that would be fascinating if only he could tell it, the golden retriever is back with the Barczewski family.

"It's a miracle," Noreen Barczewski, 41, said at Friday's reunion. "We found him!"

Six years and a side trip to Columbia can do a lot to a dog, but it was unmistakably Cujo. There was the heart-shaped patch of white on his forehead, the white fur on his toes, his manner of greeting people by rubbing against them cat-style.

Cujo's homecoming was orchestrated by Dirk's Fund, a golden retriever rescue group that has found homes for more than 900 dogs in the past decade.

After slipping away from home, Cujo somehow ended up 120 miles in Columbia in the home of an elderly woman. When the woman entered a nursing home, the dog was sent to the Central Missouri Humane Society in Columbia.

Bob Tillay, president of Dirk's Fund, spotted the dog — by then renamed Willy — on an adoption Web site and arranged to have him brought to St. Louis.

"Sweet old man! He knows how to sit and shake," the Web site cooed.

The dog's ears were so infected he couldn't hear. His coat was so matted he had to be shaved. And Dirk's Fund paid to have some cysts removed.

The group eventually took Cujo/Willy to a nursing home in Clayton, to serve as a pet for residents. But things didn't work out — the dog needed a yard where he could run off the leash — and his picture went up on the Dirk's Fund Web site.

A week ago, Noreen Barczewski's brother-in-law, Michael Barczewski, went to the Web site on a fluke. He'd been looking for a dog to adopt and saw the picture of the old dog with the white heart mark and white feet. Michael and his wife, Gail, had been the original breeders of Cujo. He recognized the dog immediately, and the reunion followed within days.

Now 13, Cujo had never been forgotten by the his original family — especially Kayla, who was just 4 when the dog disappeared. Kayla insisted on hanging the retriever's red felt Christmas stocking each year, confident he'd someday come home.

"I had something in my heart," the fourth-grader said Friday, patting her pet's soft golden coat, "and I knew he wasn't gone."

Dog shot while fending off Oakland robber

(01-11) 11:40 PST OAKLAND -- Buffy, a 7-year-old German shepherd, may lose a leg after being shot trying to protect her owner from being robbed outside their East Oakland home on Wednesday night.

The dog managed to fend off the assailant, but not before being shot in her left front leg.

Now, Buffy is awaiting surgery and may lose the limb, Lagree Bartley, 49, the wife of the victim, said today.

"She just had an instinct and she jumped him," Bartley said. "All we know is that he shot at her twice. He hit her once and her leg may have to be amputated."

The incident happened about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday when Bartley's husband, whose name she didn't want released, left his cell phone store near 92nd Avenue and International Boulevard in East Oakland.

Bartley said she believes the robber followed her husband in a car to their home near 96th Avenue and Olive Street, about six blocks away.

As her husband got out of his car to open a gate at their home, Buffy, who was in the yard, bounded up to him in her usual greeting, Bartley said.

But as Bartley's husband started to get back into his car, he was accosted by a gunman who pointed a weapon at his chest, Bartley said.

The assailant, who at that point didn't realize Buffy was there, robbed him of his wallet, which included about $400, credit cards and his identification, Bartley said.

At that point, Buffy sprang into action.

"She jumped and lunged at the guy with the gun, and he turned from my husband and shot her in the left front leg," Bartley said.

The gunman fled on foot and may have gotten into a white Pontiac, she said.

Oakland police today confirmed the robbery and shooting.

As investigators searched for the gunman, Buffy was being treated at Bay Area Veterinary Specialists in San Leandro, her leg encased in a red cast decorated with a pink heart.

"Buffy is resting comfortably. We're evaluating the leg to see if we can save it. We're also evaluating a pre-existing kidney problem," Dr. Doug Rohn said today through an office representative.

Bartley is hoping for the best for a pet that has been part of the family since the animal was just 6 weeks old. Buffy is naturally very protective, Bartley said.

"She's been given love and she gives love," she said. "No matter who's in front of her, she won't let children fight each other, she won't let me get too close to my husband if we're play-fighting -- she's against violence, period."

Bartley's son, Marcus Bartley, 14, agreed, saying, "She's always been a loving dog. She's not one to just watch us all play-fight or anything. She gets in the middle of it. She's always been like the peace dog."

Lagree Bartley said she and her husband have contemplated whether to leave their home of three decades because of recent violence in the area.

"I have confined myself so much, we came to the point where we wanted to move after 30 years. We put up gates -- there were no fence or gates when we moved here -- we've seen it evolve into what it is now," Bartley said.

"We just keep with the Lord, keep with God," she said. "I'm very religious. At this point, last night, we didn't know if we should run or we should stay."

Anyone who wishes to contribute toward Buffy's care can write checks to Bay Area Veterinary Specialists, 14790 Washington Ave., San Leandro CA 94578 or call (510) 483-7387 with bank-card information.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

Dog Chases (A Very Big) Cat

One brave little dog saves his village from a Tiger:

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Dog comes to racer's rescue

Two-time adventure racing world champion Danelle Ballengee has her dog and a search and rescue team to thank for saving her life after she spent two nights in sub-freezing weather near Moab, Utah, last week. Ballengee, 35, of Dillon, Colo., has competed in adventure races in the wilds of Canada, Mexico, Sweden, China, Argentina, Fiji and Morocco. But it was a relaxing two-hour trail run with her dog that nearly did her in. (Photo: Pam Mindard) Taz, a 3-year-old German shepherd/golden retriever mix, helped a search and rescue team find Danelle Ballengee on Dec. 15 after she fell while trail running near Moab, Utah. She started what she thought would be a casual 10-mile run from the Amasa Back trailhead south of Moab around noon on Dec. 13. Temperatures were in the low 40s and she was wearing light running pants, two lightweight running shirts, a lightweight fleece top and sunglasses. She also carried her iPod and a small hydration pack. Midway through the run, Ballengee slipped on a patch of black ice near Hurrah Pass and tumbled about 60 feet down three successive rock faces, each of which was 10 to 25 feet below the next. After crashing to the bottom of a rocky canyon, she knew she wasn't paralyzed but was in too much pain to stand. Although dazed and in severe pain, she managed to crawl about a quarter mile on her hands and knees over the next five hours before darkness set in. During the night, she did sit-ups and kept her upper body moving to keep warm. She drank snowmelt from a puddle when the water in her pack ran out and ate two packets of raspberry energy gels that she carried on the run.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Once-Abused Dog Saves Couple Who Adopted Her

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- An elderly couple's dog helped save them from freezing to death during a surprise storm by digging a 20-foot tunnel through the snow.

The snowstorm fell in the Buffalo, N.Y., area in October. Eve Fertig, 81, and her husband, Norman, were taking care of injured birds in a wildlife sanctuary on their Alden property when it hit.

The storm intensified and the couple became trapped by falling trees and heavy snow.

"It just started piling up," Eve Fertig said. "I said, 'Norman, we can't stay here, we'll die.'"

The couple's 160-pound German shepherd-timberwolf mix, Shana, started digging under the trees and through the snow. She dug a 1-foot-wide tunnel 20 feet back to their home.

Shana then came back to Eve and Norman and barked. When the couple hesitated, Shana wouldn't give up. She grabbed Eve Fertig's jacket with her mouth. They all went through the tunnel.

"It was quite a distance," Eve Fertig said. "We get out and she pulls us out. We got on the back deck, got the back door open and we fell inside. And we laid there all night."

Shana, rescued as a neglected puppy at two weeks of age from an apparent puppy mill operation, now has a hero's plaque and an honorary fire helmet from firefighters who later checked on the Fertigs.

Shana's hero award for bravery came from the group Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment.

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Read original article with images and video here.

Dog Saves Family from Fire

Dog Saves Family from Fire

Tuesday, November 7, UDPATED:  5:35 p.m.
By Bob Reynolds

Click for larger image

The house on Ogden Street was full of flames when firefighters arrived.  There is little left of the home. PhotoLink from Girardville firefighters.

A family pet is being credited with saving the lives of four people after fire raced through their home early Tuesday morning.

Girardville firefighters found a house full of flames when they got to the Ogden Street home about 3 a.m. Hours after the fire it was easy to see there was little left of the home. 

Four people who were in the house when the fire started owe their lives to Lady, a German Shepherd who woke up of the people asleep in the house.

"Lucky for the dog because if it wasn't for the dog we'd probably all be dead," said fire victim J.R. Thompson.

Once Lady woke him up, he alerted other people in the house.

Continued...

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Veteran Salem police dog fondly recalled

STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE Ike

Burial The Finerans buried Ike near Fisherman's Bend, about 30 miles east of Salem on the North Santiam River. It is Bruce Fineran's favorite fishing spot.

German shepherd Ike, 13, served for nine years

BY RUTH LIAO
Statesman Journal

October 11, 2006

Salem police dog Ike never stopped loving his job as a K-9 officer, even long after he was retired.

Whenever Ike was let out of his kennel, he'd run straight to the patrol car, until a week before his death.

The 13-year-old German shepherd died Saturday. He retired in 2005 after a police-dog career of almost 10 years.

Ike was used in police situations more than 1,800 times and captured more than 850 suspects, Salem Police Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer said.

FULL ARTICLE HERE...

Dog doesn't let disability slow him down

These days, it's pretty great to have a dog's life.

People are spending an ever growing amount of money on their pets.

Some pet owners are spending that money not because they want to, but because they have to.

It seems some are willing to do anything to take care of their pets. When once euthanasia was the only option, more people are opting not to put down their pets.

That's true for one Madison woman whose dog is one, you won't likely forget.

READ FULL STORY HERE... (includes link to video)

Dog saves girl from Fort Myers house fire

By Joel Moroney
jmoroney@news-press.com
Originally posted on September 29, 2006

Marc Beaudin/news-press.com Javier Garcia Jr., 23, pets his brother's dog, Chato. Chato is credited with saving Jerrica Seals, 17, by waking her when a house caught fire in Fort Myers this morning. Order Picture

A recently adopted pit bull may have saved the life of a teenage girl in a downtown house fire this morning.

Fort Myers firefighters responded to the call at 2933 Cocos Ave. at about 7 a.m.

But, by then, Jerrica Seals, 17, was out of the burning wood house, thanks to Chato, a dog her boyfriend's brother brought home from a Lehigh Acres construction site several weeks ago.

"She called me screaming," said Leticia Vega, 36, the sister of Seals' boyfriend Javier Garcia, 23, who owns the home. "She said the dog woke her up barking, jumped on the bed and bit her on the leg."

She was taken to the hospital for a checkup but Garcia said she was going to be fine.

Five people lived in the small house, which was neighbor Janice Hamilton's main concern first thing this morning.

...READ FULL ARTICLE

Maty the wonder-dog wows at Worlds

Three-legged pooch takes seventh place

Posted: 5:23 PM, Sep. 27, 2006 Last Updated: 5:27 PM, Sep. 27, 2006   By KTVZ.com news sources Maty, the first three-legged dog to qualify for the Skyhoundz Canine Disc World Championship held in Atlanta last weekend proved she can compete against the four-legged competitors. The Bend pooch and throwing partner Troy Kerstetter took seventh place in the Sport Division Distance and Accuracy. Jeff Perry of Skyhoundz commented, "Maty came to play. Finishing in seventh place in a field of 33 of the top teams in the world in her first World Championship appearance." ...READ FULL ARTICLE