kyw.com - Family Dog Saves Toddler Playing On Rooftop

"(CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA A Southwest Philadelphia family's dog is being called a hero after sounding the alert when he saw their toddler playing on the roof.

As the child’s parents slept in their bed Sunday, in the 6300 block of Reedland Street, two-year-old Philip Redman Jr. crawled out of bed and on to the roof of the family’s home with Alfie, the family dog, in tow.

Family members say the boy’s parents placed a playpen in front of the broken window to keep Philip safe. Littlie Philip was able to move the playpen and climb out of the window.

“He climbed out, he literally just pulled himself out of the window,” said Philip Redman Sr., the child’s father.

Alfie followed little Philip out of the window and began barking. It was his barking that drew the attention of neighbors and Philip’s sleeping parents.

The little boy and Alfie were spotted running across the rooftops of several homes.

“I saw a baby running across the window, then I said that can’t be true, but then I saw a dog,” said neighbor Tina Mitchell.

Witnesses say it appeared Alfie was running along the outside edge of the roof in an attempt to protect the toddler from falling.

The police were called to the scene, but it was all over before they arrived." Continued...

Mirror.co.uk - News - DIABETIC SAVED BY PET DOG

"By Stephen White

A PET dog saved the life of its young owner after she fell into a life-threatening diabetic coma.

Mongrel Kit, rescued from an animal shelter, realised something was wrong with 13-year-old Marianne Chapman, even though she was sleeping in another room.

Marianne's blood sugar level had dropped to a potentially fatal level during the night and she was in the middle of a seizure.

Kit started barking from her bed in the kitchen and did not stop until mum Rosie had checked on her daughter.

She called paramedics who revived Marianne at the family's home in Haxey, Doncaster.

Relieved Rosie said: 'If Kit hadn't woken me Marianne might not be here now. Her body had begun to shut down and she was admitted to hospital where she recovered. Kit is our guardian angel.'

Marianne added: 'I feel she's looking out for me all the time.'" Full Story...

More than a hound dog

"ELGIN — Pam Fann's home almost became a hunk, a hunk of burning trailer with her and her fiancé inside.

Then, Elvis came to the rescue.

Elvis is the small, white Bichon Frise owned by Fann and Dennis Curtis. Named after 'The King,' he is now known as the hero dog.

Fann and Curtis say Elvis saved their lives when he woke them up after their Jan Marie Lane mobile home caught fire late Saturday. The couple was fast asleep — her in bed and him on the couch — when the dog started jumping on Fann, she recalled Monday afternoon.

Fann tried to shoo the dog away, assuming that a raccoon outside had riled him up, but Elvis wouldn't quit. He kept pawing at her until she woke up.

That's when, Fann said, she realized the bedroom was filled with smoke. She moved to the window and saw the rear of the trailer was covered in flames.

'My little dog woke me up and saved my life,' Fann said. 'He sure did. I never even smelled the smoke or anything and my whole back wall was on fire.'

Curtis soon woke up, too, after Fann started screaming that the house was on fire. She called 911, while he dashed outside to put out the blaze.

Curtis said he emptied two fire extinguishers on the back of the trailer before the flames died out.

'I think" Continued...

A dog's tale

"By KIM THOMAS
kthomas@jacksonsun.com

This is the story of a dog, told from the heart of a human who loves him.

It's the tale of two best friends, bonded by the death of a woman who loved them both.

When Elsie Hoffman came home with a spunky Chihuahua puppy 16 years ago, she likely had no idea little Sam would become her husband's right-hand dog.
Richard Hoffman had never even had a pet. Sam, he says, is a one-person animal. And back then Elsie was the queen of his puppy-dog heart.

But in 1996, an aneurysm took her away from them.

Richard and Elsie were married, he says, for 49 years and nine months. Sitting on the shady porch of his North Jackson home one recent sunny morning, he recalled how loyal Sam was to Elsie.

'He was my wife's dog until she passed away.'

Now, Richard is 80 years old. His little buddy is about 112 - give or take a few canine years. And Sam feels every minute of it. No longer the playful imp he once was, he limps and whines from severe arthritis.

Richard lets his sidekick roam in the yard from time to time. Neighbors in the Rooker Bend subdivision often see the man tinkering around in the yard or whiling away time on the porch. He knows every car that passes and every person" Continued...

What's the Thread Count on My Dog's Bed? - New York Times

"In her four and a half years, Molly, an eight-pound Yorkshire terrier, has become one well-traveled pooch, with overnight stays at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Me., trips to the Affinia Gardens and Regency Hotels in New York, and visits to the Chesterfield Hotel in Palm Beach.

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

'She loves it there' in Palm Beach, said Molly's owner, Priscilla Braverman, of Newton Center, Mass., who notes that she and her husband opted for a small dog in part because of the travel-friendly size. 'That is one of her favorite places. They greet her when she comes in, and she knows just where the treats are kept. It makes me, as an owner, feel really good that they care about her.'

Of course, all this love is also big business. Americans spend more than $38 billion a year on their pets, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. The travel industry has taken notice. For pets, and their owners who can't bear to leave them behind, hotels are not only rolling out the red carpet but also offering animal massages, plush beds with fine linens, dog biscuits baked by pastry chefs and even portable pet cabanas" Continued...

3-legged dog doesn’t bother feeling sorry for herself

"By BILL McKEOWN - THE GAZETTE

Totie is not your run-of-themill three-legged dog.

There’s no hobbling around the house feeling sorry for herself. No tears shed in the dog bowl. No moist, brown eyes pleading for pity.

Totie, though missing a foot, has attitude.

“She lives for her walks,” said Totie’s master, Dawn Wakasugi, who lives with the brown-and-black beagle mix and her husband, Kirk, in a house near Meadowland Boulevard. “She just can’t wait. She bugs us.”

Totie’s enthusiasm for covering ground pogo-style — big beagle ears flopping up and down — draws lots of attention on her daily walks.

“When we’re walking,
we get comments all the time, ‘She’s one happy dog, isn’t she?’” Wakasugi said.

Like all proper dog stories that end with a wagging tail, this one started as a tragedy.

Totie was taken to the Dublin Animal Hospital five years ago by the Humane Society. The dog, maybe a year or two old at the time, had been hit by a car and was found lying under a parked semitrailer. She had a severe infection in her mangled left front leg.

Wakasugi was — and still is — a receptionist at the vet hospital and, you guessed it, “it was love at first sight.”

“She was" Continued...

The Daily Telegraph | Dog gets bravery award

"June 20, 2006

A GOLDEN retriever who saved her sleeping owners from a house fire has received a bravery award.

Mark and Sue Snowdon were asleep in their home at Beaudesert, south of Brisbane, on June 13 when Goldie began to bark.

The couple awoke, grabbed their two daughters, called triple 0 and ran outside just moments before the house was engulfed in flames.

'Without her we'd all be dead. No question about it,' Mr Snowdon said.

The RSPCA was so impressed with Goldie's heroic feat, it awarded her an Animal Achievement Award plaque today, designed by students at Darlington Park School, near Beaudesert.



'We only hand out this kind of award once every couple of years,' said RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty after the ceremony at the school.

Mr Snowdon said that when Goldie first started barking he thought nothing of it, but finally got out of bed when she persisted.

Their historic 1880s dairy homestead was gutted, despite the best efforts of firefighters to save it.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Investigators are believed to be focusing on the home's carport where the fire began." Full Story...

Irish Times Article - Dog dialled 911 with teeth to save diabetic - and win award

"Three year-old Belle Weaver flew into Washington yesterday to meet her congressman and receive an award for heroism after saving her best friend's life, writes Denis Staunton in Washington. As she padded onstage last night with five other award-winning heroes, Belle's age was not all that set her apart.

A pint-sized beauty with dark-brown eyes, floppy ears and a wet nose, Belle is a beagle who used her owner's mobile phone to call an ambulance.

Kevin Weaver (34) was lying unconscious on his kitchen floor after a diabetic seizure when Belle found his phone and bit the number 9 on the keypad, which was programmed to dial 911, the US emergency number.

At the other end, all they heard was barking but they sent an ambulance anyway and Mr Weaver was taken to hospital with dangerously low blood sugar. 'There is no doubt in my mind that I'd be dead if I didn't have Belle,' he said.

Last night, Belle became the first non-human animal to receive the Vita Wireless Samaritan Award, which honours those who use their mobile phones to save lives, stop crime or help in other emergencies. In fact, Belle's act of heroism was the result of nine months of training as a diabetic-alert dog, schooled to sense when her owner's blood sugar is too high or low." Continued...

Telegraph | Expat | Rover and out - our dog's on the runway

"By Nigel Bunyan
(Filed: 06/06/2006)

A couple waiting for their plane to take off were astonished to see their dog bounding alongside the aircraft.

Terry and Susan Smith, who were flying from Manchester to begin a new life in Lanzarote, had last seen Poppy, their spaniel, being taken to the hold of their Boeing 767.

The pilot was about to taxi towards the runway when the animal was spotted alongside the aircraft.

Four airport vehicles were used to pen the dog into a corner so that she could be recaptured. Other passengers were delayed for 15 minutes before the plane was cleared to take off.

Poppy is believed to have bitten her way to freedom after being put into the hold with Pelayo, the Smiths' collie.

Mr Smith, 58, a retired lorry driver from Blackburn, said: 'We couldn't believe our eyes. We obviously had to get off the plane and it took us 10 minutes to catch her. She was terrified by all the noise and would not let anyone get near her.

'We ended up having to re-book a flight, but we're just glad she is safe. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't caught her.'

Poppy spent the night in quarantine before flying out to her new home in Tias." Full story...

Man fends off coyote, saves dog - Yahoo! News

"Tue Jun 6, 11:27 AM ET

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - A 75-year-old man says he saved a small dog from a hungry coyote by bashing the animal on its head with his flashlight.
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Herbert Doran said he was taking his daughter's 11-year-old bichon frise, Jenna, out for a nighttime walk near his suburban home when the coyote appeared.

'I had just enough time to jerk Jenna's leash and step between them,' Doran said Monday. 'He tried to get around me, and I could feel him brush my legs.

'When he went down to grab her by the neck, luckily I had my flashlight and I bopped him on the head. That stunned him, and he looked at me and I shone the light in his eyes and yelled at him.'

The coyote slowly backed off and left, he said.

Police found no trace of the coyote after the Thursday night episode. A police department official said he knew of no previous sightings in the village, about 30 miles north of Manhattan.

Coyotes have become more visible in the suburbs north of New York City, and one was captured in the city's Central Park earlier this year." Full story...