Family Dog Sniffs Out Burglar In Bathroom At Murrieta, Cali Home

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From swrnn.com

A burglar in a bathroom of a Murrieta home was discovered by the family dog and fled with cash and jewelry, police said.

The residents of a home in the 40100 block of Avenida Venida were awakened around 2:20 a.m. Saturday by their dog, who was barking at the bathroom door, said Sgt. Sandra O’Donnell of the Murrieta Police Department.

A female resident discovered the burglar, screamed and ran down the stairs. The suspect followed the woman and ran out the back door. A male resident chased the suspect, but lost sight of him, the sergeant said.

The residents said jewelry and $300 cash had been taken.

Police believe the burglar may have been seen in the backyard of a house on Ravenwood Drive, about a block away, at 1:52 a.m. that morning, O’Donnell said.

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Volunteers Build Fences To Free Dogs Of Their Chains

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Categories: Dog Safety, Environment, Heroics, News

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By Amy M.E. Fischer for The Daily News

Month after month, no matter the weather, the 4-year-old pitbull was left outside chained to a tree in an overgrown yard near West Side Highway.

The heavy choke-collar around Lucy’s thick neck was padlocked to her chain.

No new smells, no new scenery. Sometimes her chain tangled, and the friendly tan-and-white dog couldn’t reach her ramshackle little shelter, leaving her exposed to the rain and the cold.

“We’d always slow way down so we could see what she was doing,” said Lexington resident Erin Fields, 31, who began tossing Lucy rawhide bones last December.

Fields’ heart ached for the lonely dog. She called the Humane Society but was told as long as Lucy had food, water and shelter, they couldn’t intervene.

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On Italian Beaches, Dog Lifeguards Are On Watch

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Categories: Environment, Heroics, News, Working Dogs

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By Francoise Kadri

TARQUINIA, Italy — This summer, Italy’s special squad of rescue workers were again chalking up success: some 300 dogs ready to help save lives on dozens of Italian beaches.

In early August in Tarquinia, a town about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Rome, the dogs and their human partners saved on the same day two girls, who had fallen off their boat and two others, who had fallen off an inflatable raft.

The labradors, golden retrievers and Newfoundlands trained by the Italian School for Rescue Dogs (http://www.waterrescuedogs.com/) are credited with saving more than 100 lives, including a dozen this year alone.

“Compared to the rest of the world, the school is the only one that systematically monitors beaches every summer with human-canine units,”
Roberto Gasbarri, the school’s coordinator for central-southern Italy, told AFP.

The teams work in most of Italy’s 20 regions, even landlocked ones such as northern Trentino Alto-Adige, where rescuers monitor lakes.

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Drew Barrymore Mourns Hero Dog

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Categories: Heroics, In Remembrance, News

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From SFGate

Drew Barrymore is mourning the death of her beloved dog Flossie — the pooch whose barking saved her life when a fire engulfed her home in 1998.

The star doted on her adopted chow-yellow Labrador mix, and even credited the pooch with saving her and ex-husband Tom Green when a fire ripped through their Beverly Hills home in May 1998.

Flossie passed away last month, and the actress honored her beloved pet by spreading her ashes across the Ganges river during a recent trip to India — considered to be one of the most sacred spots in the world.

And now she’s working on training a new pup, whose picture she showed off on David Letterman’s late-night talk show on Tuesday, before revealing Flossie’s death.

She said, “That is my new dog, Douglas. … I rescued him. He was brought to the pound when he was two weeks old, he’s six months.

“I had three other dogs, one of which, Flossie, was an infamous little soul — I had her until she was almost 16. She passed away about a month ago. She had such a good life and what more could you ask for than 16 years with your soul mate sidekick?

“I actually brought some of her ashes to India and put them in the Ganges, which is a very sacred thing to do.”

Dog Fends Off Woman’s Attacker In Delaware

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From The Washington Post

Dover police say a woman’s dog scared off a would-be rapist in her apartment. The suspect was arrested later at his home.

Police say the 18-year-old woman was in her apartment Tuesday about 2 p.m. when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

Authorities say the man, who did not have permission to be in her apartment, grabbed the woman and tried to rape her.

The woman’s dog started acting aggressively, and the man fled.

Thirty-year-old James B. Benson Jr. of Dover was arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted rape and other offenses. He is being held after failing to post $51,500 bail.

Dog Saves Family From Burning Home

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From The Sydney Morning Herald

A family pet has been credited with saving his owners from their burning home.

The dog started barking to rouse the family from their slumber as smoke billowed through their Launceston home around 2am (AEST) on Wednesday.

The parents tried to put out the fire, which had spread from embers in an open fireplace, and then ran out into the street to call for help.

Firefighters contained the blaze to the living room around the fireplace with minor smoke damage to the rest of the home.

Paul Catterall of the Tasmania Fire Service says the house was fitted with a smoke alarm but it had a flat battery.

If it wasn’t for the family pet, an Australian silky terrier, the situation could have escalated to a far more serious situation, he said.

He reminded homeowners to check all batteries on their smoke alarms.

The fire caused around $5000 in damages.

Washington Township, NJ, Police Rescues Elderly Dog From 6-Foot-Deep Ditch

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By Vanesse Vera Roman for dailyrecord.com

WASHINGTON TWP. —Robert Lackey really loves animals. Dogs are his favorite animal, horses his second favorite, he said. He’s minded his neighbors’ cat while they’ve been away, and he’s taken care of his great nephew’s black lab, Charlie, too.

This week, Lackey, 80 — who splits his time between an apartment in New York City and his home in Washington Township — was dog sitting 14-year-old Charlie when things took an unexpected and somewhat frightening turn.

On Monday morning, Lackey was cleaning up after Charlie outdoors when he turned around and realized the dog was gone.

He looked a bit further and found that Charlie, a heavy dog with a bad back, had fallen into a 6-foot deep streambed along the side of Sand Hill Road.

There was only about an inch of water in the stream but the deep banks are steep. Unable to get the dog out himself, Lackey called police.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Washington Township Police Officer John Wurtemberg responded to the scene, got into the ditch, and was able to hoist the dog out and return it to Lackey.

Charlie was dirty because of the heavy rain and mud, but, Lackey said, the dog is now home resting comfortably.

“Thank God for the Washington Township Police Department,” Lackey said. “They’re there when you need them.”

Canine Lifeguards Doggie Paddle To The Rescue In Italy

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The Associated Press

They leap from helicopters or speeding boats, bringing aid to swimmers who get into trouble off Italy’s popular beaches.

For these canine lifeguards, the doggie paddle does just fine.

Hundreds of specially trained dogs from Italy’s corps of canine lifeguards are deployed each summer to help swimmers in need of rescue.

These “lifedogs” wear a harness or tow a buoy that victims can grab, or a raft they can sit on to be towed back to shore, and unlike their human counterparts, they can easily jump from helicopters and speeding boats to reach swimmers in trouble.

With millions flocking to Italy’s crowded beaches each summer, the Italian Coast Guard says it rescues about 3,000 people every year — and their canine helpers are credited with saving several lives.

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Owner: Dog Was ‘My Hero’ During Knife Attack

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By Laura Crimaldi for Boston Herald

A Southbridge woman is hailing her 5-year-old pit bull as a hero after the dog was stabbed multiple times while protecting her from an enraged boyfriend wielding a 12-inch serrated knife.

“She’s my hero,” Marie Wells, 31, said of Princess, who is hospitalized on the grounds of the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. “I was not injured thanks to Princess.”

Wells said Princess sustained three major stab wounds, including a six-inch laceration and others that nearly went down to the bone. She said Princess began nipping at her boyfriend, Eric Reyes, 30, while the couple were arguing at 1 a.m. Wednesday in their apartment.

“She did not attack him,” Wells said. “She was in front of me trying to protect me.”

Reyes is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Monday in Dudley District Court, said Timothy Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

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Boxer Wakes Owner During Fire At Florida Home

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From miamiherald.com

CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A dog reportedly woke up his owner during a fire at a Panhandle home.

Fire officials say the blaze started just outside the Crestview house early Saturday morning and spread up the wall and into the attic. The home’s owner, an Okaloosa County deputy, told authorities that his boxer woke him. He then looked out a window and saw the flames. The deputy, who was not identified, ran to his 4-year-old daughter’s room and got her out of the house. He then went back for the dog, and the two escaped through a window.

The sheriff’s office reports that the home was a total loss, but the victims were able to salvage a few person possessions.

Fire officials say they’re investigating the incident as a possible arson.

Hero Dog Saves Owner

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From kezi.com

SALEM, Ore. — A Salem man is alive and well, and he can thank his dachshund Missy for that.

Charlie Burdon had open-heart surgery just a month ago. When he collapsed the other day, he was virtually helpless but not actually helpless. That’s because he had an unlikely hero in 11-year-old Missy. Normally she won’t go anywhere without Charlie, but she had to get help. So she ran to a neighbor who instinctively knew something was wrong.

“I said, ‘Missy, Charlie don’t know you’re here. You better go back home.’ She just stood there and looked at me,” said neighbor Charles Mitchell.

Missy wouldn’t budge until the neighbor followed. The neighbor, also named Charlie, ran to Charlie Burdon’s house and then called 911. Missy is so protective of Charlie, she wouldn’t let the paramedics near him until Charlie’s wife took her away.

Washington Crews Rescue Dog That Fell Over Cliff

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By Glenn Farley and Teresa Yuan for Kings5 News

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – A dog that fell over a cliff along the Pacific Crest Trail in Snoqualmie Thursday was rescued in an effort you normally think would be reserved for humans. But in fact, it’s with humans in mind that the elaborate rescue took place.

According to the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART), a couple was hiking along the trail Thursday night. Their German Pointer, named Dosewallips, ran across an ice field and slid about 100 yards over the embankment. The 50-pound dog landed on a ledge below the trail.

WASART members, along with members of King County Search and Rescue and the Northwest Horseback Search and Rescue, were called to the scene. One team managed to rappel down to a ledge on the same level, but they were still too far from the dog to retrieve him.

The crews camped on the trail overnight to wait for more light and a longer rope before they pulled Dosewallips out Friday morning.

“We’re very thankful to the volunteers who helped us out,” said Dosewallips’ owner Mike Garrity.

While it might seem like a lot to throw at an effort to rescue a dog, WASART says it keeps from making the situation worse because the owners might have gotten trapped if they had tried to rescue the dog on their own.

Garrity said he did try to rescue Dosewallips, but thought better of it and called for help.

In February 2005, a woman died after she fell 400 feet trying to rescue a dog in a similar situation near Mud Mountain Dam.