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Animals To The Rescue

TheQuixote

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Sep 25, 2003
Messages
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I'll avoid cliched references to 'Watership Down'...

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Rabbit saves diabetic from coma


Simon Steggall says Dory the life-saver is a family favourite
A diabetic man is crediting his giant pet rabbit with saving his life when he slipped into a coma.
Simon Steggall, 42, of Warboys in Cambridgeshire, said Dory, a one-and-a-half stone rabbit, jumped on his chest and thumped furiously when he passed out while watching television.

Dory's odd behaviour caught the attention of Mr Steggall's wife, Victoria, 32, an ambulance driver.

When her attempts to bring him round failed, she rang 999 for paramedics for help.

"I work for the ambulance service and I'm embarrassed that the rabbit spotted it before I did," Mrs Steggall said.

When I told my specialist about what had happened he said he had heard of cats and dogs acting this way, but never a rabbit

Simon Steggall
Mr Steggall said his wife thought he had simply nodded off.

"When I have one of these turns I can't speak or move, but I can still hear and I heard Victoria's tell Dory to get down.

"Although she is a house rabbit, she's not allowed on the furniture.

"The rabbit came up on my lap and started tapping and digging at my chest and looking at my face.

"That caught Victoria's attention and she realised something was wrong."


The couple have had Dory for three months
Mr Steggall, a diabetic since childhood who has to inject insulin four times each day, said he did not get any warning when he was about to be unwell.

"One moment I am vertical and next minute I am waking up with a paramedic. It's like a flick of a switch."

The couple have had Dory, a three-foot rabbit, for three months, but she is not the first pet to respond when he has a diabetic reaction.

Mr Steggall said he once had a black labrador who would cower in a corner when his blood sugar levels began to fall dangerously low - reminding him do a blood test.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/3441337.stm

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I couldn't find any existing threads that dealt with human-friendly pets or the like, mods please move if there is and ummm sorry!
 
The flip side of the coin to animals going on the attack (or other stuff I suppose):


Tue, February 17, 2004



Dairy cow drags New Zealand farmer through raging river to safety




WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A New Zealand farmer escaped from a flooded river by hanging on to one of her cows as it struggled through the raging waters, local newspapers reported.

Kim Riley was swept off her feet by the current as she tried to turn a group of cows away from the rising river at her farm in Woodville, 130 kilometres north of Wellington.

"Before I knew it, I was pushed along with the cows," she said, adding that several swam over her as they struggled in the water.

The bruised farmer said she "drank a fair bit of water" as she struggled against the current. She grabbed at trees and a fence as they rushed past, but couldn't reach them.

"I looked back and saw one of the last cows bearing down on me. As she went by I threw my arm over her neck, Riley said.

The cow struggled to the bank with the farmer clinging to her.

"When we actually hit hard ground, we both sat there quite exhausted, and puffing, and shaking a little bit," Riley said.

Riley and her husband lost 15 of the 350 cows that were swept into the river. She said the animal that saved her, Cow 569, would get a bit of extra attention from now on.

"She's an old cow, an ugly old tart, but I'll have to say thank you to her," Riley said.


http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/17/351176-ap.html

Such lovely sentiments - she should have left him there ;)

Emps
 
And animals helping other animals?

Exotic mammals to protect sheep

A pair of exotic mountain animals have been brought in to protect a flock of sheep at a park in Leicestershire.

The South American alpacas, which look like llamas, have been introduced to Beacon Hill Country Park after a number of fatal dog attacks last year.

The pair, Fluffy and Attie, have bonded with the sheep, and defend them by stamping their front legs at dogs.

Country park managers say that, with the lambing season just around the corner, the pair are very welcome.

Alpacas, members of the camelid family, were once treasured by the Incas in the Andes, and produce one of the world's finest wools.

Park managers say Fluffy and Attie's grazing habits will also help its habitat.

But walkers are being told not to befriend the pair - the alpacas need to stay wild in order to do their job.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/3495131.stm

Published: 2004/02/17 18:42:38 GMT

© BBC MMIV
 
More about Big Bunny....

It's now been given an award, it's a huge animal though, surprised it wasn't 'saves owner's life but crack his ribs'.

At:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/3535655.stm

Life-saving rabbit wins top award


Simon Steggall says Dory the life-saver is a family favourite
A giant pet rabbit who saved her Cambridgeshire owner's life has been honoured with a special award.
Dory, a 1.5 stone rabbit, has been made the first ever honorary animal member of the Rabbit Welfare Association.

Dory's actions saved the life of Simon Steggall, 42, of Warboys, when she jumped up on his chest as he began to slump into a diabetic coma.

The action alerted his wife Victoria to the emergency, which happened in January this year.

Mrs Steggall, 32, thought he had simply fallen asleep after a hard week at work and it wasn't until Dory started thumping on his chest and licking round his mouth that she realised something was terribly wrong.


Ambulance driver Mrs Steggall immediately swung into action and rubbed a special gel into Simon's gums to try and bring his blood sugar levels back up to normal.

But when that failed she rang 999 for paramedics who injected the BT engineer with medication to force his liver to dump its store of glucose, which finally brought him round.

Ingrid Tarrant, Rabbit Welfare Association supporter and experienced rabbit owner, said the story of Dory came as no surprise to her.

'Rabbits misunderstood'

She said: "Rabbits are the most misunderstood of animals; people just dont realise how intelligent and sociable they are.

"Too often they are abandoned alone in a hutch at the bottom of the garden, forgotten and ignored, when in fact they make excellent house pets.

"Hopefully, rabbits such as Dory will help to raise awareness of rabbits and just how wonderful they really are."

Dory is the first animal to be made an honorary member of the association set up eight years ago.

'A great honour'

Mr Steggall said: "I don't know how she did it but Dory saved my life."

Mrs Stegall said: "It's a great honour. I can't believe it. I'm very impressed and so is Dory, though I had to help her fill in the application form."

Among the human members of the Rabbit Welfare Association are Toyah Wilcox and Ingrid Tarrant, wife of show host Chris.

The couple have had Dory, a three-foot rabbit, for three months, but she is not the first pet to respond when he has a diabetic reaction.
 
More animal heroes:

Dog saves owner from bear attack in Slovakia


17:57 Tuesday April 13th 2004



A man attacked by a bear while walking in the Low Tatras mountains, in Slovakia, was saved by his dog, according to media reports in Bratislava. The 42-year old Slovak man, whose name was not given, was injured in an arm and a leg. But the injuries could have been worse had his dog not lured the bear away. The man has been detained in hospital where his condition is said to be stable.

http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index.php3?ca=27&si=53819

Requires free registration.

Emps
 
Taming Ethiopia's hyenas

By Mohammed Adow
BBC, Ethiopia

I Seyyid Abdiweli Abdishakur, a traditional leader who also doubles up as a farmer and a pastoralist, has made a mark within his community by achieving what many men dread to even attempt.

He has trained a hyena to look after his livestock and four hawks to guard his grain farms from destructive birds.

The Hyena and Hawk man lives in the small town of Qabri Bayah about 50 kilometres from Jigjiga town the headquarters of the Somali region in eastern Ethiopia.

When I visited him in his house, he was busy tending crops at his green garden - a rare sight in this arid neighbourhood.

A group of young men were playing with the male hyena, which seemed to enjoy all the action.

Near the hyena and without any fear, were four cows.

The hyena looked so much at home and even licked oil from the head of one of Seyyid Abdishakur's herders.

They have fondly named the hyena "Ali".

Cash savings

I asked Seyyid Abdishakur what led him to tame the hyena and hawks.

"I have a herd of about 370 goats and hyenas have been regularly attacking my herd. Then I hatched this plan of taming the animal and I got this one at the age of two and brought him home," he said.

Warring Somalis ought to learn a lesson from this. I have brought together hawks, cats, chicken, cattle, goats and a hyena who are all sworn enemies and they are all living harmoniously in one place.
Seyyid Abdishakur

Mr Abdishakur says he knew hyenas do not come to attack anywhere where their offspring are.

"As for the hawks I caught them while they were young and I use them to guard my farms where I plant grain during the rainy season," he said.

Mr Abdishakur says both the hawks and hyena have been of great use to him.

"I have saved the funds which I used to hire extra people to guard my crops against birds and the hyena has become a good shepherd... other hyenas now fear my herd," he said.

This great friendship between the beast and livestock has not come about easily.

Village attraction

Mr Abdishakur says that at first he was forced to hire a vehicle to carry the hyena around whenever his livestock moved to a new location.

This was to prevent "Ali" meeting other hyenas and taking off with them.

For the past four years the hyena has stayed with him and served him well.

Mr Abdishakur says that he has never slaughtered a goat within the sight of the hyena to avoid it seeing the livestock as a source of food.

"I only give him meat from the butcher," he says.

But has he got any fears of the hyena leaving him and going back to the wild?

"Yes, when the Hyena feels the urge to mate, then there is the danger of it leaving in search of a female one. But I have already considered this and I now put certain herbs in its food to reduce its sexual urge," said Mr Abdishakur.

He says that he learnt this from his late father whom he says was knowledgeable on many things.

And he is philosophical about his success in taming the wild animal and birds

"All living things have the same interests," he said.

"Warring Somalis ought to learn a lesson from this. I have brought together hawks, cats, chicken, cattle, goats and a hyena who are all sworn enemies and they are all living harmoniously in one place. It's time Somalis reflected and thought of their interests and stopped feuding."

Mr Abdishakur has also kept the hawks separated in huge cages fearing that they will mate and breed.

He says he does not have the financial ability to support any offspring at the moment.

But for now he is the centre of attraction in this village and people from both far and near come to his compound daily to marvel at his rare catch.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/3619791.stm

Published: 2004/04/12 15:33:54 GMT

© BBC MMIV
 
The pair, Fluffy and Attie, have bonded with the sheep, and defend them by stamping their front legs at dogs.

It's not unusual here in NZ to see Alpacas in the fields with the sheep. They seem to do very well over here. Their wool is very warm and along with merino, garments made from it fetch a high price. Cute looking beasties but i hear they can be very bad tempered.:hmph:
 
Another great story:

last updated: 4/20/2004

Dog rescues another dog from alligator attack


ABC13 Eyewitness News

(4/20/04 - HOUSTON) — You've heard the saying every dog has its day, and the dog in this story certainly had hers. She survived an alligator attack on Lake Houston, but that's not even the most interesting part.


The dog's owner used a piece of concrete to eventually scare the alligator away, but it was actually another dog that did most of the rescue work.

"She is very possessive and if it belongs to her, she doesn't want to let it go," dog owner Leslie Santiago described her pet.

Leslie is now grateful for that trait in her dog Sophie. Today she's a hero, and a beagle-dachshund mix is a survivor.

Little Bean carries the nasty wounds of an alligator attack -- deep gashes on the back of her neck, puncture wounds on the front.

Leslie admitted, "She's definitely not in the room when we eat dinner!"

It was Friday at a backyard boat ramp, where all Leslie could see was Bean's body. Her head was engulfed by the gator.

"I saw the gator," said Leslie. "He was chomping down."

And attached to one of Bean's short legs was Sophie.

"She stepped up to the plate, grabbed her by the back leg," recalled Leslie. "She knew she wasn't supposed to be there and knew that wasn't supposed to be there. She never let go."

And it wasn't until Leslie threw a 20 pound piece of concrete at the gator that Bean was free. Sophie dragged her to safety. Next came a trip to the vet.

Dr. Darren Knapp said, "She's lucky. She's lucky (the alligator) didn't have a meal that day."

Dr. Knapp has treated many ailments in his career but never an alligator bite. Unsure of the bacteria in a gator's mouth, he left Bean's wounds open. And Bean left with a nickname.

"All they have to say is gator dog and we know which one they're talking about," the doctor said.

For now Bean gets the sympathy. Sophie gets the glory. In a household with four dogs, Sophie is now top dog. The vet says little Bean should be just fine.

Not only is she proud of her pups, but Leslie also wanted to get her story out to warn others on the lake to beware of the alligators.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/042004_local_gatordog.html

Little bean!! What a great name for a dog.

Emps
 
‘A Good Dog’

Furry Friend Keeps Lost Boy Warm, Leads Him to Safety



June 15, 2004 — An 11-year-old Idaho boy can thank his plucky pup for getting him home after the two spent more than 18 hours shivering in the mountains near Tooele, Utah, with no shoes, no food and no water.


The boy was in Middle Canyon, southeast of Tooele on Sunday night, in what was supposed to be a simple hike to a waterfall near his family's campsite.

But a few hours later, Kyle Reid found himself alone with just his dog Athena. He had left his campsite in nothing but a pair of sandals, shorts and a short-sleeve shirt.

His parents became worried when he didn't return, and within hours of his disappearance, authorities were called in to search for the youngster. The searchers were concerned because there are many steep cliffs in the canyon and it was feared the boy could have been badly hurt.

"We were pretty distraught, I mean freaking out," Kyle's stepfather Tim Gaudin said.

But 16 hours later, there was still no sign of the boy. Time and hope were running out.

Meanwhile Kyle wasn't resting easy at all. After midnight he and his dog Athena hunkered down for an uncomfortable night. Lost in the mountains, he was cold, covered with ants and spiders, and scared.

"I felt this weird feeling in my stomach, that I might never see mom and dad anymore," Kyle said.

In the morning Athena took the lead, and led him down out of the wilderness and right to a pair of mountain bikers.

"I followed her most of the way down, off the mountain," Kyle said.

The Tooele County sheriff said the boy walked about five miles in rugged terrain without his shoes, which he lost early in the hike.

The mountain bikers called police and brought Kyle home to his relieved family.

Kyle has a few scrapes and bug bites, but despite all that he is going to be fine.

"If I didn't have Athena, I think that it would be pretty hard to get down the mountain without her. She protected me," Kyle said.

Kyle and his family, who are from Nampa, Idaho, have camped in these mountains for years, and this is the first time they have ever had anything like this happen.

If Kyle and his family ever had any question about who is the boy's best friend, their mountain adventure must have put them to rest.

"She deserves special treats every day for the rest of her life," Gaudin said. "She's a good dog."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/US/SciTech/lost_boy_040615-1.html
 
Friendly dog averts kiiling spree

link

A man who told police he was bent on going on a murderous rampage believed people in his native New Brunswick were nice, so he planned to gun down people in Toronto instead — until a friendly dog changed his mind about the city’s residents.
The man drove from the Maritimes with a carload of guns and ammunition intending to kill as many people in Toronto as he could, he told police. But a last-minute encounter with a woman and her dogs in a lakefront park convinced him Torontonians are nice too.

“He wanted to start a killing spree,” said Det.-Sgt. Bernadette Button. “He didn’t indicate why, but (did say) that the people in the Maritimes were nice so he thought he’d come up to Toronto.”

By chance, he encountered a woman walking her two dogs.

“One of the dogs approached him and it was playful and they got into a bit of a tug-of-war,” Button said.

“He decided that the people in Toronto were nice and he didn’t want to continue with his operational plan.”

James Stanson, 43, was charged with eight weapons-related offences after a man surrendered to police Wednesday in front of a supermarket in the peaceful east-end neighbourhood known as the Beaches.

Stanson, wearing a scruffy light-brown jacket, appeared in court this afternoon after being examined by a psychiatrist. A scruffy beard and moustache obscured lacerations on his round face.

Justice Richard Schneider ruled the accused would undergo further psychiatric assessment before June 30 and appear again in court for a progress report on July 14. At that time, the court will decide whether Stanson is mentally fit to stand trial.

Stanson was also remanded to the hospital unit of a Toronto jail so that he can be placed under suicide watch.

Police said the suspect had a loaded gun in his pocket and a car crammed with more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition and had intended to start firing in the park on a sunny summer afternoon.

The man was a dog owner and his car was packed with doggie blankets and a big plastic dog dish still filled with dry kibble. Police said he had left his own dog in New Brunswick.

After visiting the park, the man, who police describe as mentally ill, drove around the city looking for a police officer.

Const. Fraser Douglas, 25, was responding to a shoplifting call in front of the nearby supermarket when the man drove up behind his cruiser and honked his horn.

“He asked the officer who he approached for (psychiatric) help, or he was going to do something serious,” Button said.

At that point, the man said he had intended to go on a shooting rampage.

Officers tallied the cache Wednesday night, counting carton after carton of bullets.

The list included: a 12-gauge shotgun, a bolt action rifle with a telescopic lens, a 9-mm semi-automatic, a machete, throwing knife, camouflage ski mask, black leather gloves, and 6,296 rounds of ammunition.

Police say they have a dog to thank, but do not know the identity of the pet’s owner.
 
Sounds a few chunks short of a dog's dinner to me.
 
Pigeons find hidden Spain fresco

A Renaissance fresco hidden for 300years has been rediscovered in Spain - thanks to nesting pigeons.


Art restorers working in Valencia's cathedral spotted the birds flying through a hole in what turned out to be a false ceiling and were intrigued.

They stuck a digital camera in the gap and shot pictures that showed a well-preserved 15th century Italian fresco.

It is one of the earliest and most important examples of such Renaissance art in Spain, experts say.

The fresco, which depicts four angels against a starry blue background, was painted by two Italians, Francesco Pagano and Paolo de San Leocadio, in the late 1400s.

They were commissioned by a papal envoy, Rodrigo Borja, a Spaniard who went on to become Pope Alexander VI in 1492.

The fresco was covered up by a Baroque ceiling, believed to have been constructed around 1670, likely as a result of changing artistic tastes.

Normally, baroque artists covering up an existing fresco would scrape it off, art historian Fernando Lopez told the Associated Press.

"This time they did not. They left an air pocket. That is the big surprise."

The president of Valencia's government, Francisco Camps, said the find was "one of the most important cultural discoveries in recent years" in Spain.

BBCi 25/06/04
 
Jul 13, 7:41 AM EDT


Dog Goes to Post Office to Get Mail

CARPIO, N.D. (AP) -- Toby arrives at the post office here at 9:30 every morning, ready to deliver the mail, even though he's barred from coming inside.

The 12-year-old golden retriever has been delivering mail to his owner, Brad Sullivan, for the past two years. He makes the three-block trek to the post office with Gordon Lewis, Sullivan's neighbor.

Toby waits patiently outside until Lewis puts the Sullivans' mail in a green pouch around his neck for the short trip home.

"He's just crazy to come and get the mail," Lewis said. "He usually waits outside, then takes off when I put the pouch back on him."

Sullivan said his mother, Connie, was hospitalized a couple of years ago and Sullivan was laid up from a vehicle accident, so he started sending Toby with Lewis to get the mail.

"We put that pouch on him and he's a different dog," Sullivan said. "It's like it's something important for him to do.

Connie Sullivan said she gives Toby a treat when he gets back. And Carpio Postmaster Kevin Nissen said Toby carries on the Postal Service tradition of getting the mail out on time.

"It's like clockwork at 9:30," Nissen said. "It saves Brad or his mom from coming uptown."

Source
 
Jul 13, 11:34 AM EDT


Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- Fort Carson Staff Sgt. Rick Bousfield of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team had a mission: Saving Pvt. Hammer.

Pfc. Hammer is an Iraqi tabby cat the unit adopted after he was born last fall at a base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad.

When Bousfield found out his unit was leaving Iraq in March, he decided he couldn't leave a member of his team behind.

"He has been through mortar attacks," said Bousfield, a 19-year Army veteran. "He'd jump and get scared liked the rest of us. He is kind of like one of our own."

Pfc. Hammer got his name from the unit that adopted him, Team Hammer. Soldiers would tuck Hammer in their body armor during artillery attacks, and in return, Hammer chased mice in the mess hall.

"He was a stress therapist," Bousfield said. "The guys would come back in tired and stressed. Hammer would come back and bug the heck out of you. He wiped away some worries."

The kitten earned his rank after nabbing five mice.

When Bousfield learned his unit was going, he sent an e-mail to Alley Cat Allies, a national clearinghouse of information on stray cats, asking for help bringing Hammer along.

Alley Cat Allies raised ,500 for Hammer's shots, sterilization, paperwork and a plane ride to the United States.

Hammer left Iraq with his unit in March, then flew from Kuwait to San Francisco in cargo-class. He traveled first class with an Alley Cat Allies volunteer to Denver.

Bousfield met the kitten at the airport.

Source
 
Real-life 'Lassie' saves owner in house blaze

By Kevin Meade
July 21, 2004

LASSIE, or at least a canine very much like the movie wonder dog, is alive and well in the Gold Coast hinterland.

A border collie has been credited with saving the life of its owner when a fire broke out in the man's home at Mount Tamborine on Monday night.

Police said Paul Bateman fell asleep while doing paperwork at his dining room table. He awoke about 9.45pm to find his dog tugging at his clothes.

His dining and lounge rooms -- and even the papers he had been working on -- were on fire.

Mr Bateman and his faithful dog fled the house.

They both escaped injury, but the two-storey wooden house was destroyed. Mr Bateman could not be contacted for comment yesterday. Police believe the fire was started by a faulty fan heater.

A Queensland Fire and Rescue Service officer said there was little doubt the dog had saved Mr Bateman's life.

"When you're asleep the smoke gets to you and you normally don't wake up," the fireman told Ten Network News.

"So if it hadn't been for the dog he probably would have perished in the fire."

A QFRS spokeswoman said Mr Bateman had removed the batteries from his smoke alarm the day before the fire.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10197637%5E29677,00.html
 
Dolphins led rescue boat to us, say divers lost in Red Sea

(Filed: 10/08/2004)


Holiday goes on for five divers who had thought they faced death, tied together and navigating by the stars, writes Caroline Davies

The British divers lost in the Red Sea for 13 and a half hours after being swept away told yesterday how they feared they would die and how they believed dolphins led rescuers to them.

As the five Britons, who were rescued with two Belgians and five Portuguese after a huge air and sea seach, recovered yesterday they spoke of how they fought severe exhaustion, dehydration and sunburn.

Boats and spotter planes failed to locate them when they lost contact with their Egyptian diving boat and were swept 45 miles away.

They roped themselves together, told jokes and sang Christmas carols to keep their spirits up as they drifted further and further from the Oyster, their live-aboard boat.

Yesterday the Britons, Richard Hallam, 28, the divemaster from Pickering, North Yorks, and friends Bruce de Courcy, 48, from Chilham, near Canterbury, and Paul Moulton, Geoff Woodfield and Alexandra Douglas, all from Wandsworth, south London, were continuing their holiday and back diving after their ordeal.

"We are all pretty shaken," said Mr de Courcy, a water feature designer, who met the other three on a Red Sea diving trip last year.

"When you think back, when you sit on your own and you think about it, it makes you cry," he said in an interview from the boat.

The five were in a party of 12 experienced divers who dived at 9am off al-Akhawain, the twin Little Brother islands. During the dive they were excited to see a hammerhead shark and two grey reef sharks on the reef.

They surfaced early and, following diving procedure, positioned a Surface Marker Buoy to alert the Oyster crew, although the current had already caused them to drift.

But, possibly because of the sun and the reflection on the water, the marker buoy was not spotted by the crew.

The 12 stuck together. Early on they saw a container ship and then another live-aboard ship, but the vessels passed by. Then, after six hours, they saw a spotter plane.

By now a full-scale emergency search had been underway for hours involving a private helicopter, the Egyptian navy and alerts to all ships in the area, activated by the Oyster Club that organised the diving trip.

"When we saw that plane, and it came right over our heads, we thought, 'That's it. We're safe'," said Mr de Courcy, a father of two daughters, aged 16 and 20, who runs a cider farm and garden centre in Chilham with his partner, Claire Raraty-Squires.

"Then it didn't dip its wings, nothing happened and it appeared it hadn't seen us. So from a real high, we were down to a real low."

The 12, most of whom had only met on the boat, kept each other going by talking about their backgrounds. They numbered themselves one to 12 and every few minutes - especially when it got dark - called out their numbers in sequence to make sure all were there.

Though the water was warm and they were wearing wetsuits, they were losing body heat and forced themselves to keep moving.

Everybody was exhausted. Two - a Belgian and a Portuguese - did not seem to be coping with the cold. "I would say those two would not have made it overnight," said Mr Hallam, the divemaster. As it grew dark, each tried to suppress panic.

"Everyone was searching in the wrong place," said Mr de Courcy, who is himself a qualified diving instructor. "Not only that, but when you are on the surface, you can't help wondering what's going to happen to your legs."

Although he believed the sharks in the area were placid and did not normally attack humans, "you can't help but wonder what is down there".

They spotted mountains in the dusk, tied themselves together and began swimming towards them slowly on their backs.

Navigating by compass and two stars, they estimated they could reach the shore 30 miles away.

"I think by that point we pretty much thought we had had it," said Mr de Courcy.

Then at around 8.30pm they sighted the Thunderbird, another live-aboard boat, and this time their torch signals received a positive response.

"It was adrenaline, relief, happiness," said Mr Hallam. On board, all celebrated with a cigarette - even the non-smokers.

All were examined at the scene by a doctor and opted to continue their holiday.

George Saleed, from the Oyster Club, said protocol had been followed to the strictest letter.

Longwood Holidays, the London-based tour operators which booked the holiday, said they had used the Oyster Club for many years and regarded them as very reliable.

An investigation is now under way by the Red Sea Association for Diving and Watersports.

Mr Hallam, who has worked for the Oyster Club for two months, said: "One of the most amazing things was, after we were rescued, the guys on the boat said there were dolphins jumping across the prow in the direction we were actually in.

"We heard dolphins when we were in the water, we could hear their echo location. I think those dolphins drew attention to us. There are stories about dolphins helping humans in distress, protecting them. And I think those dolphins helped us."

Source
 
Puppy Prevents Postal Persuasion

Puppy prevents Canadian killing spree

A Canadian man, driving a car packed with weapons and ammunition, was intent on killing as many people as possible in a Toronto neighbourhood but gave up the plan at the last minute when he encountered a friendly dog, police say.

The middle-aged man, who police say is mentally disturbed, had planned to carry out the shooting spree on Wednesday to ensure he would be put in jail permanently.

Police say he had set himself up in an east-end park to load his weapons and then planned to drive around shooting.

He told police that a dog then approached and started playing with him.

Police say the encounter melted the man's heart, and he then went in search of police to give himself up.

"He happens to be a pet lover, and decided that since there was such a nice dog in the area, that people were too nice and he wasn't going to carry out his plan," Detective Nick Ashley said.

Police have found 6,000 rounds of ammunition, two rifles, a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and an air rifle in the man's car, along with a machete and a hunting knife.

The car also contains a throwing knife, a camouflage mask and netting.

James Paul Stanson, 43, has been charged with a variety of weapons-related offences and appeared in court for a bail hearing on Thursday.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1140162.htm
 
Pekinese saves shepherd from bear

A Romanian shepherd who was attacked by a bear in the mountains was saved by his pet Pekinese dog.

The man was checking sheep near Magurii Casinului, in Vrancea county, when the bear came out from bushes and started chasing him.

Petre Preda thought he was doomed when he slipped and broke his leg - but his little dog had other ideas.

It began harassing the bear, distracting it from the shepherd, and leading it off into nearby woods.

Mr Preda told National newspaper: "The giant bear came out of the blue and swooped upon me ready to tear me into pieces.

"I ran as fast as I could but I stumbled and broke my right leg. I thought only God could help me and started my last prayer.

"Then I heard my little Pekinese, I'd completely forgot about it. The little one attacked the bear distracting it from me. After an hour the dog returned from the woods safe."

The shepherd said his Pekinese, which he named Bear, was a gift from his wife who gave it to him to take care of him in the mountains.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1109915.html?menu=news.quirkies
 
Dog saves heart attack owner

Here's another:

quote
----------

Ananova:
11:12 Friday 24th September 2004

Dog saves heart attack owner
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1114667.html?menu=news.quirkies

A man who suffered a heart attack while alone in his house, was saved when his dog got him the phone so he could call for help.

The man, named only as Aurel C, from Focsani, said he felt sick and fell before
he could get to his phone.

But the National newspaper says his nine-year-old German Shepherd saved his life.

The victim told the paper: "I was getting ready to go to bed when I felt an awful claw in my chest and fell on the floor. I tried to get the phone in the
other room but had no power to move.

"With my last strength I told the dog 'fetch the phone Max' and like in a dream I saw him snatching the phone from the wall and bringing it under my nose.

"I called the ambulance and woke up at the hospital. I can't wait to go back
home to my Max."

-----------


Mal F
 
Rats' brain waves could find trapped people

Rats equipped with radios that transmit their brainwaves could soon be helping to locate earthquake survivors buried in the wreckage of collapsed buildings.

Rats have an exquisitely sensitive sense of smell and can crawl just about anywhere. This combination makes them ideal candidates for sniffing out buried survivors. For that, the animals need to be taught to home in on people, and they must also signal their position to rescuers on the surface.

In a project funded by DARPA, the Pentagon’s research arm, Linda and Ray Hermer-Vazquez of the University of Florida in Gainesville have worked out a way to achieve this.

First the researchers identified the neural signals rats generate when they have found a scent that they are looking for. “When a dog is sniffing a bomb, he makes a unique movement that the handler recognises,” says John Chapin, a neuroscientist at the State University of New York in Brooklyn who is collaborating on the project. “Instead of the rat making a conditioned response, we pick up the response immediately from the brain.”
 
On the positive side:

Washington Dog Phones 911 for Fallen Owner

RICHLAND, Wash. - Faith the service dog phoned 911 when her owner fell out of her wheelchair and barked urgently into the receiver until a dispatcher sent help. Then the 4-year-old Rottweiler unlocked the front door so the responding police officer could come in.

"I sensed there was a problem on the other end of the 911 call," said dispatcher Jenny Buchanan, who answered the call from Faith. "The dog was too persistent in barking directly into the phone receiver," Buchanan said at Benton County's Southeast Communications Center. "I knew she was trying to tell me something." Faith is trained to summon help by pushing a speed-dial button on the phone with her nose after taking the receiver off the hook, said her owner Leana Beasley, 45, who suffers grand mal seizures.

Guided by experts at the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound, Beasley helped train Faith herself. "She's a real trooper," Beasley said Thursday. The day of the fall, Faith "had been acting very clingy, wanting to be touching me all day long," Beasley said. The dog, whose sensitive nose can detect changes in Beasley's body chemistry, is trained to alert her owner to impending seizures before they happen.

But that wasn't what was happening on Sept. 7, and Faith apparently wasn't sure how to communicate the problem. During Beasley's subsequent three-week hospital stay, doctors determined her liver was not properly processing her medication for the seizures.

"So my whole system was not working right," she said. Faith "was just very concerned," Beasley recalled. "She wouldn't let me out of her sight. She wanted to be touchy-feely." After her adult son left for the graveyard shift, Beasley tried to go to sleep. But Faith kept jumping up on the bed, which is off limits.

"It's kind of hard to sleep when you've got an 80-pound dog running around in circles on your bed," she said. So Beasley got up and checked to make sure all the doors were locked and that there was no one outside. She made another attempt at sleep, but Faith would have none of it. "Within five minutes she was doing the same thing all over again."

So Beasley got up again and decided to make some hot chocolate. The last thing she remembers is reaching for the tea kettle. "I didn't feel anything," she said. "I just went unconscious." After the call from Faith, Buchanan dispatched Richland police Cpl. Scott Morrell. He arrived to see Faith and her predecessor, now-retired service dog Bronson, peering at him from Beasley's front window.

Morrell knocked, and then realized the door was unlocked. "Faith had already opened the door for him," Beasley said. The dog has been trained to recognize police officers, firefighters and medical personnel as "special friends with cookies." Inside, Morrell found Beasley on the kitchen floor — unconscious after striking her head in the fall and suffering a seizure — and called for medical assistance.

Faith watched intently while a paramedic tended Beasley and at one point tried to tell him that another seizure was imminent. He didn't recognize the signal, but minutes later, "Boom, I went into another seizure," Beasley said. She woke up in the hospital several days later. Faith joined her after her transfer to the Veterans Administration hospital in Walla Walla.

Authorities learned about Faith's intervention when Beasley stopped by to thank Buchanan and Morrell after her release from the hospital. A Benton County Emergency Services news conference Thursday put Faith and her owner in the limelight.

___

On the Internet:

Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound, Gig Harbor-based nonprofit (253-853-1984) made up of people with service dogs, http://www.dogsaver.org/adc/

International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, http://www.iaadp.org

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041029/ap_on_fe_st/canine_caller
 
Dog saves family from house fire

A pet dog has been hailed a hero after saving a family of four by raising the alarm when a fire broke out.

Seven-month-old Fudge, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, raised the alarm at the semi-detached house in the Ravensdale area of Mansfield on Friday.

Two young children were led to safety after the dog started barking and climbed on a bed to wake their mother.

[...]

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3994823.stm
Published: 2004/11/09 10:02:14 GMT

© BBC MMIV

Rhodesian Ridgebacks- they can climb trees or something IIRC?
 
And another:

Pooch pounces on its master to alert him to fire

Joseph Favre and Gizmo have a love-hate relationship, which Favre concedes has been improved by the animal's saving his life.

By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer
Published November 10, 2004


LARGO - The first time the dog jumped on his chest Tuesday, Joseph Favre tossed the tiny pooch across the room and went back to sleep.

But Gizmo would not give up. He jumped on Favre's chest again, barking and scratching at his face. Favre cocked his arm for another toss, then inhaled a noseful of smoke.

His mobile home was on fire, the kitchen engulfed in flames and smoke thickening across the living room ceiling.

With Gizmo at his feet, Favre made for the door, dashed outside and called 911. Within seconds, his Largo mobile home was awash in fire. The blaze gutted the home and destroyed everything inside.

But Favre, who said he's a heavy sleeper, felt lucky to be alive Tuesday afternoon and had Gizmo to thank for that.

"This is my hero right here," Favre, 28, said of the mix. "If the dog wouldn't have woken me up, I would have been crisp."

Favre and Gizmo have not, over the years, exactly been fast friends.

Gizmo belongs to Favre's fiancee, Wendy Smith, who shares the mobile home off Belcher Road with him, the dog and their three children.

Gizmo and Favre got along fine when he and Smith first started dating. But Favre thought the dog had too-frequent accidents in the house. He also trained the dog to be protective of Smith and the kids.

The result was a love-hate relationship between man and dog. Though Gizmo sleeps with Favre, he also frequently growls at him and even bites. In fact, Gizmo, who is about 8 years old, only has three teeth left in his mouth. The rest have come out from biting Favre.

"They've all been imprinted in my hand," he said. "He hates me, but we have an unconditional love."

As a result, Gizmo, who weighs just 3 pounds, is especially brave and lively. He stands up to cars on the road. He barks like crazy when anyone knocks on the door. And he snarls if anyone comes near Smith or the kids.

With a day off work Tuesday, Favre, who lays fiber-optic line for a living, decided to take a snooze on the sofa. He was the only person home at the time.

He said Gizmo normally stays away from his face, but persistently jumped on him Tuesday after the fire started.

"It was like he was talking to me," said Favre, who claims Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre as his third cousin.

When he woke and smelled the smoke, Favre said he bounded off the couch and ran for the door, accidentally stepping on Gizmo on the way out, causing the dog to squeal. They both emerged safe, though Gizmo's snow-white coat was colored a smoky gray.

Investigators said they still were trying to find the cause of the fire Tuesday afternoon, but confirmed it started in the kitchen.

Favre said the Fire Department was on the scene quickly, but flames had already gutted the home.

The American Red Cross was assisting Favre and his family with a place to stay and supplies. Though all his possessions were destroyed, Favre said he feels grateful to be alive.

"This dog, he's going to get a filet mignon tonight," Favre said as he stroked Gizmo outside the burned home Tuesday afternoon. As usual, the dog growled at him. Favre looked at the dog's mouth and added, "He's only got three teeth left. I'm going to have to blend it."

-----------------
[Last modified November 10, 2004, 00:38:24]

http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2004/11/10/Northpinellas/Pooch_pounces_on_its_.shtml
 
More dolphin rescuers:

Dolphins protect swimmers from great white shark

November 23, 2004 - 10:42AM


A group of swimmers has told how a pod of dolphins protected them from a great white shark off the north-eastern coast of New Zealand.

Rob Howes and three other lifeguards were on a training swim about 100 metres offshore at Ocean Beach near Whangarei when the dolphins raced in and herded the group together.

"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howe said.

When he tried to drift away from the group, two of the bigger dolphins herded him back.

He then saw why. A three metre great white shark was cruising toward the group about two metres below the surface.

"I just recoiled. It was only about two metres away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," he said, adding he then realised the dolphins had moved in to protect the swimmers.

The group were surrounded by the dolphins for 40 minutes before they were able to reach the shore.

Another lifeguard, Matt Fleet, was patrolling nearby in a rescue boat when he saw the dolphins' unusual behaviour.
AdvertisementAdvertisement

When he dived out of the boat to join the group he also saw the great white.

Fleet said he was keen to get out of the water after the sighting, but didn't panic.

"I just kept looking around to see where it was."

The incident happened about three weeks ago, but Howes and Fleet said they had kept the story to themselves until they had a chance to catch up and confirm what they had seen.

Auckland University marine mammal research scientist Doctor Rochelle Constantine said dolphins were normally vigilant in the presence of sharks.

The altruistic response of the dolphins was normal, she said.

"They like to help the helpless."

Source
 
War Hero Glow Worms Honored

Nov 24, 10:01 AM (ET)

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most unusual war heroes -- including glow worms, elephants and monkeys -- will be honored Wednesday for their devotion to duty under fire.

Princess Anne will unveil a war memorial in London's Park Lane dedicated to all the animals and insects that endured hardship with the nation's armed services.

"Britain's Animals in War memorial is a nation's long-awaited and very welcome tribute to the millions of animals that have served and suffered for their country," said Marilyn Rydstrom, head of the PDSA animal charity.

Among those honored will be glow worms whose light was used by soldiers to read maps during the trench warfare of World War One.

The stone memorial bears the profiles of creatures from bears to monkeys -- kept by soldiers as mascots -- and will be the most prominent tribute to animal bravery in Britain, a nation often mocked for loving its pets more than its children.

In 1943 the founder of the PDSA created the Dickin Medal to honor acts of outstanding animal bravery. The medal, dubbed "the animals' Victoria Cross" -- Britain's highest award for human bravery -- has been granted to 60 animals.

One distinguished holder of the medal was Rob, the "para dog" who made over 20 parachute drops while serving on top secret missions behind enemy lines in World War II.

Another brave canine was Ricky, who continued to work clearing mines in Holland despite severe head injuries.

Source
 
There really is no justice in the world:

Sat 27 Nov 2004

Poachers kill 'dolphins that saved swimmers'

ALEX MITA

POACHERS in New Zealand may have killed two members of a pod of dolphins that recently saved the lives of swimmers from a great white shark attack, lifeguards said yesterday.

The mutilated carcasses of the two bottlenose dolphins were found on Wednesday in the Awaroa River, which branches off the upper reaches of Whangarei Harbour on North Island’s east coast.

Staff from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) believe the dolphins died about two weeks ago after drowning in fishing nets set out by criminals poaching fish. DOC officer Richard Parrish said their tails had been hacked off, probably to free them from the net.

Three weeks ago, seven dolphins protected Ocean Beach lifeguard Rob Howes, 45, his 15-year-old daughter Nicky, 16-year-old lifeguard trainee Helen Slade, and Karina Cooper, 15, from the jaws of a great white shark at Ocean Beach, Whangarei Heads.

The protective dolphins have been hailed as the humans’ saviours after the incident was reported this week.

Mr Howes was on a training swim with the teenagers to mark Helen's first day as a lifeguard.

The group was 100 metres from the beach when around seven agitated dolphins appeared. The pod formed a protective shield around the swimmers and even herded Mr Howes back when he tried to swim away.

The girls thought the dolphins were playing as they swam round them in tight circles, thrashing their tails, but Mr Howes finally spotted the outline of a 10ft great white. The dolphins warded off the shark for 45 minutes and only when it moved off did they allow the swimmers to head for the shore.

The discovery of the dead dolphins has outraged the local community and shocked Mr Howes and Miss Slade, who feared the two mammals may have been a part of the pod that saved them.

An angry Mr Howes said whoever mutilated the dolphins should be castrated.

"In light of what has happened at Ocean Beach I would give them a taste of their own medicine," he said. "This is how we repay them for their help?"

He said setting illegal nets where dolphins could get tangled up in them amounted to "indiscriminate murder," and added that the discovery would put a lot of fishermen under pressure.

"There will be a public outcry against the use of nets," he said.

Miss Slade said she was disgusted to hear what had happened to the dolphins.

"Why would they do such a thing?" she asked.

Fishing with illegal nets, failing to report finding a dolphin in a net, and mutilating a marine mammal are all offences carrying a maximum 10,000 New Zealand dollars fine.

Bay Of Islands SPCA inspector Jim Boyd said fishermen needed to change their habits and not set nets where dolphins could be caught.

"(Dolphins) drown in the nets because they cannot get to the surface for air," he said.

Mr Boyd called on the Government to impose legislation to protect the dolphins.

"If (illegal netting) doesn't stop then dolphins will become extinct," he said.

"That would be a sad indictment on society that we cannot look after a creature as special as this."

Source
 
Bit of an understatement from the police at the end...

Hero pet Vinnie saves owner
By Ben Smallman
Dec 9, 2004, 08:40

A Stourport man who had fallen into chilly waters of the River Severn was saved from drowning by his pet dog - who went to fetch help in true Lassie style.

Jimmy Price fell into the water while walking to his home in Sandy Lane, from The Angel pub. He feared he was going to drown but his collie dog Vinnie raised the alarm by barking outside a nearby house until a man came out.

The dog then led the man along the footpath where Jimmy was pulled to safety from the freezing water.

[...]

Jimmy told the Express & Star: "I was going for a walk when I just fell in. Vinnie tried to get me out at first because he's barmy, but he then found a nearby resident and started barking."

[...]

One of the rescuers, who did not want to be identified, said: "In true Lassie-style, the dog was barking at my door and led me to the landing stage, where the man was hanging on.

"If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't have known the man was in the river."

[...]

A police spokesman said today: "Clearly this dog could potentially have saved his owner's life."

© Copyright 1997-2002 Express & Star


Wolverhampton Express & Star
 
Barking pet saves toddler from drowning

December 16, 2004

A PET dog has saved a toddler from drowning in a dam on a property in central Victoria.

The 18-month-old girl was pulled from the dam at the farm property at Bowenvale, near the central Victorian town of Maryborough, about midday yesterday after the family's border collie raised the alarm.
The dog alerted the toddler's mother to the emergency by barking and running back and forth between the house and the dam, said an ambulance officer who arrived at the scene.

"I have been in the job for 20 years and this is one out of the box," said Greg Smith, officer in charge of the Maryborough ambulance station, who attended to the emergency with paramedic partner Ian Taylor.

The little girl was recovering in a stable condition at the Bendigo Hospital.

"Obviously there was a strong bond between the child and dog because it tried on two occasions to get in the front of the ambulance when we were ready to leave," Mr Smith said.

[...]

Herald Sun

Copyright 2004 News Limited.

NEWS.com. au
 
Dog credited with digging up evidence against convicted child molester



VENTURA, Calif. (AP) - A curious dog is being credited with literally digging up new evidence against a convicted child molester in Ventura County.

The bloodhound dug up Polaroid pictures and two videotapes in the backyard of a home in Oxnard.

The new resident of the home called police who were able to identity the three-year-old girl in the pictures, which were taken eleven years ago.

Detectives say the videotapes show a former resident of the home engaging in sex acts with the child.

Authorities have identified him as Jack Sobonya, a convicted sex offender who's currently at Atascadero State Hospital.

Investigators believe Sobonya molested the little girl at his mother's home in Ojai in 1993.

He lived in several parts of the county over the years and now authorities are looking for more potential victims.

Sobonya will face five molestation charges stemming from the pictures and videotape.


------------------------
(APcredit: Lance Orozco, KCLU-FM, Thousand Oaks/Santa Barbara)



©2004 Associated Press.

Source
 
Elephant Carries Children To Safety On Thai Coast

When Mother Nature unleashed its wrath, a member of the Animal Kingdom stepped in. A British tourist said she saw an elephant save several children on a Thai beach when the killer waves struck.

The animal had been brought to a beach resort in Phuket to entertain children. Laura Barnett said the elephant's keeper hoisted kids up onto the animal's back, and then walked them off to safety.

Barnett told her tale from London. She and her family escaped the disaster, but the beach where she was staying was destroyed.

news4jax.com

SE Asian quake and tsunami: on the FTMB
 
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