REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Service Dog’s Licks Save Owner’s Life

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Monday, February 6, 2012 16:27
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:19 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

A lick of the face and a nudge of the hand from Danny, a miniature schnauzer, helped Bethe Bennett regain consciousness after she fell in her Glendale, Ariz., home.

Bennett fell on her tile floor Friday and broke her femur. She lay on the ground in excruciating pain, aware that no visitors were coming until Tuesday.

“I was scared. I really thought I was going to die,” Bennett told ABCNews.com. “I knew I was going into shock because I’m a nurse.”

But Danny, a trained service dog who used to care for Bennett’s now-deceased mother, lent a helping paw that helped save his devoted owner’s life.

“I started asking Danny to get me the phone,” Bennett said. “He ran back and forth a couple of times barking and finally jumped up and knocked the phone over and pushed it with his nose toward me.”

But then Bennett realized the paramedics may not have been able to get into her locked house.

“Paper!” she asked Danny. He brought over five sheets, one of which had the phone numbers of Bennett’s neighbors.

Bennett called her neighbors, who unlocked her home with a hidden spare key just as paramedics arrived.

She is now recovering at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, with Danny by her side.

Bennett has written a book called the “Forever Home” series about the foster animals she takes in and said she plans to write one about Danny.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be the one he’d have to rescue,” she said. “He was my little hero.” Neat video at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/02/01/service-dogs-licks-save-
owners-life/

In my opinion, loving dogs are a gift I'm not sure all humans deserve.


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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:34 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



I would agree, that MOST humans don't deserve. Too stupid are we, to know what's good for us.





"The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. - Someone.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:47 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


...or to appreciate what a wonder dogs can be (just a personal opinion).



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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:54 AM

CAVETROLL


Awesome story. I've got two dogs of my own and I'm fostering a Rat Terrier right now. I'll make sure to give them an extra treat tonight.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 12:02 PM

BYTEMITE


My brother's got a Miniature Schnauzer, I sent this to him.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 12:05 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Bytemite:
My brother's got a Miniature Schnauzer...



Is that REALLY appropriate to be sharing w/ others ?

Eww.


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 12:10 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Oh good gawd...I got caught up reading a couple of other posts, meaning to leave, dammit, then found this. That makes THREE...in a ROW...either Rap or I are off our game...

(Sorry, but small dogs, especially yappy ones, aren't my cup of tea...)



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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 12:27 PM

BYTEMITE


They're not THAT small. Or that yappy. Otherwise they wouldn't be useful as service dogs.

His dog has separation anxiety though (on top of some health issues), so sometimes yappy and whiny are apt.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 4:16 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important


Hello,

An inspiring tale, though she could've saved time by skipping the paper bit. Or was she trying to save the repair cost on the door? I don't think I'd have bothered, myself.

--Anthony



_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner


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Thursday, February 2, 2012 8:32 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Byte, I think small dogs in general suffer from a bad rap just as big dogs do. You know, "small dogs are yappy and nasty" v. "big dogs are aggressive and dangerous"...that sort of thing. It particularly frustrates me when it comes to Pits, which are actually fantastic, loving dogs, but which too many people are afraid of because of their bad rap (and how people have made them so, which started it all). Luckily at least 75% of the dogs I meet at dog parks are rescues, so there are lots and lots of Pits and other kinds of bulldogs around here to put the lie to the impression.



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Thursday, February 2, 2012 9:11 AM

FREMDFIRMA



Well, one thing for me - I never make fun of poodles.
Sure, they're not much of a dog and they often look ridiculous, happen to be high strung, yeah.

But they have the hearts of lions.

See, I can just barely remember when I was very very little, my mother had gotten a poodle, and every time my father went after me, that poodle went after him - this eventually led to a one way trip to the pound mind you, which was somewhat influential in me stabbing the bastard in the leg shortly thereafter.

They're not big, not strong, but they will defend you to the last, even if it costs them everything.
So no, I *never* make fun of poodles, and get just a lil snippy when someone else does.


Also, one of my residents, a very nice old lady, has a pair of tiny yippy-dogs, which are friendly enough, most of their bark is just on the boisterous, playful side, and I don't mind it a whit cause her place is right next to one of the paths by which someone with nefarious intent might try to sneak in here - so when those little buggers start yapping, I know someone is there and will investigate, just as I know by the actions of the wildlife when someone besides me is out there in the night, and get a general idea of where - so I call the little mungers my deputies, much to her amusement.

Most of the residents dogs actually LIKE me, cause I'll stop a moment and play with them, even Chico, who's a bit of a wild-child and all but bowls me over, it's prolly hilarious to watch us playfight, but I figure he needs to work it off since he doesn't get as much excercise as he should (he's kinda old, with cataracts and a bad leg) and it prolly does him good to have someone to roughhouse with since his owner is a little too fragile and puny for it.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 9:13 AM

CAVETROLL


I'm going to second that comment about Pits. One of my dogs is a pit/lab (Or Pitador, if you like) and she is very stable. I lost a dog last year to cancer, who was a purebred American Staffordshire Terrier, or Pit Bull. He was absolutely dynamite with kids, cats, dogs, you name it. However, he would not hesitate to fight if the other dog started something. It only happened a couple of times in the ten years since I got him from a rescue. But that was the nature of the breed. They were bred to fight DOGS. I was aware of this and always closely monitored him when he was around dogs his size or larger. More than once I wound up with a snarling, snapping dog in either hand. I'll never get over his loss. He was a once in a lifetime dog.

On the little dogs, my current rescue is a Rat Terrier who is a total love and very protective of me after only a month. I have previously owned a Boston Terrier, who was rescued at a very advanced age. She was a fierce little dog for only weighing 11 pounds. She used to stand between me and visitors and stare them down until they retreated from "her" territory.

Oh and Frem, everyone seems to forget that standard Poodles were field dogs. The cultist haircuts and the toy Poodles were bred out after they became popular. But the same basic qualities that made the standard Poodle a good gun dog still remain.

Dogs are great, no doubt about it. My cats disagree, but they don't get on with each other so their opinion is suspect.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:11 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Smart dog.

Its funny for me to watch how people can be fighting and not like each other most of the time, but when animals are brought into the picture everyone becomes civil and is nice and they agree on stuff.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:27 PM

BYTEMITE


My grandmother who bred dogs had a poodle. Very smart, very calm and well behaved dog. We were glad she had the dog, it was much easier for her to handle then the big great danes she used to breed.

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Friday, February 3, 2012 7:54 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I assume you're talking about toy poodles? Because Standard Poodles are fantastic dogs and really smart, I've known quite a few, and yes, their funny cut (which has been exaggerated out of proportion for "style") had a purpose in the first place.

Frem, as I should have said, aside from big and small dogs getting a rap which isn't necessarily true, the fact is that the dog reflects the owner, period. Good owners make good dogs; I have NEVER seen otherwise. There can be good people who have become silly about their dogs and anthromorphize them (as in letting them have their own way) and ended up not being alpha, which confuses the dog and can make them neurotic, but the truth is a dog is a reflection of its owner, period.

Pits were NOT bred to fight dogs; they were bred to fight bulls...hence the name (fighting the bull in the pit). Yes, in more recent times they've been bred to fight other dogs, but that took their original breeding and gave it a different target, that's all. And I know many, many pits who don't fight, while my huskies (which are well known not to be fighters) will fight back energetically if somene else starts it. Not as to the death...and again, pits were bred to hang on, no matter what, which explains in part HOW they fight, but nonetheless...

Pits and those like them ("bully breeds" they're called) are usually FANTASTIC with kids, by the way. It's one of the things most noted about the breed in breed descriptions. They're very gentle and put up with a lot.

Definitely a lot of small dogs yap because it's just part of their nature, just as huskies "talk". We get a lot of attention from other drivers when we're getting close to any place they know, as they talk their way there from about a mile or two out. Hard to have a conversation. I know many small dogs at the dog park which will chase the big dogs, barking and yapping, and mean no harm whatsoever.

While "big" and "little" get their various raps, there IS truth to breeds...at least generally speaking. Akitas are often very alpha; shephards are smart, but as I put up once, Borders are so smart they (and no other breed) are on the "top ten smartest animals" list; labs and retrievers, I like to tell their owners when I meet them, were born without the "unhappy" gene...they simply don't know how to do it unless badly abused. Beagles do NOT know they're small dogs and would rather play with the big dogs than dogs their size, and so on. Again, the dog reflects the owner, that's the one "universal", but there are traits that are generally breed-specific. They're working, for example, to breed out the instinctive dislike of Rhodies for Black people, as they were trained as guard dogs during the apartheid times to be so. Huskies were BRED to be independent, as I've said before; if the musher said "gee" ("right") and there's an invisible chasm there, te huskies know to "haw" ("left"). One of the things which makes them so difficult for people accustomed to pet dogs doing what they're told!

I'm an avid dog person, as nobody here doesn't know by now, and have been interested in different breeds from childhood. I love being able to recognize a breed, or even what two breeds made up the dog (and I'm about 90% right, to people's surprise--especially those who spent the money to have a DNA done...which, to my amazement, a good number of people around here do!). Each breed GENERALLY exhibits its breed's characteristics, and the "big" and "little" things only holds true insofar as small critters of all kinds tend to be more feisty than "big" things (including humans). The single biggest babies in the whole WORLD are Great Danes.

Cave, my sympathies on your loss; unfortunately cancer, dysplasia, breathing problems and other things are the result of too much breeding...all too many breeds have been harmed by it. I'll never forgive them for breeding collies into those pointy-pnosed, dumb dogs you see now...and that's just one example. Our last dog was our once-in-a-lifetime dog, a husky/shephard rescue both Jim and I have agreed was the finest dog we ever had. They don't live long enough, dammit, but I've always felt the pain of losing them so early is the price we pay for all they give us until then. I would never be without a dog; if the day comes when I can't have one, I will cheerfully bid the word adieu. May we ALL have the joy of a once-in-a-lifetime dog, it's very special.



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Friday, February 3, 2012 9:33 AM

CAVETROLL


Hey, thanks Niki. I won't ever get over losing my boy Gage. You know the breed standard says they live 12-15 years and you always think yours will last 15, but it was over too fast. I got him when he was just over 1 year old and he gave me his all for 11 years.

Gage's passing let me rescue another dog who had been in foster care for almost 4 years. He's a medium sized cattle dog mix, possibly with Shiba Inu, since he's got a lot of orange in his fur. His name is Scout and he's a bit of a hard luck case because he's very defensive of his people and doesn't like children. He gets along with my Pitador just fine and has finally lost interest in the cats, which means the cats rub up on him constantly now.

There's an old Portugese saying that says; If you find a home with neither cat or dog, you have entered the home of a scoundrel.

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Friday, February 3, 2012 7:00 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Ooo, I like the Portugese saying; right on!

I loooove Shibas...Rap put up a link to a litter a while back and it got me curious; I looked 'em up and they sound really cool; plus by now I've met a good number of them at dog parks and on Crissy Field and they ARE really cool (actually have a lot in common with huskies).

Scout is very lucky. Dogs with problems like those usually end up not finding a forever home. We may disagree massively here, but it's obvious what kind of person you are when it comes to animals, so once again: The dog reflects the owner. In other words, ive him time; he's already cool with cats, bet he gets better and better over time.

We've never gotten one past 14...but almost all of them DID make 14, thank goodness. Given we've always had medium-to-large dogs, that's probably the best we can hope for. I'm grateful.

My current two guys are our first foray into full huskies, and they're more than worth EVERY bit of frustration, anger and insanity they cause. They make us laugh constantly...never before have I ever had dogs that make us laugh so much. Jim (hubby) complains about them incessantly...then lays on the very edge of his bed rather than shove them aside (and two huskies take up a LOT of bed!), never fails to save half a bagel to share with them for breakfast when I beg him not to give them treats, lets them in the kitchen when they're NOT permitted in there, talks to them like they're people, and tho' he's a somewhat dour person, they make him laugh a LOT. There could not be a bigger blessing.

And, like you, we'll never forget Kiya (shephard/husky). I named her Keine Trane Mehr as I drove across the Richmond Bridge to the Oakland SPCA because I knew I was going to take one of the pups. It means "no more tears" in German (all my dogs have had foreign names), because we'd just lost our last two dogs--hard--within six months of one another. I won't share the details.

My motto: A cat is a luxury, but a DOG is a NECESSITY! I miss not having a cat around (we've had up to 8 strays/rescues at one time), but they don't do well with huskies...So I'll take the huskies, thank you.



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Sunday, February 5, 2012 6:27 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Okay, a bit off topic but I couldn't help but notice. How can a dog be bred to not like certain people based on the color of their skin? I believe that is an impossibility. A dog can be trained to do so, I guess, and maybe a mother dog could train her puppies to do so, but I just can't believe that it can be bred in. Maybe I misunderstood?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Sunday, February 5, 2012 7:17 PM

BYTEMITE


It's not so impossible. It's a lot easier to train an animal when there's already a tendency for the wanted behaviour. The behaviour of an animal towards other animals is to some degree instinctive, like a deer being afraid of a wolf. You just have to select for animals that react more viciously and negatively towards some feature or another and you bred them.

It's like when only the squirrels that are afraid of humans reproduce, only instead of it being that they don't survive if they don't have that tendency, they just don't breed.

It's the same way you create whole breeds with some trait, like a sheepdog and it's ability to herd. It's a very highly evolved version of the wolf's ability to kettle prey animals in a pack, and people selected the dogs that were better at it than other dogs, until you have a natural skill that breeds true.

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Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:06 PM

FREMDFIRMA



That, and animals themselves are quite individual sometimes - I had a seriously racist cat (bonus points for being completely white in color) who just really, really flipped out at people darker than a certain shade, and it always perplexed me a bit as to why she did so.

My buddy Katen said he was gonna get her a little white robe after enough of it, he took it in stride though.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Monday, February 6, 2012 11:42 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Riona, what Byte said. Just talking dogs, 'cuz that's what I know best; they have their OWN preferences, not bred in, each individual dog. One of our two last dogs had a THING for Weimerauners, he just adored them and would run up to every single one he saw. I had a dog who was terrified of Akitas, tho' he'd never been attacked by one. What you said about bitches training their pups; if enough bitches are trained to hate a specific kind of person, and those in their litter who pick up on it are bred for it, voila. Rhodies were first hunters, then bred to be guard dogs; it's not that far removed to guard against one particular kind of person who smells a particular way, to think of them as "prey". People breed for all kinds of things, unfortunately, as pit bulls, who initially had no inclination to fight other DOGS but were bred to fight BULLS, were turned into dog fighters utilizing the original instinct and then training and breeding.

One small example. In Afghanistan they bred German Shephards, purebred dogs with all kinds of lineage which they then shipped out for profit. Our dog had grand champions and world grand champions out the ying-yang in her papers. But when dad got her, she'd never seen a woman. She wouldn't have anything to do with mom or me or the female servants, and would growl if we even got close, otherwise keep the entire compound between us and her. Being a dog nut, I of course pushed the envelope, much to mom's dismay, but I never got through to her. One of the times dad went on a business trip (he did often, dealing with problems in othe parts of Afghanistan, which is why mom wanted a dog in the first place), mom slept in his bed. In the middle of the night she awoke to feel Tammy licking her hand, and from that day on, Tammy loved mom and me ALMOST as much as dad. She made the connection between dad accepting mom so mom and I became part of the "pack". Dad was ALWAYS alpha, however.

Tammy's name was Stampba Von Sydenburg, and we literally had to have her tranquilized and snuk out of the country by car; it was illegal then to take any of them out of the country unless you had written permission of the breeder. She was a fantastic dog, our family's "once-in-a-lifetime" dog, and way too smart for her own good. She hadn't been trained to hate or fear women, she just had never seen one until she was almost a year old. That trait could have been bred into her easily.

Frem, I even had a boa constrictor who had a crush on my boyfriend. She was totally impervious to me, but when he entered the room, she made a bee-line for him, wrapped herself around his neck and would sit there forever. Why animals have instinctive preferences I don't know, but they do!



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Monday, February 6, 2012 3:30 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Wow, I never would have thought of that, inherrantly racist animals, Creepy.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 6, 2012 4:27 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


"... though she could've saved time by skipping the paper bit. Or was she trying to save the repair cost on the door?"

I had an episode where I was passing out from pain and would have called the paramedics if I could have got my head up off the floor. Long story short, I followed it up with my doctor and asked him - if you call 911 and can't get to the door to let them in, do they come and get you anyway? He didn't know. So, I'm not sure what the policy is.

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