The Train Dogs
January 24, 2010 by david · Leave a Comment
In Moscow there are some 500 stray dogs that live in the metro stations, especially during the colder months, but only about 20 have learned how to ride the trains, according to animal specialist Andrei Neuronov.
At first it was a way for them to broaden their territory. Over time, it became a way of life. “Why should they go by foot if they can move around by public transport?” he asks.
“They orient themselves in a number of ways,” Neuronov adds. “They figure out where they are by smell, by recognizing the name of the station from the recorded announcer’s voice and by time intervals. If, for example, you come every Monday and feed a dog, that dog will know when it’s Monday and the hour to expect you, based on their sense of time intervals from their biological clocks.”
Another skill they have is to react when they see a green traffic light. “They don’t react on color, but on the picture they see on the traffic light”, Moscow scientist tells. They also prefer the last or the first metro car as those are less crowded.
It’s funny but the ecologists studying Moscow stray dogs also tell the dogs don’t miss a chance to get some play while on their travel in the subway. They are fond of jumping in the train just seconds before the doors shut closed risking their tails be jammed. “They do it for fun …”
The dogs have taken training to a new level!
Sources: FT: Moscow’s stray dogs – Smartest Dogs: Moscow Stray Dogs (EnglishRussia.com)
Amazing Ricochet
January 17, 2010 by david · Leave a Comment
A friend sent me this video about Ricochet who is out in San Diego and it’s a story that will bring smiles to you and your entire family. You can learn more about this great dog and the wonderful team of people who dedicate so much time, heart, and money to helping others with the help of Ricochet and his cousins at: http://ripcurlricki.com
Ricochet and his team are currently raising money for Ian, who was injured in a car accident. Here is the unpleasant portion of his story:
On July 3, 2008, Tod and Stephanie McFarland and their three children, Ian, then five; Lauren, then two; and Luke, then one, headed out from Carlsbad on a road trip. They were going to attend the wedding of Stephanie’s cousin in Boulder, CO, but they never made it to Boulder. A horrible car accident claimed the lives of Tod and Stephanie and left all three of their beautiful children injured to varying degrees.
While Luke and Lauren’s injuries were minimal, Ian sustained severe head trauma and was taken to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Members of both Tod and Stephanie’s families immediately converged upon SLC to care for the children. Ian’s severe brain injury left him in a coma, and he had to wait to be transferred back to California until he received a shunt and a feeding tube. On August 10, he was flown to Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
Ian slowly came out of his coma, and his rehabilitation continued. He was released from CHSD on Oct. 30, 2008 and returned home with much work to do. Ian has been labeled as having a “diffuse axonal brain injury with an unknown outcome.” He is responding well to therapy and seems to be improving little by little. He no longer has the feeding tube. Ian is able to follow conversations but still has trouble contributing.
Over the course of the past year, Ian has made measurable strides in his quest for recovery and independence. He is able to voluntarily take steps with maximum support of his body, but his movements need a good deal of refinement to be desirably functional. According to his occupational therapist, Ian’s six year old body is growing rapidly, requiring the braces for his therapy be replaced on a regular basis.
Both his therapies and the equipment are costly. I am trying to help raise money so he can get the necessary medical care he needs, and I hope you can help too!
Ian still loves sports and hopes to one day be back at surfing and skateboarding. But it will be a long road. They tell me Ian is the most motivated on the beach, so I’m looking forward to playing with him there, and of course, seeing if I can get him on the surfboard with me! Paw-abunga!
If you’d like to join them in helping little Ian please visit this page for more information: Ian Will Surf Again
The pic below is of the Ricki Team!
Puppies Help Save Lost Toddler
December 8, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
Virginian three year old Jaylynn Thorpe really loves puppies now after being rescued thanks in part to their help.
Jaylynn, just 3 years old, wandered away from his baby-sitter at Friday afternoon in 20 degree weather and was missing for more then 20 hours despite the frantic search efforts by hundreds of friends, family and law enforcement combing the woods for him in Halifax County Virginia.
“The only thing we wanted to do was just keep searching until we found him,” Halifax County Sheriff Stanley Noblin told reporters.
Jaylynn’s terrified family knew time was not on its side as the temperature fell below 20 degrees.
Officials said the little boy and the families two puppies wandered up to a mile in the dark, even across a highway, but it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that members of the search team found him sitting by a tree, the two puppies nestled against him helping to keep all three of them warm and alive.
“When I first saw him, he was like, ‘Momma, I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm.’ He told me that … the dogs slept up against him. And I’m sure the body heat kept him warm,” said his mother, Sarah Ingram.
Billie Jo Roach, another member of the search party that found the boy, said the puppies refused to leave his side.
As the child was placed in an ambulance to be taken to a local hospital for examination, “The puppies were watching where he went.
“Where he went, they went,” Roach said.
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The moral of the story is go ahead and buy your kids a puppy if they don’t already have one!
Source: NY Daily News
World’s Ugliest Dog Contest
Gus captured the hearts and votes of judges tonight at the 20th Annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma. Gus was rescued from a bad home in FL and is now suffering from skin cancer, Gus’ story was compelling, but he won based on his looks. A Chinese-Crested, he has no hair, only three legs (one amputated because of the skin tumor) and is missing an eye lost to a tomcat in a cat fight. Despite his tough background, Gus is loved by mother and daughter owners Jeanenne and Janey Teed, who brought him all the way from Florida to enter into the contest.
Pet Survival Story
June 3, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
You’ve all heard about the recent rash of tornadoes that have ripped through many areas of the country. Did you stop to think about the pets that were in the tornado paths? Me neither, but check these pets and their stories out!
After the tornado – Greensburg, KS
The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie. Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren’t equipped to adopt;
Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers…
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I wouldn’t think anything could live thru this… but we were wrong.
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The little lady below also survived that wreckage.
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Here she is just placed in the car – scared, but safe.
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and then…they are no longer alone! Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.
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Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix… (note: the cat coming over the seat needing shelter…) now just how is this going to work??? – and remember they are all strange to one another
I hope this gang of survivors gets to their original homes or to the homes that they’re deserving of!
Nubs and Marine Major Brian Dennis Are Reunited
March 23, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
Marine Major Brian Dennis, an F-18 pilot, bonded with Nubs, an Iraqi dog with stumpie ears while he was in Iraq and they were recently reunited in San Diego.
This pet love story made me think of my dad because the one thing he always seemed to love the most was his dog. Whether it was Hobo, our German Shepard, or Sassy, our first black lab, or Dux, our Westie, he always showed his love for our dogs more easily then he could for his own family.
Pets are so special and this story is but one more example of that. To read the story about Nubs and Major Dennis click here: Nubs