I was looking at the news on the net and came across not one but three stories that really stood out. Being Friday, I like my stories to be light. However, sometimes the news just can't wait till the weekend's up. Anyhow, I found a mix of all kinds to share with you before the weekend starts.
THE GOOD
Photo by the Daily Mail
Sabi, a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever who worked with the Australian Military, was thought to have been gone for good. 14 months ago, she was lost in the Afghanistan desert while in the midst of a battle. It's very rare for a dog to survive by itself but Sabi not only survived but came back in excellent health. So good in fact, it's believed that she was cared for by a human during that time.
She was initially found by an American soldier who could tell she was a military dog. It was an amazing stroke of luck that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had made a surprise visit the same day the dog's announcement was to be made. After she passes veterinary tests, Sabi will be sent back to her Australian homeland to live and enjoy life as a retired military dog. For more on the story, find it here.
THE SAD
Some of you may remember Oreo. She was the dog who was thrown of a Brooklyn roof last June. After surviving two broken legs and a broken rib, the incident had affected her in the worst possible way. It turns out that she is too aggressive to be adopted. She was given the best care, had therapy for two months and seen by a specialist. None of that was enough to keep her from growling and snapping at her handler.
Photo by Hiroko Masuike
With all the inquiries about adoption, it's a shame that this dog was too traumatized to trust people ever again. The ASPCA did everything they could to rehabilitate her, but it just was not enough. The only silver lining I can find is that the person responsible pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on December 1st.
Read the Associated Press article.
THE TRIUMPHANT
Another story in the news that caught my eye was the story of Kaleb Drew. He was the 6-year-old boy who could not have his service dog for autism at his school. Today, the Illinois Court allowed him to have Chewy accompany him to his school.
Personally, I think this is a good thing. Service dogs are taught to serve and they are taught to protect. This will teach kids that dogs aren't just a pet, and that they do special jobs just as some human beings do.
Photo by Robin Scholz for the St. Louis Dispatch
More about this...Related Posts
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I hope you found these as worthwhile as I did. What are your thoughts on any of these stories? Thanks for stopping in and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
I recall seeing headlines about the military dog in Afghanistan, but didn't read anything about it until now. Pretty amazing! It would be really interesting if whoever presumably cared for the dog during her 14-month absence came forward...
ReplyDeleteBTW, that's a shame about Oreo, but it doesn't surprise me either. She probably never would have gotten over that incident no matter what.
-Pat
I don't know if that person would come forward since it's a different culture over there. Still, what they did was wonderful given the harsh temperatures of the desert.
ReplyDeleteThe saddest part of the Oreo incident is the fact that it happened at all. What happened to her was so cruel. She was just a puppy when it happened. I don't know what makes people do things like that towards innocent animals. Thanks for your comments Pat. :)
Going back to the title of this entry, I have no doubt that somewhere, there really is a dog trained to operate a blender! Dogs are certainly smart & trainable enough that this would not be a stretch (altho I imagine the blender would need some mechanical modifications in order to be more ergonomically suited to a dog's paws)...
ReplyDelete