Category: Awww

Blind Jack Russell Terrier and Seeing-Eye Staffie Need Forever Home

JULY 6, 2015 UPDATE: Glenn and Buzz have been adopted together into a loving new forever home!

Glenn, who is completely blind, relies on Buzz, his seeing-eye dog, to navigate the world around him.

What’s unusual is that Glenn is a 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier. Buzz is a 10-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Glenn and Buzz were found last month in a tunnel in Hartlepool, England. Sue Bielby, from the animal-rescue organization Stray Aid, told the BBC they had likely been abandoned there because of their ages.

The two terriers are inseparable.

“Glenn gets his confidence from Buzz,” Bielby told the BBC. “If they are separated even for a few minutes, they both bark and become distressed, so they would need to have a loving home together.”

She’s hoping the two can live out the rest of their days with each other in a quiet, loving forever home.

Diane Humphrey, a supervisor at Stray Aid, told the Daily Mail, “[Buzz] helps Glenn find his way to his bed by sort of pushing him toward the front of the kennel and guiding him in. Buzz also nudges him toward his food. They eat side by side, and he pushes him toward his bowl, or away from his, if Glenn is going for the wrong bowl.”

Glenn and Buzz will stay with the charity until a home for both of them is found.

“They are both lovely little dogs,” Humphrey told the Daily Mail. “They are good with people.”

For information about adopting Glenn and Buzz, or to make a donation to Stray Aid, visit its website.

Photo via Facebook

Pup and Circumstance: Service Dog Joins University Graduation Ceremony

One member of York University’s class of 2015 is a little hairier than the others.

Barkley, a standard Poodle, wore a cap and gown as he accompanied Devon MacPherson across the stage yesterday during the school’s graduation ceremony in Toronto.

“He deserved to go because he went to every single class with me,” MacPherson, who has an anxiety disorder, told the Canadian Press. Barkley is her mental health service dog.

“He can smell when my anxiety is going to rise through a chemical called oxytocin, and he nudges me when that is a bit out of whack,” she said.

Barkley helped give MacPherson the confidence to become a mental health advocate. He served as the inspiration for her undergraduate thesis, which explores the effect of service dogs on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

MacPherson received a degree yesterday in individualized studies focusing on the human/animal bond. She and Barkley will return to York University this fall as she begins working toward her master’s degree in the school’s critical disabilities program.

She told the Toronto Star she hopes there is soon a national policy on service dogs.

Here in the U.S., two service dogs were recently honored by having their photos included in the staff section of the yearbook for Blaine High School in Minnesota.

Photos via Twitter; Twitter

Tissue (Boxes) Alert: ‘Denali’ a Touching Tribute to a Dying Dog

“It could have gone cheesy or too sappy or too sad, so quickly,” Ben Moon told TODAY last week.

He was talking about the now-viral short film, “Denali,” a beautiful tribute to his dying Pit Bull/Husky mix. Although it is indeed sad (and even funny sometimes), it is never cheesy or sappy.

Moon, a photographer who lives in Portland, Ore., rescued Denali from an animal shelter in 1999.

“As soon as I passed him, he put his paw out, cocked his head and kind of looked at me,” Moon told TODAY. “He tore a lap around the room, and then laid on my feet, and rolled up on his back, and looked at me. It felt like he chose me.”

Five years later, Moon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Nurses at the Bend, Ore., hospital where he was being treated allowed Denali to stay with Moon.

“When he was in the hospital bed with me, he’d just sort of step up there so gently, it was kind of mind-blowing,” Moon told TODAY. “He made sure he wasn’t touching anything that was in pain and not invading my space.”

One year later, Moon was cancer free. He spent the next few years traveling around the country with Denali, snapping photos of their adventures together.

Early last year, Denali was diagnosed with cancer. Four tumors were removed, but the 14-year-old dog’s health continued to decline.

“That’s when I promised him, ‘Just let me know when it’s your time to go, man; I’m not going to let you suffer,'” Moon told TODAY. “It felt like this grand reciprocation, because he had been with me while I had gone through cancer.”

Knowing Denali’s days were numbered, Moon decided to have his final visit to the beach filmed.

“Denali” was directed and written by Ben Knight of the production company Felt Soul Media, which, according to its website, strives to “cause the rare magical goose bump that occurs when pictures and sound are squished together just right.”

The film shows that last beach visit, as well as plenty of photos that show the incredible bond between Moon and his beloved dog. It is narrated from the point of view of Denali himself.

In April, “Denali” received the Best of Festival and People’s Choice awards at the 5Point Film Festival in Colorado. It was also an official selection at Telluride Mountainfilm. Posted on Vimeo two months ago, “Denali” has gotten millions of views.

“I was hoping it would resonate and connect with people, but when we passed a million views, it was mind-blowing,” Moon told Men’s Journal.

Denali crossed the Rainbow Bridge in early February 2014. Moon told TODAY he recognized the look in his dog’s eyes, and knew it was time to end his suffering.

“It’s impossible to put into words all that you were and will always be to me,” Moon wrote in a eulogy for Denali on Instagram. “I was always convinced you were more human than dog, and all of the countless lives you touched felt the same.

“Thank you for your unwavering belief in me. Happy trails, my friend!”

Photos via Instagram

Aww: High School Yearbook Includes Photos of Service Dogs

Among the hundreds of photos in the 2015 yearbook for Minnesota’s Blaine High School are those of Caramel Thomas and Dakota Comancho.

But the photos of Caramel and Dakota stand out just a bit from the others. The two are service dogs.

Caramel belongs to Rebecca Thomas, who is hearing impaired and teaches American sign language at Blaine High. For the past nine years, her service dog Caramel has joined her in class.

Dakota, a certified therapy dog, belongs to Vicky Camancho, who teaches a special education class at the school and brings in Dakota once a week.

“The students love seeing the service dogs in the yearbook,” Thomas told Yahoo Canada.

The photos were originally posted on Tumblr two weeks ago.

“A couple teachers at my school have service dogs and they get their own picture in the yearbook,” wrote Kate, who uploaded the photos. “It’s amazing.”

Photos of the two dogs have previously been included in the staff section of Blaine High’s yearbooks. It all started a couple years ago, when Dakota’s photo was taken for an identification badge on class picture day.

“When we got the disc of student and staff photos, we automatically flowed the pictures into the yearbook page sections,” Faculty Adviser Jill Farrell told the Star Tribune. “The editors and I giggled like mad when we saw that a picture of Dakota was included in the images.”

Lynn Florman, head of the special education department, told Yahoo Canada the photos send a positive message.

“Sometimes the unique services they provide are not understood or valued by others, so seeing them recognized in such a public and memorable way as a yearbook sends a strong message to all that they are an integral part of the team that supports our students,” Florman said.

She said it warmed her heart to watch distraught or shy students be comforted by Dakota’s presence

“In many ways, Dakota represents the best qualities we hope to teach our students,” Florman said. “Unconditional love and acceptance, patience and tolerance for those who are different.”

Photos via Twitter; Tumblr

Hero Guide Dog Tries to Protect Blind Woman from Being Hit by Bus

JUNE 10, 2015 UPDATE: An awesome, unidentified benefactor is paying for all of Figo’s veterinary bills. More good news: Figo won’t have to wear a “cone of shame.”

“He’s a good boy and he’s leaving his bandage alone,” Dr. Angela O’Donnell of Middlebranch Veterinary told the Journal News today. “That points to the strides he’s making. If it was bothering him more, he probably would be chewing at it.”

Audrey Stone, whose life Figo saved, told the Journal News the dog “deserves the purple heart.” If you’d like to send her a card or note, mail it to Audrey Stone, c/o Trinity Lutheran Church, 2103 Route 6, Brewster, NY 10509.

The driver of a mini-bus apparently didn’t see Audrey Stone, who is blind, and her guide dog, Figo, walking across a street in Brewster, N.Y., yesterday morning.

Figo, however, immediately saw the bus coming toward them. He literally sprang into action and jumped toward the vehicle.

“I don’t know if (the driver) thought (Stone) was going to move faster, but it looks like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her,” Paul Schwartz, who witnessed it all, told the Journal News.

Both Figo and Stone were hit by the bus, but thanks to the guide dog’s heroic action, they are alive today. Stone suffered several fractures, and Figo’s right front leg was severely cut.

“There were 15 EMTs and people all around her, and the dog didn’t want to leave her side,” Schwartz said. “He was flopping over to her and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either. She kept screaming, ‘Where’s Figo?’ We kept telling her he was fine.”

Dogs are not allowed in ambulances, so after Stone was taken away to a hospital, Schwartz said the guide dog seemed kind of lost. Firefighters put Figo in their truck and took him to Middlebranch Veterinary, where he had surgery on his leg.

A staff member told the Journal News Figo was welcome to stay at the animal hospital “as long as Audrey needs before she takes him home.”

In an update on its Facebook page this morning, the animal hospital wrote, “All of us at Middlebranch Veterinary would like to thank everyone for the generous outpouring of well wishes for the service dog Figo. He is resting comfortably and recovering nicely from his wounds.”

Photos via Facebook, Twitter

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