Category: Heroes

NFL’s Torrey Smith Paid Adoption Fees for 46 Baltimore Shelter Pets

There are some really, really good players for the Philadelphia Eagles (and there have been some very, very bad ones).

Among the best of the best, in my humble opinion, is Torrey Smith, a former wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens who will join the Eagles this year.

Torrey and his wife, Chanel, always attend the annual Pawject Runway event for BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter).

“Each year he reminds us all what this glamorous and grand event is all about — raising money and awareness for Baltimore’s homeless, neglected and abused animals,” BARCS wrote on its Facebook page yesterday. “It’s safe to say that Torrey’s spirited and full-of-heart conclusion to the show is always a crowd-favorite moment.”

But at this year’s event, Torrey and Chanel were even more full of heart. Before the show, as the couple mingled backstage with some of the pets hoping to find forever homes, they discussed with each other what more they could do to help the shelter animals.

“They wanted to make sure that every single one of them had an adoption application by the end of the night,” BARCS wrote. “Torrey and Chanel decided that they would cover the adoption fees for every single cat and dog at Pawject Runway — 46 animals, wow!”

But wait, it gets even better. After hearing about the Smiths’ generosity, Torrey’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, announced on Twitter he would match their donation.

As you can imagine, adoption applications have been pouring in. BARCS is calling the first-in-line potential adopters. If you live in the Baltimore area and are looking to adopt a dog or cat, check out the BARCS website.

And please think about naming your new pet Torrey, Chanel or Drew.

Photo via BARCS Animal Shelter Facebook page

Fast-Acting Police Officer Saves His K-9 Partner’s Life

Anthony Coniglio, an officer with the Concord Police Department in Northern California, was directing traffic around a DUI-related collision about 2 a.m. yesterday morning when a pickup truck came speeding toward him and his patrol car that was parked behind him.

Coniglio’s K-9 partner, Hancock, was inside that patrol car.

When Coniglio realized the driver wasn’t going to stop, in an instant he made the decision to risk his own life and save his partner. Within seconds, was able to get inside his patrol car and move it about two feet.

The truck crashed into the driver’s side of the patrol car, but thanks to Coniglio’s quick thinking, both he and Hancock survived with only moderate injuries.

“It’s with certainty that we know if Officer Coniglio was not able to move his patrol vehicle, he and K-9 Hancock would have sustained serious injury or death,” the Concord Police Department wrote on its Facebook page yesterday.

The driver of the truck, Angel Carrera-Lopez — who was on probation for a previous DUI — was arrested for suspicion of DUI, treated and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.

After being treated at hospitals for their injuries, “K-9 Officer Coniglio and Hancock are both resting at home and doing well,” the police department wrote.

“Thank you to all the concerned citizens who called and sent cards this morning. We have a wonderful community!”

Concord is lucky to have a wonderful police officer like Coniglio as well.

Photo via Concord Police Department Facebook page

Dog Found Alive 3 Days After Fatal Boat Crash

Two men and two dogs were in a boat sailing into Tamales Bay in Northern California on Monday when it capsized in the rough surf. One man and one dog were rescued, but Brian Phidat Ho, 47, was killed. The other dog, a yellow Lab named Yoda, disappeared and had presumably drowned.

This morning, three days after the accident, Marin County Fire Battalion Chiefs Chris Martinelli and Graham Groneman were scouting locations for a water rescue orientation for firefighters. They spotted something from their rescue boat — a yellow object on a rocky shore north of where the boat had capsized.

It was Yoda.

“They were hugging the coastline when they saw the dog hunkered down under a rocky outcropping,” Battalion Chief Bret McTigue said. “They went on shore and put a lifejacket on him. He was wet and shivering after a few days out in the elements.”

Despite his ordeal, Yoda was alive and well, and appeared to be uninjured. He was taken to the Tamales Fire Station, where he warmed up by the fireplace while being given food and water.

“We called the family and we happened to reach them during the funeral,” McTigue said. “We gave them the update and they were able to make the announcement about the dog at the funeral, which was nice.”

Nice, indeed. And how nice that those two Marin County Fire battalion chiefs just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Last year, a German Shepherd/Husky mix named Luna was found five weeks after she jumped off a boat. Luna had managed to swim two miles to an island used by the Navy.

Photo credit: Marin County Fire Department

Luc(k)y the Welsh Terrier Survives 30-foot Fall into Well

A 13-year-old Welsh Terrier named Lucy (her owners might want to consider adding a “k” to her name) should be the poster dog for why you should always keep your dog on a leash when you’re hiking together.

Lucy was not leashed on a hike with her owners yesterday morning in the hills of Malibu, Calif. She wandered off the trail and fell into a dirt well that’s 30 feet deep and only 2 feet wide at the bottom.

Amazingly, Lucky — er, Lucy — was not injured in the fall. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) was dispatched to the scene, but it took them two hours to get there due to traffic. (Hey, it’s L.A., after all.)

When they finally made their way to the well, the rescue took another two hours.

“We set up an Arizona Vortex, which is a three-legged artificial high point,” Matt Walmsley, who was lowered by rope into the well to rescue Lucy, told KABC. “And that allows me to come out of the hole clean. We put on a safety rope and a main rope, and I went down with a strap that I have in my pocket here. I got it around the dog, and stood her up and got her in my arms, and up we came.”

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority also helped with Lucy’s rescue, which was recorded on video.

Lucy is now safely back home with her owners, who, I bet, will never, ever let her roam off leash again.

Photo via Twitter

Hero Firefighter Brings Dead Dog Back to Life

As Andrew Klein worked with 22 other firefighters to put out a blaze in a Santa Monica, Calif., apartment Tuesday, he discovered an unconscious Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix.

“As soon as I grabbed him, I knew that he was unresponsive just by his dead weight,” Klein told KTLA. He carried the lifeless 10-year-old dog, named Nalu, outside.

Nalu wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, so Klein began performing CPR and mouth-to-snout resuscitation on him — for 20 minutes, until the dog was finally revived. Klein then provided Nalu with oxygen using a pet-sized mask.

Nalu’s owner, Crystal Lamirande, came home to find her apartment on fire. She tried to save Nalu herself, but the smoke was too thick. She told KTLA she stood there in shock as Klein worked to save her dog’s life. “I’m a nurse, and now I know how family members feel when they watch us do CPR on their family members,” she said. “It’s awful.”

The firefighters were able to put out the blaze in about 10 minutes, KTLA reports. No one besides Nalu was injured.

“It was pretty amazing, because I’ve been on a number of animal rescues like this that did not come out the same way that Nalu’s story did,” Klein told KTLA. He’d only performed mouth-to-snout resuscitation a few times in his career. “It was definitely a win for the whole team and the department that we got him back.”

Lamirande said she lost everything in the fire, with one important exception: her best friend Nalu, thanks to Klein’s heroic efforts. She brought Nalu to the fire station Thursday to thank him again for saving her dog’s life.

“Our goal is to save people, and sometimes we’re not able to do that despite our best efforts,” Klein told KABC. “But to have a success story just like this, even with Nalu being a dog, he’s a life and a life that matters. That was just a great morale booster for all of the guys here in our department.”

Photo via Twitter

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