Sacramento Police Dispatcher Adopts Shelter Dog Who Comforted Him after Tragedy

As she stood watch over a woman packing her things to leave during a domestic disturbance call, Officer Tara O’Sullivan with the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) was ambushed by Adel Sambrano Ramos, who shot and killed her. O’Sullivan was only 26 years old and had graduated from the Sacramento Police Academy just six months ago.

“She gave her young life while protecting our community,” Deputy Chief Dave Peletta told reporters the morning after the June 19 shooting. “There are no words to convey the depth of sadness we feel or how heartbroken we are for the family of our young, brave officer.”

The unidentified SPD dispatcher who monitored the tragedy is “the best of the best,” the department wrote on its Facebook page June 22, “and hearing those two words, ‘officer down,’ is every dispatcher’s worst nightmare.”

As they frequently do for police dispatchers after critical incidents, the Front Street Animal Shelter brought in some homeless dogs to provide the SPD dispatcher with some much-needed emotional therapy. The manager of the shelter happens to be a former dispatcher with this police department.

After they provide lots of furry comfort, the dogs are usually returned to the shelter. But that wasn’t the case with this dispatcher.

“This story, after the events of this week, is a little bit of light in the darkness,” the Sacramento Police Department wrote on Facebook. “Please indulge us.”

The dispatcher immediately hit it off with a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix from the Front Street Animal Shelter and decided to adopt him. He’s named his new family member Sullivan or “Sully,” in honor of the young fallen officer.

“We like to think they rescued each other,” the Sacramento Police Department wrote.

May Officer Sullivan rest in peace, and may the dispatcher and Sully enjoy many years of happiness together.

A scholarship in O’Sullivan’s name is being created at her alma mater, Sacramento State University. To find out how to make a donation, go to the university’s website.

To help support the Front Street Animal Shelter, visit its website.

Photo: Sacramento Police Department/Facebook

How to Honor the Legacy of the Amazing Doris Day

Doris Day, perhaps the “OG” of celebrity animal advocates, peacefully passed away in her sleep this morning. If there’s a heaven, it’s a sure thing there’s a special place reserved for her, where she’s surrounded by lots of angel dogs.

“The world has lost a light today,” wrote T. Robert Bashara, chief financial officer of the nonprofit Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) created by the actress in 1978, in an announcement on Facebook. “Doris was not just a darling of song and screen, but a close friend, an inspiration when the world seemed bleak, and a dear, compassionate advocate for her favorite beings on Earth: the 4-leggers.”

Before she moved to Carmel in Northern California (where she became a pioneer by opening the first-ever dog-friendly hotel), Day was known as “The Dog Catcher of Beverly Hills,” according to the DDAF. If she found a lost dog in her neighborhood, she would knock on doors until she reunited the pet with its owner. She carried around photos of pets needing homes — but before anyone could adopt one of them, she’d personally inspect their home to make sure the pet would be happy there.

To help homeless pets nationwide, Day started what was originally called the Doris Day Pet Foundation. Its mission then and now is to help animals and the people who love them. DDAF provides funds to nonprofits across the country that care for and protect animals.

Along with the Doris Day Animal Foundation, in 1987 Day created the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL). The mission of this nonprofit is to reduce the pain and suffering of animals through legislation, education and programs. Eight years later, Day and DDAL started Spay Day USA, which is now known as World Spay Day. During its first 15 years, the nonprofit provided the funding for 1.5 million pets to be spayed and neutered.

If you’re a fan of Day’s and/or you love dogs and want to do something to honor the memory of this amazing lady, here are some ways you can do that.

There are also many ways to honor Day without spending money. As I wrote for Care2, here are some suggestions:

Share photos of homeless pets on social media. Just like Day once carried around those photos, you can reach a lot more people by using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts to post photos and information about pets available for adoption. Ask your friends and followers to share the photos so they’re seen by as many potential adopters as possible.

Volunteer your time at an animal shelter. “Whether you walk dogs at your shelter, stuff envelopes for an educational mailing or assist with a fundraising event, you can make a difference in the lives of animals,” says the Humane Society of the United States.

Donate items like towels and blankets to a shelter or rescue. Be sure to call first or check its website for a wish list to find out exactly what is needed.

Spread the word about the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Every year, millions of homeless cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters. This could easily be prevented if people would spay or neuter their pets to prevent unwanted litters. Tell your friends, co-workers, neighbors and everyone you know to be responsible pet parents by spaying and neutering their dogs and cats.

Photo: YouTube

Thanks to Social Media Rumor, Every Pet Adopted from San Bernardino Animal Shelter

After the City of San Bernardino animal shelter in Southern California announced last month that it would be closing, a rumor went viral on social media claiming that all 60 dogs and 40 cats would be euthanized.

But this wasn’t the case according to San Bernardino city officials, who planned to transfer the animals to another shelter in Riverside County. Earlier this week, the San Bernardino County board of supervisors decided to hold off on the relocation and allow time for local rescue groups to come up with plans to take over the shelter.

Apparently unaware of this development, hundreds of people showed up at the shelter during a free adoption event May 9. By mid-afternoon, every available dog and cat had found a new home.

It was love at first sight for one of the adopters, Elliott, whose previous pet died four years ago. A dog named Aubrey who caught his eye at the shelter “is such a loving dog. Rescue dogs are the best,” he told the San Bernardino Sun. “I took her into the play area and she ran up and tackled me and wouldn’t stop kissing me. That’s when I knew that was my girl.”

The San Bernardino shelter has been the target of animal welfare advocates due to poor management and decrepit living conditions. The city is closing the shelter because it can’t afford to make necessary major upgrades, such as installing air conditioning. 

Although free adoption events that give pets away with no vetting of their new owners do strike a lot of fear in my heart, here’s hoping every one of those dogs and cats is now in a loving forever home, thanks to what may have truly been fake news.

Pit Bull Found Alive in Rubble Days After Apartment Fire

Kayla Marie Blake saved the life of her Pit Bull, Rebel, two times. The first time was three years ago, when she adopted him from a shelter. The second time was last week, when she left him in the bedroom of her apartment with the door closed.

While this may not seem like a life-saving action, it was the closed door that probably saved Rebel’s life when a five-alarm fire broke out in the Harrisonburg, Va., apartment building on March 28.

Harrisonburg Fire officials said ‏all occupants of the complex were safely evacuated within an hour, but that didn’t include some four-legged occupants, including Rebel.

Fearing the worst, Blake returned to the apartment complex two days after the fire. “I saw the window of my room, and I couldn’t believe how much was still left compared to the rest of the building,” she told WTVR.

Imagine the relief Blake felt when she heard Rebel barking from inside her third-story apartment. But she was still concerned that he may have been injured. She called the fire department to check on her dog.

When firefighters entered Blake’s bedroom, Rebel was hiding under a desk.

“He was growling at them,” Blake told WTVR. “Then he started barking and didn’t stop until he saw me enter the room.”

A crowd that had gathered outside the apartment complex cheered when Blake emerged, carrying her beloved Rebel in her arms.

Despite his ordeal, Rebel only suffered a burn to his nose. His veterinarian said it was hard to tell the dog had lived through a fire.

Rebel isn’t the only lucky pet to survive the fire. Another dog was found alive, curled up in a bathtub, about five hours after the fire was put out. Sadly, a cat didn’t survive the fire, which is believed to have been caused by “improperly discarded smoking materials,” according to the fire department.

Blake’s apartment may be a total loss, but she still has what mattered to her most. “Rebel was the only salvageable thing in the room,” she told WTVR. “I’m just happy I have my best friend back. The rest can be replaced.”

Photo: Harrisonburg Fire Department/Twitter

Hero Pit Bull Alerts Authorities to Gas Leak

Home alone Wednesday afternoon, a senior Pit Bull named Sadie sensed that something was very wrong in her Westchester County, N.Y. house. She dug out a wooden block keeping a sliding door shut and ran outside, knocking down a fence as she bolted out of the yard.

Someone a few blocks away called the police when they heard Sadie’s incessant barking. When officers arrived, Sadie ran off and took them “through several streets, and then lead them back to the dog’s residence into the backyard,” Lt. Lawrence Rotta with the Tuckahoe Police Department told WABC.

The officers noticed the broken fence as well as claw marks and blood on the sliding glass door. They also noticed the strong odor of gas coming from the basement. The officers called the Eastchester Fire Department and Con Edison, which arrived at the house and confirmed a gas leak.

Sadie’s owner, Serena Costello, was at work and her 4-year-old daughter was with a sitter when a friend called her and told her about all the activity at her house.

Sadie “is our hero,” Costello told WABC. She said that in 11 years, her dog had never run away before. “It’s just so out of character for her to do. She saved our lives.”

Rotta agreed. “The dog saved the house from a potential gas explosion and gas leak,” he told WABC. “Natural gas inside the house can accumulate to the point where, God forbid, someone would come home and turn on a light switch, and there could be a potential explosion,” he told News12.

The police had to give Costello a summons for having an unleashed dog. But after ConEd determined there was a gas leak, one of the officers “took the summons and ripped it up,” Costello told WABC. The leak has been repaired.

Good girl, Sadie, and many thanks to WABC, News12 and CBS New York for covering this positive Pit Bull story.

Photo via @ABC7NY/Twitter

 

 

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