Tag: German Shepherd

Rescued German Shepherd Rescues New Dog Dad Having a Stroke

It didn’t take long for former pound pup Sadie, a German Shepherd whose life was saved in September by Brian Myers of Teaneck, N.J., to pay it forward. When her new dog dad had a stroke last month, Sadie helped to save his life.

After Myers, who lives alone, collapsed on the floor in the middle of the night, Sadie lied down beside him, whimpering and licking his face to help keep him awake. Myers grabbed her collar.

“She instinctively started to pull backwards,” he told NBC New York. “That was enough to enable me to shuffle with her out of where I was.” With Sadie’s help, he was able to stand up and get to a phone to call for help.

“I don’t know how she knew to do it, but that she was able to pull me the way she did, I was so grateful to her,” Myers added. If Sadie hadn’t taken action, he said, “I may as well have been worse off than I am right now.”

It’s also pretty amazing that 6-year-old Sadie was adopted at all. The German Shepherd had been surrendered to the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, N.J., when her owner had to relocate to a property that didn’t allow certain dog breeds. (Grrr! Yet another reason why breed bans are so unfair.)

“She was confused and seemingly lost upon rescue, having suddenly lost the only family that she knew,” the shelter wrote on its Facebook page. “Sadie is a loyal dog, but nervous and protective with new people, making her a more difficult placement.” The shelter also noted that Sadie was “especially nervous with men.”

But the night that Myers brought Sadie to her new forever home, “she jumped up and put her paws on my shoulders and gave me a kiss on the face,” he told TODAY. “And it just seemed to me that she was saying, ‘Thank you for rescuing me.’”

“To us, Brian’s a hero because he saved Sadie,” Megan Brinster, a staff member at the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, told NBC New York. “And now Sadie saved him, so it’s like the most incredible match.”

A Very Special RBARI Story! RBARI Alumni Sadie saved owner’s life, as she drags him to help after suffering a…

Posted by Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge on Tuesday, February 2, 2021

When Myers had COVID-19 and was confined to bed, Sadie loyally stayed by his side as he recovered. He told TODAY the virus may have caused him to develop a blood clot, which led to the stroke. He is currently recovering in a rehabilitation facility while Sadie is temporarily staying with his brother. Myers told NBC New York he misses his hero dog every day.

“I can’t wait to see her and give her a hug and a kiss and I’ll probably cry my eyes out doing so,” he said. According to the shelter, Myers and Sadie “FaceTime every night.” Awww!

Myers has a very important message for anyone thinking about adopting a shelter pet: “There are many other dogs there, waiting to be somebody’s hero,” he told NBC New York.

Update: Myers and his hero dog were reunited on Feb. 9 outside his rehabilitation facility. Here’s the video. (Tissue alert!!)

 

To help the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge care for more potential hero dogs, you can make an online donation.

Photo: Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge/Facebook

Virtual ‘Indoguration’ Planned for First Dog Major Biden

For the first time ever, a former shelter dog will soon make the White House his home. And, for the first time ever, a special “Indoguration” is planned to mark this momentous occasion.

Major, a German Shepherd, was initially fostered by the Bidens from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) in 2018 after their daughter, Ashley, sent them his photo. Like so many so-called “foster fails,” the Bidens fell in love with Major and he became their forever dog.

Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden &…

Posted by Delaware Humane Association on Saturday, November 17, 2018

To celebrate Major’s move to his new home, the DHA and Pumpkin Pet Insurance are holding a fundraising “Indoguration” on Zoom that they say is the “largest virtual party for dogs.” The event is on Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, three days before Major’s dog dad is inaugurated. It will be hosted by Jill Martin of the “Today” show on NBC, with special guest Sir Darius Brown, a 14-year-old animal advocate.

You can RSVP for the Indoguration online. A donation of at least $10 to DHA is required to attend. The DHA is a nonprofit, no-kill animal care and adoption center that also offers affordable spay/neuter services, low-cost vaccination clinics and a pet food pantry.

While Major is the first pound pup to live in the White House, he’s not actually the first rescue pet to make it their home, according to CNN. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s mixed-breed dog Yuki had been abandoned at a Texas gas station when he was rescued by LBJ’s daughter, Luci. The Clintons’ cat, Socks, was also a rescue pet.

Major will also be sharing his new home with the Bidens’ other dog, Champ. The German Shepherd was purchased by Joe from a breeder as a gift to Jill after the 2008 election. Here’s hoping that all the Bidens’ future dogs, and all future first dogs, will be shelter or rescue dogs.

Photo: @DrBiden/Twitter

Major Biden Will Be the First Pound Pup to Live in the White House

Update: Major and Champ Biden officially moved into the White House on Jan. 24. “The First Family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware,” Michael LaRosa, First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, told CNN. “Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around on the South Lawn.” 

Kamala Harris, who will become the first female and first person of color to be vice president of the United States, is not the only one who will be making history in January.

Major Biden, the German Shepherd adopted two years ago by Joe and Jill Biden, will become the first rescue dog to live in the White House. It’s hard to believe, but no former pound pups have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the past 220 years.

Sure, there have been plenty of “First Dogs” — most recently, Bo and Sunny, the Portuguese Water Dogs belonging to the Obamas — but Major will be the first First Dog who wasn’t bought from a breeder or received as a gift. The Bidens have another German Shepherd, Champ, who was purchased by Joe from a breeder as a gift to Jill after the 2008 election.

The Bidens fostered Major from the Delaware Humane Association in November 2018 after their daughter, Ashley, sent them a photo of the German Shepherd. Who could resist that smile? Not the Bidens. Like so many people who are kind enough to give dogs temporary homes, they fell in love with Major, and he went from being their foster dog to their forever dog.

Last week, Biden tweeted a video of Donald Trump at a rally asking how he’d look walking a dog on the White House lawn. “I don’t feel good,” Trump said. In response, the tweet read, “Let’s put dogs back in the White House. Champ and Major for DOTUS.”

No matter who you supported in this contentious election, one thing is perfectly clear: Major is a very good boy. Here’s hoping he’s the first but not the last shelter dog to live in the White House.

Photo: @DrBiden/Twitter

RIP Buddy, the First US Dog Diagnosed with the Coronavirus

Buddy, the German Shepherd from New York who was diagnosed with the coronavirus in May, has died.

“You tell people that your dog was positive, and they look at you [as if you have] ten heads,” his owner, Allison Mahoney, told National Geographic. “[Buddy] was the love of our lives….He brought joy to everybody. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

Was it COVID-19 that killed 7-year-old Buddy, who died on July 11? In early June, he was expected to make a full recovery.

Maybe, or maybe not. Buddy also probably had lymphoma, a type of cancer, according to two veterinarians who reviewed the dog’s medical records but had not been involved with his treatment. It’s not clear whether Buddy died from COVID-19, or if the infection made his cancer symptoms worse, or if he would have died from lymphoma even if he didn’t have COVID-19.

Buddy’s symptoms began in April, when he had difficulty breathing and lost his appetite. Allison’s husband, Robert Mahoney, had already been diagnosed with COVID-19 and suspected that Buddy might have it, too. At that time, a Pug named Winston in North Carolina had (mistakenly) been diagnosed with the disease. The Mahoney family’s other dog, a young German Shepherd named Duke, showed no symptoms.

After a month of visits to three different animal hospitals and as Buddy’s symptoms worsened, on May 15 a private veterinary laboratory agreed to test the dog for COVID-19 — and got a presumptive positive result. The sample was sent to the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), which confirmed it. “This is the first dog in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2,” the NVSL announced on June 2.

Duke tested negative for the virus but did have antibodies in his system, indicating that he may have been exposed, according to the NVSL.

Five days after that positive test, Buddy tested negative for COVID-19, meaning he no longer was infected with the virus.

Buddy’s condition did not improve at all, however. When he began vomiting blood on July 11, the Mahoney family made the difficult decision to end their beloved dog’s suffering. Even though a necropsy — an autopsy for animals — may have provided a clue into what was causing Buddy’s symptoms, the Mahoneys weren’t offered that option. “I would have said, ‘Take whatever you need,’ because I don’t want any other dog to suffer like he did,” Robert told National Geographic.

The Mahoneys are frustrated that public officials showed little interest in Buddy’s case, which could have potentially lead to discoveries about how COVID-19 affects pet dogs. But the Mahoneys are sure that Buddy’s veterinarians did all that they could for their dog. “I think they are learning as well,” Allison told National Geographic. “It’s all trial and error. And they tried to help us the best way they can.”

Although Buddy is gone, his loving family is also helping the best way they can by telling their heartbreaking story to National Geographic reporter Natasha Daly. Rest in peace, Buddy.

A list of animals that have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States is available on the USDA website. In early March, a dog belonging to someone with the coronavirus in Hong Kong was believed to be the first pet dog in the world to get the virus from a human.

However, there’s no evidence that our pets or other animals can spread the virus to humans, the NVSL stated in June.

Protecting Your Dog from COVID-19

To help prevent your dog from being infected with COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you do the following:

  • Don’t let your dog interact with other people or animals outside your home.
  • Walk your dog on a leash and stay at least 6 feet away from other people and animals.
  • Even if they’re open in your area, avoid dog parks and other public places where people and dogs congregate.

If you have been infected with COVID-19:

  • If at all possible, have another family member or friend take care of your dog.
  • If you must be around your dog, wear a face mask and wash your hands frequently.
  • The hard part: Avoid touching, kissing, snuggling or otherwise interacting with your dog.
  • The most important part: Get well soon!

Photo: Emmanuel Lefebvre from Pixabay (that’s not Buddy)

Winston the Pug Didn’t Have the Coronavirus, But Another Dog Does

A lot of dog owners were pretty alarmed in April by the news that Winston, a 2-year-old Pug who lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., had tested positive for the coronavirus. Until then, there were cases of humans, tigers and cats being infected with COVID-19. Could dogs really get it, too?

The good news: The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has announced that Winston probably didn’t really have the coronavirus.

The bad news: The NVSL also confirmed that a German Shepherd in New York did indeed have the virus. “This is the first dog in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2,” the agency stated.

The good news: The German Shepherd is expected to make a full recovery.

Like Winston, the German Shepherd’s unidentified owner tested positive for COVID-19 before the dog began showing symptoms of respiratory illness. And, like Winston, another dog in the German Shepherd’s household did not test positive for the virus. The other dog did have the antibodies, however, indicating that he or she had been exposed to COVID-19.

The NVSL was unable to verify that Winston had COVID-19. “The weak detection … from the original oral swab may be the result of contamination from the COVID-19 positive household,” agency representative Lyndsay Cole told USA TODAY.

Winston had been coughing frequently and lost his appetite for a day. His dog mom, Dr. Heather McLean, is a pediatrician at Duke Health. She and two other members of her family were also infected with COVID-19. They all had mild symptoms. The family’s other dog and a cat did not test positive.

So, how were family pets able to be tested for COVID-19 when thousands of humans are still waiting to be tested?

As for Winston, his family is participating in a Duke University study that’s researching how bodies react to infections. The study, called the Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection (MESSI), was launched before the pandemic. The results will hopefully lead to effective tests and treatments for infections like COVID-19.

On April 1, MESSI researchers came to her home to test her family. “They all came out to our house and did blood samples,” McLean told WRAL. “For the humans, they swabbed our noses as well as our mouths, and for the animals they did oral swabs for both dogs and the cat.”

The German Shepherd tested presumptive positive for SARS-CoV-2 at a private veterinary laboratory. The results were reported to state and federal officials. More samples were collected from the dog and the result was confirmed by the NVSL.

“While additional animals may test positive as infections continue in people, it is important to note that performing this animal testing does not reduce the availability of tests for humans,” the NVSL said in its announcement.

If you’re concerned about your own dog getting COVID-19, McLean said you shouldn’t worry too much about it. “We’re not seeing an epidemic of household pets or them transmitting it to other humans and animals — we just happened to detect it in our dog,” she told USA TODAY in late April.

In early March, a dog belonging to someone with the coronavirus in Hong Kong was believed to be the first pet dog in the world to get the virus from a human.

The NVSL stated that “there’s currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus. Based on the limited information available, the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is considered to be low. There is no justification in taking measures against companion animals that may compromise their welfare.” A list of animals that have tested positive for COVID-19 is available on the USDA website.

Protecting Your Dog from COVID-19

To help prevent your dog from being infected with COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you do the following:

  • Don’t let your dog interact with other people or animals outside your home.
  • Walk your dog on a leash and stay at least 6 feet away from other people and animals.
  • Even if they’re open in your area, avoid dog parks and other public places where people and dogs congregate.

If you have been infected with COVID-19:

  • If at all possible, have another family member or friend take care of your dog.
  • If you must be around your dog, wear a face mask and wash your hands frequently.
  • The hard part: Avoid touching, kissing, snuggling or otherwise interacting with your dog.
  • The most important part: Get well soon!

Photo: CBS This Morning/YouTube

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