Michigan Archives - i Still Love Dogs

Firefighters and Cops Get New Pomeranian for Grieving Dog Mom

Firefighters in Portage, Mich., were able to put out a blaze in the home of Lanchi Rohall two months ago, but, tragically, they were unable to save the lives of her six dogs.

A compassionate dispatcher with Portage Public Safety who knew Rohall suggested to her supervisor, Torie Rose, that the department do something to help Rohall cope with her loss, MLive.com reports. With the grieving dog mom’s permission, employees began making donations toward getting Rohall a new dog to help ease her pain.

Rohall is especially fond of Pomeranians, so the dispatcher began searching online for the perfect pup. She eventually found Teddy, a rescued Pom who was available in Flint, Mich. The donations from Portage fire and police unions, as well as officers, covered Teddy’s $250 adoption fee.

Rose and the dispatcher brought Teddy to Rohall, who is temporarily staying in a motel.

“I think he needed her as much as she needed him,” Rose told MLive.com. “You could tell right off the bat they were going to be a good match.”

Teddy, who was rescued from an abusive situation, was treated by a veterinarian for worms. He also has very sensitive paws, so Rohall got him some little shoes to protect them.

Rohall and Teddy paid a visit yesterday to the Portage Police station. Rose said Teddy was like a different dog.

“He was well-groomed and looked very happy,” she told MLive.com. “She has taught him commands through hand movements, and he is very much attached to her. If she goes out of his sight, he gets nervous.”

Rohall said she is very thankful for how people have gone out of their way to help her since the fire. It was “wonderful, wonderful. God works in mysterious ways,” she told MLive.com.

As for her new best friend Teddy, she said he’s adorable. “He looks just like a baby fox,” she told MLive.com.

Photo via Twitter

Coast Guard Rescues Dog from Icy Michigan Lake (VIDEO)

Just a few days ago, Los Angeles firefighters heroically rescued a Shiba Inu who was being swept away in the L.A. River. (The pup, who they named “Lucky,” has not yet been claimed by his owner.)

Halfway across the country today, the U.S. Coast Guard came to the rescue of a yellow Labrador Retriever who found herself in a similar predicament. But instead of falling into raging water, the Lab fell through ice into frigid Betsie Lake in Frankfort, Mich.

The dog has been named “Betsie” after the lake she fell into, but she really should be named “Extra Lucky.” She just happened to fall close to a U.S. Coast Guard station. When crew members witnessed it, they rushed to her rescue.

Tim Putnam, a boatswain mate third class, swam out about 200 feet to grab the Lab.

“I had to push a lot of the ice out of the way. It was pretty exhausting,” he told NBC News. As he approached Betsie, she swam toward him.

“It was almost like he knew it was his last chance,” said Putnam, who initially mistook Betsie for a male. “Luckily we got him out in time. It didn’t look like he had too much left in him.”

Betsie was taken to the Benzie County Animal Shelter in Beulah, Mich. She had no ID tags or microchip, so shelter staff are trying to locate her owners.

If no one claims Betsie, Putnam wants to adopt her himself. “Maybe it was just meant to be,” he told NBC News. (Okay, she really needs to be named Extra Extra Lucky.)

Over on the East Coast, yet another dog was saved today by firefighters. The dog, named Lucy, was walking with her family along the frozen Mystic River in Arlington, Mass., when she saw a swan and bolted onto the ice.

The ice broke, and Lucy fell into the icy water. Firefighters put on “warm suits” and were able to successfully save Lucy about 30 feet from the shore, according to WCVB. The dog was checked by a veterinarian and has been reunited with her family.

Maybe they should start calling her Lucky Lucy. Just sayin’.

Photo via YouTube

Michigan Cops in Big Trouble Over Stray Dog Prank

Some officers with the Ferndale Police Department in Michigan are doggone heelarious!

…At least they think so.

When a stray dog (he looks like a Puggle, a Pug/Beagle mix) was brought into the police station, the dispatcher on duty expressed interest in adopting him. But then he changed his mind, according to WDIV.

So, instead of handing the dog over to animal control as they are supposed to do, a lieutenant and two police officers got the wacky idea to go all “Jackass” on the dispatcher. Emphasis on jackass.

In the middle of the night, one of the officers — who was on duty at the time — drove the dog to a house in Southfield, about five miles from Ferndale, where he thought the dispatcher was staying. Using a rope, he tied the dog to the door and left him there.

And here comes the really knee-slappin’ part: It wasn’t the right house! And the homeowner thought someone was trying to break in, so he called the Southfield Police Department!

The Ferndale Police Department was not amused. “There’s no excuse for the behavior that happened. There’s no excuse for their conduct whatsoever,” Lt. William Wilson told WDIV. “It’s infantile. It’s grade schoolish, middle-schoolish at best.”

Police Chief Timothy D. Collins said “severe disciplinary action” will be taken very soon against the three officers.

It’s no surprise that people on Facebook are also angered by the prank. “When you tie a dog up, you make him defenseless against other dogs, people, rats, possums, etc.,” wrote one commenter on the WDIV Local 4 / Click On Detroit page. “These officers put this poor dog in danger, not to mention how confused & scared he was. These officers should lose their jobs, for they gave no consideration to a life or the danger they put that dog in. Shame on them.”

Hear, hear. Fortunately, the stray dog was “physically okay,” according to WDIV. He’s staying at the animal control center in Southfield and has not yet been claimed.

“[It was] a huge waste of police resources. Somebody could have gotten hurt,” said WDIV reporter Hank Winchester. “And, at the end of the day, the dog at the center of this entire controversy is still sitting in the pound.”

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