Zeus Archives - i Still Love Dogs

Hero Pit Bull Dies after Protecting His Family from a Deadly Snake

Zeus, a 9-month-old Pit Bull, played in his Webster, Fla., yard last week as 10-year-old Oriley Richardson and his 11-year-old brother, Orion, cleaned the young dog’s water bowl.

Suddenly Zeus pounced on the ground near the boys and started attacking something. Oriley thought Zeus was playing with a rope.

But it wasn’t a rope. It was a venomous coral snake. These snakes, with red, yellow and black bands, live in the southeastern United States. According to National Geographic, this snake is “famous as much for its potent venom as for the many rhymes — ‘Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack'”—created to help distinguish between coral snakes and other non-venomous snakes with similar skin patterns.

Zeus used his body to cover the coral snake, laying on top of it to prevent it from moving toward the boys.

The dog’s eyes looked “bugged out,” the children’s’ mother, Gina Richardson, told CNN. When they turned Zeus over, they saw he had bitten off the snake’s head — but not before the snake bit him four times.

Although the Richardson family rushed Zeus to an animal hospital and a veterinarian immediately gave him anti-venom medication, the hero dog died the next day.

“I just started bawling,” Richardson told CNN. “My kids woke up and heard me crying and then they too started crying. We were all an emotional wreck.”

What’s even more heartbreaking is that Zeus died on Oriley’s birthday. “He was a good boy and I loved him with all my heart,” Oriley told CNN. “I played with him all the time. I feel sad and I miss him.”

The vet bill for Zeus was $1,000. But the Richardson family doesn’t have to worry about paying it, thanks to donations to a GoFundMe fundraiser from animal lovers touched by the Pit Bull’s heroism.

That heroism is the one upside to this tragedy. Zeus has been making national headlines for saving the lives of those boys.

Their father, Gary Richardson, told CNN that Zeus was his best friend. “I’m torn between wanting to be happy that this situation has brought awareness to his breed and their kind and loving nature, and the sorrow of having lost him,” he said.

He told FOX 35 Orlando that although he’d had many different animals in his life, “Pit Bulls are the most loyal dog I know of.” (I agree wholeheartedly.)

Gina Richardson noted that if a Pit Bull is aggressive, “most likely, it’s because they weren’t treated right,” she told FOX 35 Orlando. “If you treat them right, they would give their life for you and I owe my son’s life to him.”

Rest in peace, Zeus, and thank you for being such a very good boy.

Photo: Zeus the Hero Pitbull Vet Bills GoFundMe page

Pit Bull Mix Stays by Buddy Trapped in Fence for 2 Days

After a pair of male and female Pit Bull mixes apparently escaped from their Atlanta yard last week, the female’s back right paw became entangled in the wire of a chain-link fence she’d attempted to jump over. She was left dangling and standing on her front paws.

Her buddy stood by her side, barking nonstop to get attention.

It worked — but the person who saw the trapped dog didn’t bother letting anyone know until 48 hours later.

“We received a call from someone saying there was a dog hanging by her toe on a fence and that she had been there for two days,” Karen Hirsch, of LifeLine Animal Project, told Mashable.

Hirsch and others from LifeLine, a nonprofit that manages Fulton County Animal Services, freed the female, who they named Athena. When they took her inside their trailer to examine her foot, her buddy, who they named Zeus, was beside himself, barking and crying.

“We had to bring him back and put him in the cage beside her,” Hirsch told The Dodo.

Despite her ordeal, Athena only suffered a swollen toe. When Hirsch visited Athena and Zeus the next day, she said Zeus “was busy licking her toe and protecting her from everyone.”

Thanks to Lifeline, Athena received the veterinary care she needed. “It’s important to note that at most municipal shelters, she would be put to sleep or left untreated,” Hirsch told The Dodo. “But LifeLine raises money enabling us to help animals who are in trouble at the county shelters we manage.”

Lifeline Animal Project was intending to adopt the two out together, but according to Fox 5 yesterday, the two BFFs are now back at home with their pet parents.

Tillie Stayed with Her Trapped Buddy, Too

Just two months ago, an Irish Setter named Tillie also proved just how loyal dogs can be. When her best friend, a Basset Hound named Phoebe, fell into an old water basin in Vashon Island, Wash., and couldn’t climb back out, Tillie did not leave her side for days.

“For nearly a week, Tillie stayed by her side with the exception of the few minutes of each day when she went for help,” Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP) wrote on its Facebook page.

A man who lived nearby notified VIPP that a “reddish dog” had approached him on his property a few times, and then would run back into the ravine.

VIPP rescued Phoebe from the cistern. Both dogs were in good condition. The two had escaped from their house during a party when a guest left the front door open.

“Tillie would never leave, even if the gate was left open, but she’s best friends with Phoebe, and so when Phoebe follows her little Basset Hound nose, Tillie always goes with her to make sure she’s okay,” their relieved dog dad, B.J. Duft, told ABC News. “They’re best pals — inseparable.”

For being such a loyal friend, Tillie was honored Oct. 15 as a “Washingtonian of the Day” by Gov. Jay Inslee, who encouraged everyone in the state “to celebrate the bravery and loyalty of this canine companion.”

News Crew Rescued Dog Dangling from Fence

Unlike the person who waited two days to let anyone know Athena was stuck in an Atlanta fence, a news crew in Corpus Christi, Texas, took immediate action in March when they came across a dog who happened to be in the exact same predicament as Athena.

Using a pliers, an unidentified 3News photographer cut the dog loose and the crew called Animal Care Services.

It was not known how long the dog had been trapped or if anyone else had seen him there. He suffered “a little bit of damage to the paw,” a spokesman for Animal Care Services told 3News.

A woman across the street told the animal control officer she knew the dog’s owner.

“When we spoke to the owner, we educated them, told them they needed to go to their primary veterinarian for medical treatment,” the spokesman told 3News. “We’re going to be following up on that in the next couple of days to make sure they did provide that treatment for the animal.”

Video of Police Officer Rescuing Dog Trapped on Fence Goes Viral

In perhaps one of the most famous rescues of a dog trapped on a fence, Plattsburg, Mo., police officer Nick Sheppard rescued a dangling dog in May 2010.

The rescue was recorded on a very shaky video by a camera inside Sheppard’s hand-held radio.

The video — featuring the dog’s unforgettable reaction to being saved — went viral. The dog was reunited with his owner soon afterward.

Photos via Twitter; Facebook; Facebook

Military Family Finally Reunited with ‘Dead’ Dog Zeus

Three years after the Harworth family was told Zeus, their Chow Chow/German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix, had died, the military family has been reunited with their beloved — and very much alive — dog.

When Ben Harworth was reassigned from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to a U.S. military base in South Korea in 2012, the family left Zeus with a family friend who lived nearby.

A few months later, the Harworths were heartbroken when, for some still-unknown reason, the friend told them Zeus had died.

Fast forward three years. Last month Laura Williams of Durham, N.C., spotted a scrawny Rottweiler mix wandering along a road.

“He was looking all lethargic and out of it, and not really too well,” Williams told WNCN July 16. “He let me put a collar and a leash on him, and he jumped into my car.”

She took him to the Banfield Pet Hospital in Raleigh, where it was discovered the dog had a microchip. His name was — wait for it — Zeus! And his owners were… the Harworths!

Williams was able to track down and phone the Harworths, who are now living in Washington state. It was a strange call, to say the least.

“When I said, ‘We found your dog, Zeus’ – because he was listed as lost — they said their dog was dead,” Williams told WNCN.

“We all got chills. The girl from the vet got chills. I got goosebumps, and I almost started crying because for the past three years, they thought their dog was dead.”

WNCN reporter Sean Maroney arranged a Skype reunion for Zeus and the Harworths. The dog’s tail wagged nonstop as Melody and her two teenage sons cried, “Zeusy! Hi, Zeusy!”

But it would still be a while before Zeus could be reunited with his family in person. He had heartworm and couldn’t fly on a plane. His pet parents had other obligations and were unable to drive across the country to get him.

Rachel Overby, practice manager of the Banfield Pet Hospital — which covered the cost of Zeus’s heartworm treatment — volunteered to take him home.

“Yeah, it’s kind of like a movie plot,” she told WNCN earlier this week. “I’m just excited to be getting him home, I know if it was my baby, I’d want somebody to bring him back to me.”

As Overby drove Zeus more than 2,850 miles from Raleigh to Seattle, she posted updates on Instagram and Facebook, with the hashtag #GetZeusHome.

They reached their destination yesterday. The entire Harworth family (and probably a few reporters) got teary-eyed when the dog they’d thought was long dead emerged from the van, very much alive.

“I’m just completely blown away and amazed at how this this is going and how many people were just willing to turn and help a dog they don’t know and a family they don’t know anything about,” Ben told reporters, according to The News Tribune.

The happy family — all five of them — left to go home, where Zeus will meet another family member: a Chihuahua named Bear.

“Forget #GetZeusHome … we #GotZeusHome!” WNCN’s Maroney tweeted yesterday.

Incidentally, today happens to be National Check the Chip Day. This story should serve as an important reminder to make sure the contact information on your dog’s microchip is up to date.

Photos via Twitter; Twitter

NFL’s Kemoeatu Brothers Allegedly Dumped Their Dog at Kennel

In November 2014, Chris Kemoeatu, a former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his brother Ma’ake, who played for the Baltimore Ravens, left Zeus, their Cane Corso, at a pet boarding facility in Baltimore.

The brothers were moving to Hawaii and said they would get their dog when they could.

Nine months later, Zeus is still at the Pooches and Purrs facility.

The brothers have neglected to get their dog — and they’ve also neglected to pay his boarding and vet bills, which have added up to more than $9,000.

“[Chris] said he was coming back in about a week or two and then we were going to move forward, and then I didn’t hear from him,” Renee Mason, co-owner of Pooches and Purrs, told WBAL. “Technically, I could have found a home after 10 days, but I’m trying to do the right thing for the dog.”

She said she last spoke to Chris three weeks ago. He asked her not to rehome Zeus, although two people have expressed interest in adopting the 6-year-old dog.

Earlier last year, the Kemoeatu brothers were in the news for a far more compassionate reason: Ma’ake left the Ravens and donated a kidney to Chris, who’d had kidney problems since the age of 13.

Renee told WBAL she was aware of Chris’ medical issues and was trying to be understanding.

“But, I mean, he’s taking advantage, completely,” she said.

Neither Chris or Ma’ake could be reached for comment.

As for Zeus, he’s “a gentle, kind soul, that’s exactly what he is,” Pooches and Purrs co-owner Keith Mason told WBAL.

“We’ve all grown to love him. He’s easy to love.”

Photos via Twitter

Military Family’s ‘Dead’ Dog Found Alive Years Later

In 2012, the Harworth family of Georgia was reassigned to a U.S. military base in South Korea. They had to leave their beloved dog, a Chow Chow/German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix named Zeus, with a family friend who lived in North Carolina.

A few months later, the Harworths were heartbroken when, for some unknown reason, the friend told them Zeus had died.

Fast forward three years. Laura Williams of Durham, N.C., (that’s her in the photo above) was concerned when she saw a scrawny Rottweiler mix wandering along a road.

“He was looking all lethargic and out of it, and not really too well,” Williams told WNCN. “He let me put a collar and a leash on him, and he jumped into my car.”

She took him to a vet, who discovered the dog was microchipped. His name was — wait for it — Zeus! And his owners were the Harworths!

Williams was able to track down and phone the Harworths, who are now living in Washington state. It was a strange call, to say the least.

“When I said, ‘We found your dog, Zeus’ – because he was listed as lost — they said their dog was dead,” Williams told WNCN.

“We all got chills. The girl from the vet got chills. I got goosebumps, and I almost started crying because for the past three years, they thought their dog was dead.”

WNCN reporter Sean Maroney (that’s him in the photo) arranged a Skype reunion for Zeus and the Harworths. The dog’s tail wagged nonstop as Melody Harworth and her two teenage sons cried, “Zeusy! Hi, Zeusy!”

“He looks great,” Melody said. “My husband is going to be so excited. He has no idea. He’s going to be coming home from training.”

Zeus is being treated for heartworm, so he would have to wait six months to be flown back to his family in Washington. Since that’s more than three years in dog’s years, other options to transport Zeus across the country are currently being considered.

Hopefully, he’ll be home in time to greet his dog dad at the front door.

Photo via Twitter