True American Hero Leaves Us

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:13 am

Hello all.

I don't usually post here. Don't think I ever did. But this was worth sharing for me. I know there are plenty of American heroes, but for me, the human ones are doing what they should, or at least what I hope I would do in the same situation.

No, this hero is a special breed. This hero left us on Wednesday, July 25th. Please read the story. Rest in peace Jake.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16885986/

Mike

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:49 am

Thanks for sharing that.

That brought tears to my eyes.

I love animals anyway, but this one was something special.

--James

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:28 am

Great dog.

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:51 am

Great story.

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:28 pm

“He was a great morale booster wherever he went,” Flood said. “He was always ready to work, eager to play — and a master at helping himself to any unattended food items.”

There can be no greater tribute to a dog than that.

Tom

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:31 pm

I couldn't help tearing up a bit, either, especially at the part about a final walk and dip in Jake's favorite stream.

Twelve isn't uncommonly young for a lab, though some have lived longer. I am convinced, though, that the physical and EMOTIONAL stress that air scent search and rescue dogs go through when they are working has a negative effect on their long-term health. I knew a golden retriever a few years ago that also went just a little too early. I remember that after a search, even if successful, the dog would go through periods of depression not unlike grief.

I really don't think, despite all the 'experts', that we really know all there is to know about the capabilitues or limits of theses dogs with whom we've partnered for 20,000 years or more.

Rest in Peace, Jake. You've earned it!

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:35 am

It surprised me (tho' it shouldn't have) to learn how deeply affected the dogs can be by finding a body--dead or alive.

I remember watching an article about search dogs after the Oklahoma City Bombing. The poor dogs were so depressed after 3 or 4 days of finding only bodies that a few searchers hid in the wreckage so the dogs could 'rescue' them, to boost the dogs morale.

There was also a case here in KY of a cadaver scent dog being brought in to search for a woman who my husband had attended high school with. She'd been missing for 3 days and was presumed dead because she would've contacted her parents and small child otherwise. The dog was one of the first who'd been trained to sniff not the ground, but the AIR. At one search point the dog took one sniff while his handler and an officer were still deciding which direction to go in, and BOUNDED into the treeline and down into a ravine. The poor woman, who'd been shot 3 times in the back by her ex, had been dumped paralyzed but alive at the bottom. The dog was so delighted that he rushed to her and began enthusiastically licking her face--which scared her at first because she thought he was a wolf--and when the paramedics arrived and rushed toward her, the dog was so protective of her that he lunged at them...his handler had to restrain him. The handler said that even though the dog had been trained specifically for cadaver work and had never been on a rescue search, he was just thrilled to have found someone alive and was determine to make sure that NO One hurt her more.

I sometimes think animals are the truly HUMANE ones.

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:38 pm

I really don't think, despite all the 'experts', that we really know all there is to know about the capabilities or limits of these dogs with whom we've partnered for 20,000 years or more.

Exactly, and yet we take them for granted and see them as "dumb" animals.

Dogs are the best creatures on this earth IMHO.
And this one was a step above most. Yes, he is truly a hero.

and not to leave cats out (although I can't say I'm a fan) there's Oscar.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/25/death. ... index.html

My husband wondered if he's not unique and that this might be why cats got the reputation of "sucking the breath" out of someone. Hmm, maybe that is where that old wives tale got started.

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:39 pm

I think the "sucking the breath" stuff came from cats who like to sleep on your chest when you are sleeping on your back.

djm

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:18 pm

cowtime wrote: and not to leave cats out (although I can't say I'm a fan) there's Oscar.

I saw this yesterday on CNN. My immediate thought was "Oh great. a feline banshee!"

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:54 pm

Chuck_Clark wrote: Twelve isn't uncommonly young for a lab, though some have lived longer.

12 is quite old for a lab, actually.

They have the canine giantism gene, like all the big dogs, even though the breed itself is now smaller again. You can see the giantism gene in their heavier jaw shapes; one kind of human giants have a similar mutation.

But both humans and dogs with these traits aren't as long lived as others.

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 5:22 am

My husband wondered if he's not unique and that this might be why cats got the reputation of "sucking the breath" out of someone.

I made an observaion on the subject that you might find interesting.

Because of the shape of a cat's face, he can't actually see the tip of his nose, so he uses his whiskers to feel how close he is. When they bump into something, he knows he's close enough.

Around the time my daughter was a month old our German Shepherd had caught a stray 6 month old tomcat and made friends with him (Really! The cat fled the yard first time he saw her, but Muttley caught him a week or 2 later and apparently talked some sense into him!). Several times when I laid little Rose on a blanket to sleep, the young cat would curl up back to back or spoon with her, looking pretty pleased with the situation. One day while I was holding Rose in my lap, the cat hopped up to see her. When his nose got close to hers she gasped hard. It happened a second time, and this time I noticed that it was the same way she would gasp if I carried her into bright sunlight from inside the house, so I watched close.
Each time the cat leaned in close, his whiskers would brush Rosie's cheek and she would gasp in surprise.

Given that babies often have milk on their breath, I wouldn't doubt for a minute that this is a pretty common occurence.

(Mind you, I never allowed the cats to sleep in the crib with her...I was concerned that one might lie on TOP of her the way that they do one another and accidentally smother her.)