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MAX

10/11/2014

Max is a 90 lb. German Shepherd, rescued from the German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, in early 2013, by Jack Farrell, of Novato, California. A year later, in March, 2014, Max rescued 80 year old Jack, when their home filled with carbon monoxide and natural gas leaking from a faulty heater. Jack "woke" from sleep lying on the kitchen floor, bleeding from the arm that Max had in his mouth. At first, Jack thought his dog was attacking him. He was to learn that Max had pulled him from bed, dragged him down the hall, and into the kitchen.

"Out here in the kitchen, I finally woke up wondering what the hell was going on because he had hold of my arm. I'm bleeding like hell and that's when I called 911."

When emergency help arrived, they found carbon monoxide at " staggering" levels. "We took a reading of the enviroment and found 75 parts per million," said Novato Deputy Fire Chief Adam Brolan. To put that in perspective, we don our breathing gear at 25 parts per million."

Firefighters took Jack to the hospital, where he recovered after a brief stay, and is now fine. Farrell adds that Max is his best buddy and goes everywhere with him, loving to ride in Jack's pickup, and continues to sleep with him, as well as sitting "anywhere he pleases."

" I'd be dead," Jack said. "He saved my life."

Thanks to sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com for some of the above information.

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DINOMT

6/30/2014

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http://www.michronicleonline.com/index.php/news-briefs-original/12233-detroiter-honored-with-purple-heart

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019542822_bombdogs29m.html

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=74621

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APE

6/29/2014

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Ape was a two-year old German Shepherd, who joined the FBI in February of 2013, after completing a four month training course. Ape was on his second mission, accompanying FBI agents, who were attempting to arrest Kurt Meyers. Meyers, who had gone on a shooting spree in the towns of Herkimer and Mohawk, in upper New York State, wounded six people, four of whom later died. Meyers then hid in an abanconed bar. Wearing a camera and leading the FBI agents, Ape charged into the building and was shot by Meyers, who was then shot by the agents. Ape was rushed to a veterinarian but died from his wounds. Said Special Agent Ann Todd: "Ape was very talented, excelled in every aspect of the training, and quickly rose to the top of his class. He was truly a star and shined in so many ways."

A plaque mounted beneath his painting quotes Robert Green Ingersoll -

"When duty throws the gauntlet down to fate
When honor scorns to compromise with death
That is heroism."

http://www.uticaod.com/news/x1551265599/FBI-Dog-killed-doing-what-he-was-trained-to-do

http://www.wktv.com/news/valley-shooting/199558701.html.

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SIEBERT

1/21/2014

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In 2006, the United States Marine Corps decided to test a new program, the IDD (Improvised Explosives Detection Dog) program. The difference between the IDD program and other K-9 Military programs is that the dogs were not matched up with actual K-9 handlers. Instead, they were matched up with Infantry members - chosen by their superiors - as the Infantry are often the first to go in to clear new villages.

"S" was purchased on contract from a company to be in the group of 7 of the first “test dogs”. Coming in as a 3 year old, he was trained to work off leash, patrolling 100 yards in front of troops and guided by whistle, hand, and arm signals from his handler. Upon detection of explosives, he was taught to lay down to signal the handler, thus preventing the patrol from going into harm’s way. "S" excelled at his job, and was quickly known as best in his class, and - used as a demo dog - he sold the Marine Corp. on the IDD program!

In 2007, IDD L515 (as "S" had been known) left for his first deployment. Captain "S," an Operations Officer for the battalion that deployed, had only been in country for one week when his Humvee ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and he was instantly killed. Due to the Captain's loyalty and love for the IDD dogs, L515 was renamed in his honor.

"S" went on to serve the rest of that deployment, plus 2 others in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan before retiring in 2012 at the age of 9 with arthritis, which prevented his continued work.

The story is continued by the woman who wrote to me: "My husband was an infantry member in the Marine Corps and had the honor of being chosen to be an IDD handler for his last deployment in 2009. He has always had a love for dogs, and he really enjoyed the job. He was matched up with "S" and they grew a bond that I did not even know was possible between an animal and a human. "S" had many “finds” during his deployment with my husband, including 3 that would have certainly resulted in serious injury to, or the death of my husband and his fellow Marines. My children and I are forever is his debt for keeping their daddy safe.

After his deployment, "S" was taken back by the company contracted to train him and my husband and I both received honorable discharges from the Marine Corps. Ready to come back “home” to our children after 3 Infantry Deployments in 4 years, my husband - disabled by degenerative joint disease, hearing loss, a back injury, PTSD, and TBI - was sinking into a deep depression. He spent all of his time in his basement “man cave” cleaning his guns…that was his life…no playing with the kids, no family time, no personal time…just him and the basement. Knowing of his bond with "S", I put in an application to adopt "S" when I was notified of the dog's retirement. Without telling my husband, I planned a road trip with my mother and daughter and we made the 32 hour round trip out of state to pick up "S," Now this hero dog was ours! He laid his head in my 4 year old daughter’s lap for the entire ride home, and I just knew it was meant to be!

Once home, my husband (who thought we were at a rabbit show) couldn't believe his eyes! "S" ran straight to him and jumped into his lap and laid his head on my husband’s shoulder. For the first time in the 13 years I had known my husband, I saw a tear run down his cheek. It was amazing! Since then, "S" has once again become a hero, pulling my husband out of the depression that no amount of medication was helping. I am not sure who loves whom more! "S" follows him from room to room. If my husband goes to the bathroom, "S" lays outside the door and waits for him. They are never without each other, My husband has also done a complete 180 turnaround since we brought "S" home. The kids have a dad, I have a husband, and we have a normal family life for the first time in years. "S" is my miracle dog - he brought my husband back from Iraq, then back from the depths of his own mind!

We were contacted last year by the company we from whom we got "S,", and then discovered his past and learned how he got his name. The widow of the Captain and his 8 and 11 year old children were looking for more information about the dog named after their father and husband. When I called Mrs. "S", she told me that she had been in such a haze after learning of the Humvee attack that only now, 5 years later, she remembered being told that a military working dog was named after her husband. The family wanted to know if they could have "S", and my heart sank.

After explaining what "S" has done for our family the Captain's wife told me she wouldn’t dream of taking the dog from my husband, That kind woman and her children were interested in meeting us as well as "S" and I thought it would be amazing to present them with a painting of "S" as a remembrance of their father and her husband.

"S" is 10 years old now. He gets monthly shots for arthritis, monthly shots for allergies, is on a prescription dog food, has tendonitis in his front left leg, and a few months ago had a 7 hour surgery that removed his spleen and a 13 lb tumor - luckily not cancerous. The vets didn’t think he would make it through the surgery, but he is still here, happy as ever, getting slower, but still anxious for someone to throw the ball so he can gently amble after it, then walk it back to repeat the process. We know that we probably don’t have more than a couple of years at most left with our buddy, so we are savoring each day, and I am trying not to think about what the future will be like without "S" there to bring the “normality” that he has given us. It is hard to put into words how much he means to me, our children, and most of all, to my husband.

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HOMER

9/10/2013

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Several years ago I read online about a certain cat, how his "owner" had woken in the night to find a man standing at the foot of her bed; how - without thinking - (was she groggy with sleep or crazy, I wondered) she picked up the phone to call 911, and of the man saying, "Lady, don't do that." Hearing those words, this very tiny and BLIND cat, who had been growling - the noise that woke the lady to begin with - had a target and launched himself at the intruder.

I told my daughter this amazing story and the next Christmas she gave me the book, "HOMER'S ODYSSEY," in which the "saved" lady, Gwen Cooper, told the tale of Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat, and how he had not only saved her life, but changed it forever as well. And so it happened that when I decided on my Animal Heroes Project, Gwen Cooper was one of the many people to whom I sent emails or letters requesting permission to paint their hero's portrait. She replied,"Yes," the first person to do so. I will be forever grateful because I was ready to abandon the Animal Heroes Project, since no one seemed interested, not even the animals' companions. Since then, others have responded with a "yes" but none have any idea that a brave, blind, four pound cat was responsible for their portraits. Homer changed not only Gwen Cooper's life, but mine, also.

It is with tears in my eyes, therefore, that I report that Homer was laid to rest on August 21, 2013, after a long illness. If you belong to that world of people who love animals, and cats in particular, and if you google "Homer," you will soon learn that Homer and Gwen Cooper have made an impact on the lives of many - both two and four-legged, and sometimes even three-legged. I don't have statistics, but I often read nowadays about people adopting blind cats and I think it's because Gwen's book showed not only how to do so but also the incredible joys of doing so. I fall in love with all of the animals I paint, a consequence, I suppose, of spending so much time with their images and working so hard to get their portraits as perfect as I know how to do, but I will never forget Homer, who apparently did whatever he wanted to do , without ever thinking "I can't."

Gwen has written a touching tribute to Homer and I urge you to read it. Click on the link below.

http://www.gwencooper.com/blog/entry/homer

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ANAX

8/24/2013

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Finding online reports of animal heroism, I wrote perhaps a dozen letters or emails to reporters who had written stories of heroic animal deeds or to people who told of owing their lives to an animal. I got no reponses. In time, however, the searches turned up Kevin Hanrahan, a self-described writer, soldier, and dog advocate, who blogs about today's Military Working Dogs. Of some 600 dogs who trained for months to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011, 116 died in service. Kevin introduced me to the handler of one of the survivors, Anax, who lost a leg - but not his life, thanks to his handler, Marc. During a firefight, with bullets flying over their heads, Marc and Anax, on a leash attached to his belt, ran for an empty mud hut nearby. But Anax couldn't follow - he'd been shot in both back legs. Marc ran back for his dog , dragged him to the hut and called for a medic as the light in Anax's eyes began to fade. Before leaving with half of the platoon, the medic gave Marc an IV and bandages for Anax. A medevac was arriving a mile away and, unable to get the IV in, Marc picked up and began carrying Anax to the site. Physically and emotionally exhausted from six hours of fierce combat and the injuries to his buddy, Marc himself collapsed. A Czech soldier came to his aid and then, a truck-driving Afghan, who took Marc and Anax to the medevac site. They were flown to an Army veterinary hospital in Germany, where Anax's shattered left rear leg had to be amputated, thus allowing Anax to retire and eventually to be adopted by Marc, thanks to legislation signed by President Clinton allowing adoption of Military Working Dogs.

Photo courtesy of Marc Whittaker

Please read Kevin's blog to learn more about Marc and of the harrowing events during and after Anax's rescue and of the government's prior treatment of MWDs - considered "equipment" - when no longer "useful."

http://khanrahan.com
www.stripes.com - for more background
http://offthebase.wordpress.com - more background
http://pinterest.com/militarydogs - MWD photos

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FREDDY

8/15/2013

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Freddy was born on February 17, 2007, and served with the FBI from September 8, 2008 'til October 28, 2009. On that day, the FBI raided a warehouse being used as a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan, looking for several of its members, who were wanted on suspicion of a number of crimes. The Imam, who had a criminal record and refused to surrender, shot the FBI dog, Freddy, before the Imam himself was fatally shot by agents. Freddy was helicoptered to a veterinarian hospital in Detroit and although the doctors did everything they could to save his live, the wounds were fatal

At his memorial service in Virginia, local police motorcycle officers escorted Freddy's flag-draped casket to the FBI academy, where the FBI Chaplain gave a moving invocation and where K-9 Police Officers and their dogs stood at attention behind a large crowd, which also included the veterinarians who tried to save his life. Other speakers followed and it was said that Freddy not only fit in with his team, but also saw the humans as his pack! Freddy's handler and his wife were presented with the FBI Memorial Star - the first K-9 in FBI history to be so honored - and is presented to a surviving relative when death has occurred as the direct result of an adversarial action in the line of duty. The brass plaque added to the portrait I painted of Freddy reads:

FREDDY
February 17, 2007 - October 28, 2009

Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, "Whom shall I send? And
who will go for us?" And I said,
"Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah 6:8

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ANIMAL HEROES PROJECT

7/27/2013

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In the winter of 2009 - 2010, I was commissioned to paint a picture of Freddy, an FBI dog, who had been killed in service. In preparation for working on the portrait, I was sent a photo of Freddy, but required additional pictures of Belgian Malinois, Freddy's breed, since some details in his photo were unclear and additional photos were unavailable. Searching online, I noticed that Belgian Malinois often are chosen to become Military Working Dogs and police dogs, and began to learn about service animals.

I love all animals and Freddy's story made me cry, but later it made me take action. I decided to paint the portraits of animals that had saved human lives and to then give the paintings to the animal's companion for free. Thus began my Animal Heroes Project.

http://canidaepetfood.blogspot.com/2013/04/paintings-of-animal-heroes.html

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