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Has your dog saved your life?


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The best story I ever heard was about Tessie. Tessie was a rescue working dog. I think she was one of the tough dogs that come out of Springfield, Mo - bred for working cattle. She had been tied up by a round pen for who knows how long. And a friend of mine took her. Later they found out she had a bullet in her leg.

 

Tessie was too hard for sheep. So she went to work on a hog farm. And boy was she ever a good hog dog. Most of you probably know that hogs are dangerous. I've always heard that you never want to fall down because they will come right after you. The people I know that have hogs never go near the hogs without their dogs.

 

Tessie's owner was moving the hogs around and somehow she found herself caught in a shoot with one of the hogs and it was coming straight for her. I think Tessie went over two fences and just dove into the shoot. And she backed that hog clear back and held it until her owner could get out. It was an amazing thing.

 

Tessie was a good dog.

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My husband was attacked by an angry mother cow with a baby with pinkeye. Our dog, Rocket, took on the cow and drove her off, with the help of our teenaged son. Without Rocket being there that day, my husband might well not be here today.

 

Another time, our bull started challenging Ed. Rocket grabbed the bull by the nose and went on a wild merry-go-round ride. When that bull was dizzy enough to stop and decide he had business elsewhere, Rocket let go and staggered over to Ed, with a silly grin on his face. I think he'd had a good time of it.

 

An acquaintance with an ACD is a truckdriver who also works with cattle. A cow went after him in the stockyard area and would have killed him if it hadn't been for the courage and determination of his dog, Buddy, who went after the cow. As it was, Scott was severely injured, but he's lived to heal and tell the tale. Without Buddy, he wouldn't.

 

A good cow dog can take a licking and keep on ticking, to steal from an old advertisement.

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Awesome stories! I can't wait to hear more. It's amazing what our 4 legged buddies will do for us.

 

I have one, but it was a dalmation, not a BC. My first horse trainer (a crusty old horse trader who specialised in "bad" horses) had been given a dalmation. He always had GSD. One day he was in a stall with a horse (not sure if he was cleaning the stall or tending to the horse) and the horse freaked out, reared up and started striking at him. That dalmation got between him and the horse and pushed the horse out of the stall. For anyone who's been in a typical horse stall, this is not a good place to be when a horse freaks.

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Umm... Buddy fights and kills any flies that get in my house during the summer.

 

Hey, they carry germs! :rolleyes:

 

Mary

My Tommy does that for me, too.

 

But seriously, it is just amazing how fearless these dogs cn be when the chips are down. And they just know.

 

Its kind of like that woman who was out clean brush on her ranch and her two dogs were with her - an Irish wolfhound and a mastiff. And she was attacked by a bear. She managed to get her head back far enough to yell for her dogs. And those dogs just came flying in there and backed that bear off. She was really hurt but she survived. And one of the dogs helped her down the hill to her car - she couldn't see so she just leaned on the dog. It is amazing to me that she just happened to have two dogs that had the physical capability and the breeding behind them to actually take on a bear and win.

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Surra, a tri, saved my daughters life when she was 2. Some how Mu got out of the house and into the yard falling into the pool. Surra went nuts I'd never heard him yell like that. He had jumped in the pool and was trying to push Mu to the shallow end while making a terrible noise I had never heard before. Got my attention. After that he never let the kids near the pool unless he got a that'll do. Even after they learned to swim he wouldn't let them near the pool.

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When DS was 2 or 3 we were out at fence camp on the John Day in Eastern Oregon. Kiddo and Jess were playing right by camp while I helped DH w/ something. I heard Jess start barking, and noticed that when kiddo started to move Jess blocked him. Went running over and kiddo was about 6 feet away from a pretty disgruntled rattlesnake. DS was pretty set on heading that direction, so if Jess hadn't blocked him and let us know he would have run right into it. We were an hour up a dirt road and about 3hrs away from the nearest hospital, so it could have been pretty bad.

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One night a few years ago, I heard the neighbor's beagle Lily 2 doors down going CRAZY: it was a screaming, angry, hysterical barking I hadn't heard before. Spooked me a bit, so I went out onto my deck to see what was going on. I brought Buddy. Then both Buddy and Lily went crazy barking, and I saw a strange man standing in my neighbor's back yard. He was pointing something at Buddy and repeatedly making a "click" sound. I hauled Buddy back inside, and watched as the man started hopping the fence into my yard, when I called the police.

 

Turned out it was just an overgrown (and a bit slow, I think) teenager who had recently moved into the neighborhood and was cutting through our yards to get home. I don't know if he had a toy gun, or what he was pointing and clicking. Weird.

 

Anyway, I was very grateful for Lily that night. :rolleyes:

 

Mary

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I was changing a tyre on a lonely bush track when a man suddenly appeared, he was very very scary and my usually people friendly ACD Sky realised that he was going to attack me and she stood between him and me growling ferociously with a look of of complete focus and intent on her face and if he hadnt backed off and fled into the bush she would have tried to protect me with her life.

 

She died several years ago from old age and when I buried her I wrote on her head stone that she was the best protector dog that a girl could have ever had. I always felt safe when I travelled with her, she had an uncanny ability to read peoples intentions. She was such a loyal dog and could always read a situation with my safety in mind. She was a one off for sure.

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I went out to round up the milk cows one morning and noticed one had calved. She wasnt wanting to move so silly me got off the 4-wheeler and the cow charged me, I turned to run and she nailed me in the back and knocked me down. My dog take over after that and got her off. I might be died or hurt badly if not for the dog that day. Wasn't a border collie tho that was before I got them. Was a herding dog tho not sure what kind possibly a mut. Was terrible out herding but if you was ever having problems he wanted to help then.

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And this is why I fell in love with working dogs.

 

My first dog was a little cockapoo (maybe 25 pounds). My roommate had an australian shepherd that she got as a puppy from a cattle ranch in Arizona - she was blue merle and had a long tail. She was really pretty. This was early 70's and aussies were not common.

 

I used to walk the dogs at about 4:30 in the morning when it was really quiet in the neighborhood. My little Kelly was on a long line and Barrett would just run with us off leash.

 

One morning a St. Bernard ran up on us. He just overran my little dog and she started to scream. I just freaked - this dog was huge. And for some reason I just yelled, "Barrett, help me!" This all happened in probably a mattter of a fe w seconds. Barrett came from out of nowhere. She was flying. And she never even slowed up. She shoulder slammed that St. Bernard and knocked him backward. And she backed up and shoulder slammed him again - and again - and again. And she backed him clear down the street and held him there until I could get Kelly and get out of there.

 

It was amazing. She never growled or threatened to fight. She just kept backing up and slamming him. That dog had the funniest look on his face.

 

I have never forgotten that morning. And I have never had anything but working dogs since.

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I do remember an incident with Lucia when I first got her. I only had her 3 months or so when I was traveling across country heading east for the winter. I was in some "I" state that has absolutely nothing in between rest stops. I made a quick lunch stop and bumped into a truck driver getting into my car. Friendly, but odd guy. Down the road aways, I had to pull off to tighten the lines on my kayak because i forgot to check them when we stopped. I pulled off at one of those roads that has one way in and one way out (my mistake) and this same truck driver stopped just passed the overpass bridge and backed down the on ramp :rolleyes: I got back in my car and locked the doors when he approached. He walked up to the car and asked if I needed help. At the same instant, Lucia launched herself against the front windshield in a fury I had NEVER seen before. The guy turned white and said "I see you have everything under control" and walked back to his truck.

 

I always travel alone and was ever gratefull she was there. She's never let anyone near the car since :D

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As the former owner of a remote fishing lodge I have had a number of bear encounters including grizzlies. I was always somewhat reluctant to bring my dogs along on outings for fear they would find a bear and bring it back to me. I don't know if he saved my life but one time while out with my dog Pete we encountered a grizzly in an place I had never seen signs of a bear before. We quite literally walked into her along a river bank. I expect Pete knew she was there long before I did but he did nothing. I saw her first at about thirty yards and stopped. She stood us off for a few minutes and then decided to bluff us. Pete did nothing except he walked calmly between me and the bear and got at a ninety degree angle to us and stopped. He did not bark or get excited. Every time she tried to move forward he would move in and she would stop. He stayed back far enough that the bear did not get excited. The two of them did this several times and I expect the bear was afraid to take her eyes off Pete. Finally she decided to turn and cross the river. Pete did not follow or do anything he just returned to me. We waited for her to leave and did the same. I did not think of it at the time but after it struck me that Pete for some reason flanked her on the bank side giving her the escape option of crossing the river which was the safest bet for us. I have no idea if he was aware of this and gave her an escape route on purpose but his behavior was so calm and collected that I sort of think he might have known exactly what he was doing but that has left me wondering how he knew.

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Many years ago, on an early evening walk, our first BC (Ralph) was walking a little ahead of us on the path(maybe 50 feet). Suddenly he was jumping and thrashing around. As we got closer I could see he had a snake by the head. It was a Water Moccasin, a very poisonous and aggressive snake indigenous to our area. He beat the body of the snake on the ground and against trees until it didn’t move. Then he just dropped it there and cared no more about it. After I checked him for bites we continued with our walk. I am sure he was protecting us from the snake as he had never reacted to any other animal this way before or since.

 

Also:

One day a few years ago, I was taking the dogs out back. Casper (one of our current BCs) immediately flew out of the door and behind the garage barking like crazy. I called our older, disabled BC back into the house and went to investigate, by then it was silent. When I got around the garage I saw that Casper had hearded and contained a man in the far fence corner. Casper was calm, but if the man started to move Casper would curl his lips and then growl/bark. He wasn’t going anywhere until I released Casper. When I questioned the guy he gave me some story about surveying the lots for utility replacement, and jumped the fence rather than going around front, blab, blab, blab. After I verified his story, I asked him why he didn’t use proper protocol and ring the doorbell, show me his credentials, etc…..he said something about saving time. I ended up letting him go after telling him how lucky he was I was home. Otherwise he might have been pinned against the corner of the fence all afternoon. :rolleyes:

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If by saving my life, you mean in some heroic, self-sacrificing spectacular act that is worthy of special note, then the answer is no. If, however, one includes the quiet calm and sense of love that Annie brings to my life, a presence that enables me to reduce my stress levels to below the breaking point and maintain what little sanity I have left, then yes, she has saved my life. If you mean making a major difference in the lives of some autistic children, and one in particular whose miraculous improvement was directly attributed to Annie, then yes, she has saved others' lives as well. If you mean going to a convalescent home and bringing a little happiness to some who are living out their last days in sadness and loneliness, and who take some strength from her love and affection, then yes, she has helped extend the lives (or at least improved the quality) for some seniors. Annie is "just a dog": no heroics, no spectacular skills, no special accomplishments. But sometimes being "just a dog" is all that is needed to make a major difference in the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.

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If by saving my life, you mean in some heroic, self-sacrificing spectacular act that is worthy of special note, then the answer is no. If, however, one includes the quiet calm and sense of love that Annie brings to my life, a presence that enables me to reduce my stress levels to below the breaking point and maintain what little sanity I have left, then yes, she has saved my life. If you mean making a major difference in the lives of some autistic children, and one in particular whose miraculous improvement was directly attributed to Annie, then yes, she has saved others' lives as well. If you mean going to a convalescent home and bringing a little happiness to some who are living out their last days in sadness and loneliness, and who take some strength from her love and affection, then yes, she has helped extend the lives (or at least improved the quality) for some seniors. Annie is "just a dog": no heroics, no spectacular skills, no special accomplishments. But sometimes being "just a dog" is all that is needed to make a major difference in the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.

Well put, as usual Bustopher. :rolleyes:

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If by saving my life, you mean in some heroic, self-sacrificing spectacular act that is worthy of special note, then the answer is no. If, however, one includes the quiet calm and sense of love that Annie brings to my life, a presence that enables me to reduce my stress levels to below the breaking point and maintain what little sanity I have left, then yes, she has saved my life. If you mean making a major difference in the lives of some autistic children, and one in particular whose miraculous improvement was directly attributed to Annie, then yes, she has saved others' lives as well. If you mean going to a convalescent home and bringing a little happiness to some who are living out their last days in sadness and loneliness, and who take some strength from her love and affection, then yes, she has helped extend the lives (or at least improved the quality) for some seniors. Annie is "just a dog": no heroics, no spectacular skills, no special accomplishments. But sometimes being "just a dog" is all that is needed to make a major difference in the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.

 

I don't mean to highjack the thread but you just brought up something I almost forgot. My dog Dave was two on May 22. There is a little autistic girl who lives a few doors from us. She loves Dave and a long time ago she asked what Dave's birthday is. She showed up at our door alone on May 22 to our surprise. She wanted to wish Dave a happy birthday and asked if she could hug him. Dave who is normally a little hyper is very relaxed and attentive to her, he took his hugs and liked it. Perhaps it is all dogs but border collies seem to have this strange attraction.

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There is a little autistic girl who lives a few doors from us. She loves Dave and a long time ago she asked what Dave's birthday is. She showed up at our door alone on May 22 to our surprise. She wanted to wish Dave a happy birthday and asked if she could hug him. Dave who is normally a little hyper is very relaxed and attentive to her, he took his hugs and liked it. Perhaps it is all dogs but border collies seem to have this strange attraction.

You know, you're right. We have a four year old autistic boy next door who just adores Scooter and Scooter is very patient with him, even when the boy gets really revved up. He's had some speech issues and has been in therapy for a while. One of his first understandable words was "Stoots!" His speech is greatly improved now, but whenever he sees us he always asks, "Where's Stoots?" :rolleyes:

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If by saving my life, you mean in some heroic, self-sacrificing spectacular act that is worthy of special note, then the answer is no. If, however, one includes the quiet calm and sense of love that Annie brings to my life, a presence that enables me to reduce my stress levels to below the breaking point and maintain what little sanity I have left, then yes, she has saved my life. If you mean making a major difference in the lives of some autistic children, and one in particular whose miraculous improvement was directly attributed to Annie, then yes, she has saved others' lives as well. If you mean going to a convalescent home and bringing a little happiness to some who are living out their last days in sadness and loneliness, and who take some strength from her love and affection, then yes, she has helped extend the lives (or at least improved the quality) for some seniors. Annie is "just a dog": no heroics, no spectacular skills, no special accomplishments. But sometimes being "just a dog" is all that is needed to make a major difference in the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.

Yes.

 

I work with homeless families, and Ollie comes to work frequently with me. Last year, there was a 14 yr old autistic boy in shelter, who was non-verbal and extremely withdrawn. I brought Ollie one day, and as we tossed the ball in the yard out front I saw this boy looking out the window at us. The next day, same deal. His mom said he seemed to be really interested in the dog...looking up at all was really irregular for him. So, I invited him to come outside and before I knew it he was tossing the ball for Ollie....and loving it. Every day I worked for the next few weeks, he got home from school and immediately came outside to play with Ollie. We got to watch this kid open up. He loved the texture of the rubber ball, all slimy and doggy, and the repetitive motion of tossing it...which Ollie quite enjoyed as well. It would go on for hours if I let it...they were a pair. Cheers.

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Since we have gone in this direction. I don't remember if I have told this story or not. I take my dogs to seniors homes, my oldest dog Mac loves it. We took the dogs to a home every day for a week and everybody loved them. There was one very old lady who would walk the halls pushing a walker very slowly. She would keep her head down and speak with nobody. She was not very well liked because she did not socialize with anyone. When Mac would see her he would run up to her and sit. She would stop and just stare at him. On our forth day Mac saw her and ran up and sat. She stopped and stared for a long time and then said something I could not made out. This got everyone's attention. She pushed her walker aside and got down on her knees and began hugging and kissing Mac, he just sat. I walked up and she was talking to Mac softly and crying. This went on for some time. A couple of nurses came over and took her back to her room. The next day when we returned she was waiting for us at the door with a nurse and a few other people. She hugged and kissed Mac and said she wanted to tell him something. She told Mac that when she was a little girl she had a border collie on her farm, to make a long story short, her days with her border collie where the happiest days of her life, she thanked him. Mac did not save her life, she is gone now but he did give her a part of her life back. Whenever I think of this and see this scene in my head I become aware that there is much more to dogs than we know, I can't put my finger on it exactly but something exists in dogs of Macs type we have yet to explain.

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Annie is "just a dog": no heroics, no spectacular skills, no special accomplishments. But sometimes being "just a dog" is all that is needed to make a major difference in the lives of those with whom she comes in contact.

Well said!

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Scotty came to me at a time when we both needed help. He was four years old, full blood BC but as big as a "Lassie Collie", a beautiful rough coat with the Tuxedo markings. He had been in a housing development with elderly people and had developed some aggression problems due to the lack of exercise and the application of a shock collar/ electric fence to control him. Failing that, he'd been taken to the vet to be put down and ended up in rescue at the same time I was looking for a another BC. The owners noted that he could discern between his ball, his bone, and his leash. I counted over forty words that he understood and reacted to and he was learning more every day he was with me. His talent lay in language, having spent so many years trying to figure out how to stay out of trouble in a complicated home.

 

At first he was a handful, literally snapping at the hand that fed him when Ken gave him some toast then went to pet him. We got that straightened out in a hurry. With lots of exercise, obedience classes, and a few lessons in humility from our Ladybug (half his size), Scotty became the sweetest, softest, most caring BC that you would ever want to meet. There was a day that I suddenly realized that in the evening he wasn't hiding in the laundry room but was out in the TV room asking for his share of attention then settling down at my side. I loved seeing the joy on his face as he raced through the fields, finally free to run and run and run. He didn't have a prey drive and would have failed miserably at sheep but he had a protective drive but not in a "biting" sort of way. Unlike other dogs, he moved toward you when you were upset or worried as I had been due to illness and the loss of family members. He simply knew how to comfort. I had a knee replacement this past winter and he spent the whole of the recovery at my side, snuggled up against me as I lay on the living room rug doing painful exercises. He was gentle with small children and kittens, giving way to one a tenth of his weight.

 

I don't know how to write his elegy. His one fault was that he chased wheels -- from vacuum cleaner wheels to big trucks. I worked and worked with him but the habit was so ingrained we didn't make much progress. You can see where this is going. He slipped behind my husband during morning exercise, attracted to the road by a loud truck. It was over in a second. Three days later, I was told I had cancer and the loss of Scotty was even more devastating. A friend, not realizing my situation sent me that "rainbow bridge" card and I felt sure that Scotty had "gone before me" and that I would soon join him. As it is when one loses a friend or family member, I felt I hadn't done enough, had let him down, hadn't been in control enough to break that ingrained habit. Guilt and sadness mingled with the shock of my illness. Well, it's three months later and I am still grieving and unsure of my future but we have a much stronger fence and two new pups - one of which has attached himself to me, lifting my spirits with his antics and his completely different appearance from dear Scotty. He's not Scotty; I don't want him to be. He gets me up when I'd rather be giving in to the sickness of the chemotherapy and organizes my day around his lessons. I've never had a pup; never started fresh with a pup without issues and I'm looking forward to developing a solid confident dog, based on the lessons that I learned from Scotty.

 

Will Robin save my life? Will he provide the emotional support that came to me in an unlikely fluke with Scotty? Likely not. But he will add richness and depth, interest and companionship and humor in an uncomplicated relationship that asks only that I be kind and fair to him, giving him a chance to be his own dog and live up to his particular potential. So far, he has demonstrated a particular talent for digging -- I think he'll be useful when it comes time to harvest the potatoes!

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Ejano - I just read your very inspiring story about Scotty, your diagnosis, and your new pup(s). I am sure I can speak for many, if not all, here to wish you a healthy and uneventful recovery, and that prayers, thoughts, and mojo are headed your way.

 

Very best wishes!

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Ejano - I just read your very inspiring story about Scotty, your diagnosis, and your new pup(s). I am sure I can speak for many, if not all, here to wish you a healthy and uneventful recovery, and that prayers, thoughts, and mojo are headed your way.

 

Very best wishes!

Thank you -- A few more treatments and its all going to be behind me. It was very helpful to find a place to talk about Scotty where others understand that the bond between person and a dog "working" in whatever capacity is very deep. The pup Robin couldn't be more different in appearance-- he's a chocolate tri with prick ears and green eyes and when he runs into the bedroom in the morning after his "outside" duty, he's so funny and happy I can't help but laugh. And it is interesting to build a bond with a pup that has no history, no mistrust, no fear. I hope that Robin is always as happy as he is now.

 

Liz

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