Rescued by a German Shepherd: Cat survives nearly a month after being trapped in culvert

saultstar.com Nine-month-old Piper the Kitten used up one or two of his nine lives this month when he went missing from his home near snowbound Sault Ste. Marie. When his owner, Verna Decaire, let him out the evening of Dec. 8, she wasn’t too concerned when he didn’t return right away. But when he still didn’t show up the next morning she started walking the neighborhood calling his name.

Verna and her family continued to search for the cat over the course of the following weeks. Christmas came and went. No Piper.

My son R.J. “was very upset,” said Verna. “Well, we all were. I kept telling R.J. one of the neighbors had probably picked him up and he is warm and safe and we are going to keep praying for him.”

What she didn’t tell R.J. was that she feared Piper had frozen to death or been killed by a wild animal. But she never completely gave up hope that Piper would return.

“I kept praying he would come home or we would hear someone took in a cat and it might be him,” she said.

This week, when Decaire and her daughter Brittany were getting ready to go shopping, they ran into a neighbor, Mary Hicks, and her dog Aili, a young German Shepherd, at the end of their driveway. As they chatted, Aili feverishly began digging a hole in the snow piled up in the culvert at the end of the driveway.

“She kept digging and digging,” said Hicks. “I was trying to get her away, but she kept on digging. She’s already a big dog, she weighs about 80 pounds . . . she kept dragging me back.

“She must have dug down about three feet. The only thing you could see was her behind and her tail.”

Hicks eventually got control of the dog and they continued their walk, leaving a hole in the snowbank.

Verna went into the garage to start the car while Brittany waited outside. Brittany heard a screech.

“She thought she heard a crow,” said Verna. “She told me it was more of a screech and she looked up at the trees to see if it was a bird.”

The noise got louder and Brittany realized it was coming from beneath the ground.

“Just then a cat crawled out of the hole the dog had dug,” said Verna. “I was in the garage, but Brittany was screaming, ‘Mom, Mom.’ I ran to her and as she turned toward me I could see the cat and I started screaming at the top of my lungs. ”

Even though the cat was half the size Piper was when he went missing Verna, knew it was their family cat.

The mother and daughter bundled up the cat, rushed him into the house and were relieved when the first thing he did was run to the bathroom to drink out of the toilet, a longtime habit of his.

When R.J. returned home from school that afternoon, the first sound he heard was Piper screeching.

“He wanted to know what the noise was, but then he yelled, ‘Piper, I knew you would come home,’” said Verna.

Piper and R.J. slept together Wednesday night and things have almost returned to normal.

“I think it is a miracle. I cannot even comprehend being in a little closed space for all that time and have the will to keep on living.

“We are going to save some money and get him fixed so he will be an indoor cat and never wander away again.”

Even though Piper lost two pounds during the month-long ordeal, he is expected to make a full recovery, according to his vet.

♥Unconditional love♥

I love you, too, Freyja, with my whole ♥ and soul, forever and always

Ziggy - beloved friend has passed to heaven - his family mourns

From Ziggy's dear people: Today with a heavy, broken heart we had to say goodbye to our Ziggy. When thinking of one word to describe how I feel about Ziggy the word beloved seems to encapsulate it all. Such a strong word meaning dearly loved, adored, cherished, favorite, darling, treasured, much-loved, dear. Ziggy was our treasure.

You may leave condolences to Ziggy's people here and here. They will be treasured and appreciated.

California Chihuahuas Flown to N.Y.C. Find Happy Homes

PeoplePets.com They waited on a cold Manhattan morning for up to four hours, shivering, but never losing hope. More than 150 lined up, praying that they'd be "the one." And on Wednesday morning, 13 lucky families adopted healthy Chihuahuas flown to New York City from San Francisco in search of happy homes.

After spending a week at Manhattan's ASPCA following a cross-country flight courtesy of Virgin Airlines, the pups were made available to the public Wednesday, and as expected, went fast. According to ASPCA Adoption Center Senior Vice President Gail Buchwald, staffers had a chance to bond with the animals, who ranged in age from 4 months to 7 years, before adoption day, ensuring that they'd go home with the right families. "Most of the time when adoptions don't work out, it's not because the animal was bad, but because it wasn't a great match," she tells PEOPLEPets.com. "We didn't want these Chihuahuas to come back to us again after all they'd been through."

As people were let in to meet the dogs, they were screened by ASPCA staff in an interview concerning their lifestyle and previous pet experience. "We truly feel that all of the dogs found perfect homes," Buchwald says. She added that staff members will be following up with all the adoptive families in the weeks to come.

Sadly, two of the available dogs weren't adopted on Wednesday. Collette and Sherlock, who both have a myriad of medical problems, were left behind by potential families due to concerns over their health — and the financial strain their conditions could bring. "I do understand that sometimes, adopters don't want to deal with medical issues," Buchwald says. "But it's heartbreaking to have hundreds of people show up wanting these dogs, then hear they have health issues and say they're not interested. They're all wonderful animals, and they all deserve special homes." Happily, though, several of the shelter's other dogs did go home with families that arrived too late for the Chihuahuas.

In light of Wednesday's success, Buchwald hopes that the ASPCA is able to help dogs from around the country in the years to come. "The single biggest obstacle, and this is no surprise, is the airline transportation," she says. "Shelters don't have the funds to fly dogs, so we depend on the generosity from airlines like Virgin, and hope we can count on it again in the future."

Footnote from Mimi: I don't know what medical issues the little guys had that deterred folks from adopting them. All I can say on my end is that I deliberately adopted a blind dog years ago and it was one of the best experiences for me - Prince taught me so much about acceptance and grace.

☺Baghdad Pups Rescue Missions Underway☺Dogs and cats coming to the US from Iraq!

From the SPCA International Web Site. Baghdad pups and kittens are arriving in the US as our military bases close! Rescues taking place now! My ♥ is singing a happy song!

Penny's Amazing Story 
UPDATE: Penny is now on her way to the US - she's coming home!

Petey and Penny were born in November 2007 on a U.S. military base outside Baghdad, Iraq, and quickly bonded with two marines, Doug and Dave. Dave immediately built Petey and Penny a sturdy, secure dog house with a fence around it for their protection during the night. Petey and Penny were always together and very happy to see everyone that lived on the small base. They grew protective of the marines and barked at anyone they didn’t know. That became their job – a sort of early warning system. Petey and Penny did their job so well that Doug was able to get them both special military status as U.S. Force Protection Canines.

The months rolled into years as Petey and Penny protected and played with the marines rotating in and out of the base. Until October 16, 2009 when Petey and Penny slipped off the inner compound and were shot – no one knows why. Even though Penny was hit with a bullet in the lower portion of her face and was losing blood quickly, she found a way to crawl a mile back to base. Dave saw her first and quickly brought her to the medical facility where three medics began doing everything they could for her. Doug and Dave wracked their brains wondering how they to get her the veterinarian attention she desperately needed, and suddenly they realized she could be medically evacuated to the Baghdad veterinary clinic because of her Force Protection status. By the time the helicopters arrived, the base medics had managed to clean, stuff and stitch her wound.

As soon as Penny was on the helicopter, Dave set about finding Petey. He was able to follow Penny’s trail of blood, which snaked around the outside of the base for a mile. She had taken the long way around - Dave assumes to avoid whoever shot her. At the end of Penny’s trail he found Petey shot three times and dead. The marines were heartbroken. After three weeks at the veterinarian clinic in Baghdad and several surgeries, Penny was returned to the base. Her wounds have healed and her hair is starting to grow back around her wounds. The marines say it is clear that Penny is happy to be back, but she is frequently seen looking for Petey.

Dave has now asked Operation Baghdad Pups to rescue Penny and bring her to his family home in Tucson. Dave says, “Penny is one tough cookie. She lost a ton of blood that day and it's a miracle she is alive. She’s done her job very well for years and she does not deserve to be left behind.”

Christmas' past - taking down (off) the decorations...

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR BUDDY! Please, please help!

I KNOW this is a horrible photo. I KNOW it is a horrible story. But all of us need to stand behind this dog and the Facebook movement to bring the highest penalty to the man who perpetrated this dispicable act. This poor dog, who cannot speak for himself, died a miserable death. I cannot even imagine what he must have suffered. PLEASE, go to the Facebook page and lend your support. STAND UP FOR BUDDY. PLEASE! sign the petition. The link is below. It will only take a moment of your time. I can't stop crying - I just can't stop...~Mimi 

Sign the petition here

Jill Rosen A huge movement is building online to make sure that a man accused of dragging a dog to its death in Colorado is convicted and serves maximum jail time.

According to news reports, a German Shepherd named Buddy was tied to the back of a pickup and forced to run behind the vehicle as it climbed steep and snowy slopes -- for three miles. Buddy was found dead in the park last week, dumped there.

A Facebook group called Demand Justice for Buddy has attracted nearly 25,000 supporters, as of this morning. They want Romero to get the maximum sentence, which is three years in prison, a $100,000 fine and a year of mandatory parole.

According to officials at the park, tracks in the snow show Buddy initially walked behind the truck and then ran, and was then dragged when he collapsed. Park officials found him with a silver and blue rope around his neck.

Shameful, dirty, humiliating, disgusting - ☺BURP☺ - but someone has to talk about it

OK, I'll admit it, my dogs have been known to nibble on one of these delightful, crunchy, delicious winter treats. The colder the weather the better to freeze up just the right amount of pop and crackle when the jaws of dog-srtuction chomp down into the rich flavor of their homemade aromatic goodness. Better than a dozen cat turds, most dogs can't pass up a delicious, wintertime snack when it's right there in front of their snooters. Over the years I have tried everything to get mine to stop their winter snacking competitions short of holding a plastic bag right under their soft-serve machine before the nummy tootsie poops hit the snow.

I've been on dog lists long enough (15 years) to know that mankind has tried a variety of remedies to discourage canine outdoor snacking. What has worked best for me to keep Scout and Freyja on a diet of dog food BEFORE it is recycled is a meticulously clean yard plus Fig Newtons cookies. Yes, you heard me, FIG NEWTONS! I had no idea why they work or how they work but they do, and have cut down the in-between-meal-snacking by about 85%.

It was clear to me that something in the Fig Newton treats makes the poop less appetizing. I looked into this a bit and it turns out that fig plants produce ficin, a protease enzyme that aids digestion by breaking down amino acids and works similarly to the enzymes in papayas (papain) and pineapple (bromelin). And yes, all three enzymes can be used as meat tenderizers. As it turns out, the item in the Fig Newtons that is at work is the figs themselves. Interestingly, there are urban legends out there about feeding dogs pineapple to resolve this problem as well.

For the most part, if I keep my pantry loaded with what the dogs think is the most delightful snack, imagining that mommy has lost her mind to give them people food, I can keep their Dairy Queen excursions down to an acceptable minimum. Why am I blogging about this horrible topic, you might ask? Well, my son's dogs have now picked up (in more ways than one) a love of this wintry doggy  buffet. I suggested the Newtons, which they have purchased and are feeding, but I am asking all of you for your tried-and-true remedy to keep a dog's mouth sparkling clean with the gas coming out of both their ends from smelling less like a community septic tank just in case Cody and Suzie are hard-core Poopsicle eaters!

So, if your dog eats poopie (if you want to say it's your neighbor's dog for identity privacy issues, that's OK) and you have found a great remedy that curbs their obsession/addiction, please comment. I'm sure my son and his wife and their kids and all of the collective noses in their house, both resident and guest, will thank you - and honor your name -  whenever one of their dogs comes inside with sweet-smelling breath and a grin that doesn't look like they have just consumed a Hershey Bar☺

The look of l♥ve

Scout, I l♥ve you right back

Whenever one of my dogs looks at me like this I feel as though I have been blessed immeasurably by God. I am an imperfect human being living with perfect, unconditional love given freely and completely. What did I do to be worthy of such a remarkable gift?