Doggy Times

Everything for Dogs

Pit Bull Saves Her Human Family From The Fire

Roldan Perez
A dog laying in the grass with its mouth open.

It is believed that dogs have a sixth sense. They feel when something good or bad is about to happen. Most humans rely on their dogs to tell them if something is about to harm them so they can prepare. These four-legged angels know that it is their duty to protect their humans. It’s a task that they don’t take lightly.

Protection from the fire

It was a beautiful Sunday night at Latana Chai’s house in Stockton, California when the unthinkable happened. She was sleeping soundly when a frantic sound disrupted what was supposed to be a good night’s rest. Chai traced where the sound was coming. Her search led her to Sasha, the Pit Bull, who was barking and throwing herself at the door.

Chai was about to scold Sasha for disrupting her and her daughter Masailah’s sleep. Well, that was the plan, until she figured out that the Pit Bull was trying to tell her something. Sasha dashed inside the house the moment Chai opened the door. That’s when she discovered that the Pit Bull had a reason for waking her up.

Her neighbor’s house was engulfed in flames. The fire slowly spread to Chai’s house, and she knew she could no longer afford to waste any second. Sasha understood the urgency of the situation; she ran towards Masailah. In her attempt to rescue the baby, she grabbed the diaper and dragged her human sister off the bed.

Safe and sound

Chai carried Masailah and followed Sasha, who led the way outside the house. The firefighters came after Sasha called 911. It took them a while to put out the fire. The damage was extensive, but all of the residents managed to survive. They’re all grateful for Sasha. Her sixth sense, courage, and loyalty saved their lives.

Credits to Tom Miller

Staffie Who Endured Horrible Abuse Quickly Finds A Forever Home Where She Will No Longer Have To Cower In Terror

Roldan Perez
A brown and white dog laying in the grass.

When a Good Samaritan spotted a small Staffordshire Bull Terrier doing her best to hide among some bushes in Harlesden, London, they could not have imagined the state they would find her in. To say that they were upset would be putting it mildly.

The Staffie, who was eventually christened Jayda, was severely emaciated, and her body was full of bleeding wounds. Also, it looked like the pooch had just given birth as she was still lactating, although there were no signs of her litter anywhere.

Both the Staffie’s right eye and left ear were infected. Moreover, the mark around her muzzle made it abundantly clear that Jayda’s previous owner kept her mouth taped for extended periods.

The Good Samaritan immediately brought Jayda to Mayhew, an animal charity based in London. The medical team estimated the Staffie to be approximately four years of age based on their initial assessment of her teeth.

However, after examining the dog thoroughly, Mayhew’s veterinarians realized that Jayda was, in fact, only two and a half years old. This discovery only made the abuse she had gone through more appalling; the Staffie was so young, but she had suffered so much.

Jayda’s former owners had deprived her of affection, so she was understandably hungry for it. As soon as the pooch realized that she could trust the Mayhew staff, she couldn’t get enough pets and cuddles from them.

The Staffie was sweet and friendly, much to the employees’ delight. Jayda responded well to treatment as well as to their efforts to socialize her.

As it happens, Mayhew’s fundraising officer, Duschanca Singh, had been looking for a new dog at the time. When she met Jayda, she fell in love with the Staffie’s unbreakable spirit and decided to adopt her.

Jayda’s doing great at her forever home, where she has found an older sister in Duschanca’s other pooch, Kelsey. The Staffie enjoys playing at the dog park with other canines. She even gets to visit her “extended family” at Mayhew from time to time.

The canine still hasn’t completely forgotten her painful past, however. For now, Duschanca can’t put a harness or even a winter coat on Jayda as it triggers fear and distress.

In time, however, and with her fur mom’s unconditional love, the Staffie will soon put the terrible memories of cruelty behind her. Watch Jayda living her best life in the video below:

https://www.facebook.com/themayhew/videos/588294101672259/

Source: Mayhew on Facebook

Man Chooses To Stay Behind With His Pets Amidst Hurricane Dorian

Roldan Perez
Two pictures of a man hugging a dog in an airport.

The first instinct that most people do when natural calamities come is to secure their safety and their loved ones’. Sadly, some owners often forget that pets are families too and do not include them in evacuating danger zones.

One man in the Bahamas documented how he bravely waited out the hurricane Dorian together with his pets in his home. Bruce Claridge took a video of himself, sharing that the storm is coming in closer into their home.

https://www.facebook.com/bruce.claridge.77/videos/1338025429679209/

In the video, he showed how strong the winds blew. He urged the people watching his video to say a prayer because he knew that it would take a while before the storm passes.

Bruce took a video of himself together with his pet dogs, Mushy, and Bella. After he described Mushy as his big old baby, he went on to show his other pup named Bella.

Bruce knew that his Great Danes were obviously frightened because of how strong the winds were. Bruce was calm despite how terrifying the situation was outside his home.

He tried to book a flight that would take him, his dogs, and his wife’s pet cats, out of the Bahamas, but he did not succeed. Bruce loved his dogs so much that he could not bear leaving his dogs alone in the storm.

Bruce risked his life by staying in his home just so he could be with his Great Danes and his wife’s cats. He tried to make do with the little supplies he has left in his home, while he waited for the storm to calm down.

Fortunately, Bruce was able to get in touch with an animal rescue group. He coordinated with them to help save the other stranded dogs on the island.

Thanks to Bruce’s bravery, not only did he save himself and his pets, but he also rescued other dogs in need. Many people even applauded Bruce for being so thoughtful of those in need.

Source: Bruce Claridge via Facebook

Watch This Dog Sing Along To Michael Jackson During A Car Ride

Roldan Perez
A dog is looking up at a chair.

Michael Jackson is one of the most popular artists on radio and TV. This man has created a ton of top hits. Despite his demise, his songs are still being played and many people still sing them and perform them.

Michael Jackson’s songs are quite catchy and they are so popular that a lot of people know them. Sometimes, we may not notice it but when one of his songs play on the radio or on Spotify or whatever it is that you are using to listen to music, you just go along and sing along.

But humans are not the only ones who are susceptible to singing along with Michael Jackson. Go ahead and read this story and you would know just how a dog cannot help it but howl and sing along to Michael Jackson’s tunes.

The dog who couldn’t help but howl along to Michael Jackson is named Honey. Honey is a rescue dog who lives in Humboldt, California. If her owner just told the story, you may not believe it. But Honey’s singing along has been captured on camera for all of us to believe!

Honey does not just howl. She makes sure that she sings along. You would notice it that every time she howls, it is just right along to the lyrics and the beat of the song. Oh, this dog is surely a Michael Jackson fan.

This is surely a skill that not all dogs have. Honey’s owner is quite amused at what Honey can do. She is also quite proud to have Honey as her dog. I think Honey can even sing along to Michael Jackson’s songs even better than most people out there.

With the popularity that Michael Jackson’s songs have, we are not surprised why Honey did this. If we sing along with his songs, why can’t Honey do the same?

Source: Honey TheDog

Staff Members And Volunteers Get To Know What It’s Like To Live As A Shelter Animal For One Day

Roldan Perez
A person petting a dog in a cage.

A shelter in Massachusetts thought of a unique way to help humans find out what it feels like to be a shelter animal. For one whole day, a group of volunteers stayed at the facility and did the same activities as the rescue animals.

Cape Ann Animal Aid, a non-profit organization and no-kill shelter, is proud of its Christopher Cutler Rich Animal Shelter at 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester. Donations helped erect the $2 million state-of-the-art building.

According to Don Fryklund, a board member, the shelter is comparable to a five-star hotel. Besides being exceptionally clean and brightly lit, the facility has roomy “condos” instead of cages for their canine and feline guests.

These qualities are partly why the organization’s fundraiser, called Night Without A Family, gained widespread attention. As Development and Communications Director Rebecca Baylies says, the program shows that shelters can be warm, friendly places too.

Cape Ann’s rescue animals have comfortable rooms. They’re also not cooped up 24 hours a day. Instead, the dogs and cats socialize and perform exercises that challenge both body and mind.

Two board members, one employee, and two volunteers participated in last year’s Night Without A Family event. All five of them spent time at the shelter’s animal condos, with two sharing a single room. They had no phones, no books, nothing — only themselves.

Just like the rescue animals, the participants were on display to shelter visitors. A placard outside their room explained why there was a human inside. The sign also asked for donations that eventually went toward Cape Ann’s Enrichment Program.

The five volunteers ate and slept in their condos, then cuddled with the cute cats and dogs. At playtime, the participants went outside with the animals to stretch their legs and run around the enrichment yard. Afterward, they took a stroll in the woods of West Gloucester.

At the end of the event, the participants unanimously stated that it was a great experience. Being fully present in the moment while snuggling with the animals and playing with them was calming.

At the same time, the fundraiser was also eye-opening. The volunteers realized how lonely and, at times, boring it was for the animals to merely sit there, waiting for a family to take them home.

The good news is that the shelter surpassed its goals for this fundraiser. Initially, Cape Ann set the bar at $5,000, but everybody was pleasantly surprised to find that the donations reached $10,000 after the event!

And Night Without A Family is more than just a fundraiser. Feedback from the previous participants has shaped the way Cape Ann employees plan daily routines for their rescue animals.

Furthermore, the event attracts attention to the shelter cats and dogs, which helps them find new homes. Watch a recap of Night Without A Family here:

https://www.facebook.com/CapeAnnAnimalAid/videos/10157117227787004/

Source: Cape Ann Animal Aid on Facebook

Trained Dog Lost His Calm When He Got Reunited With His Favorite Teacher

Roldan Perez
A white labrador retriever is laying in the grass.

Elijah was eight weeks old when he started staying with Ashley Wilt, who was a Canine Companions for Independence puppy raiser volunteer. Wilt helped him with his training to become a great service dog. For almost two years, they lived together, so it wasn’t surprising for the two to get really attached with each other.

Wilt trained Elijah how to become more calm and confident in different situations. She helped the pooch learn various commands. She also helped Elijah behave while staying in a different place such as malls, movie theaters, and restaurants.

Elijah also learned how to stay calm during flights. That’s why Wilt didn’t have issues bringing him on more than 25 flights.

Wilt literally became Elijah’s mom. She fostered and trained the pup with so much patience and compassion. Soon, Elijah became a confident adult pooch.

Wilt and Elijah spent a lot of time together, so it was really heartbreaking when it was finally time to part ways. Elijah needed to go to California to attend more training. After six months, it’s finally Elijah’s graduation.

As a proud foster mom, Wilt decided to book a flight to attend Elijah’s graduation. When the pooch saw Wilt, he couldn’t contain his happiness.

https://www.facebook.com/ashley.wilt.77/videos/2508315635873736/

The pooch was trained to stay calm at all times, but when he saw Wilt, he showed a totally different reaction. It was understandable because Elijah really missed her favorite teacher. They didn’t see each other for six months, so it was overwhelming to get reunited finally.

Elijah is now living with his new parent, Lance Weir. Despite that, he still reserves a special space in his heart for Wilt, his favorite teacher.

Wilt narrated that Elijah is now spending his time going to different adventures with his new dad, Weir. She also said that she’s delighted to see that her former student is now living a great life with his new family.

Thank you to Ashley Wilt for this heartwarming video.

 

Incredibly Calm Service Pup Freaks Out Seeing His Teacher One More Time

Roldan Perez
A yellow labrador retriever wearing a blue and yellow bow tie.

Every one of us has a favorite teacher. No matter how long it’s been, we feel thrilled meeting them again. And it’s exactly the same when it comes to animals.

Like any other service animals, Elijah started his training early on. He was no more than 8 weeks old when he moved to Colorado to begin his journey in becoming a service dog.

Ashley Wilt, one of the volunteer puppy raisers for CCI (Canine Companions for Independence), took Elijah under her care. For almost 2 years, the pup tagged along everywhere his teacher went. And in the process, Elijah learned how to be calm and confident in every situation.

Because of Ashley’s hard work, Elijah went through adulthood with compassion and patience. In no time, Elijah was finally in the last phase of his training.

It is fulfilling to know that Ashley helped Elijah a lot. But it’s also heart-breaking because the time has come for them to say goodbye.

Elijah flew to California for the final phase of his training. And 6 months later, his graduation day finally came. Ashley was incredibly proud of Elijah. The puppy she raised is now ready to help change lives. However, one thing’s missing.

Ashley realized that there’s no better graduation gift than to be with her student on his graduation day. So, she immediately booked a flight to congratulate Elijah personally.

From the very moment Ashley walked into the pup’s graduation ceremony, Elijah was overjoyed. He barely contained his excitement. He jumped up to Ashley and started licking her face.

Being the good student he was, Elijah is an incredibly calm dog, says Ashley. But he clearly lost it after seeing his teacher again. He freaked out as he was reunited with her.

Elijah’s search for a forever home has since ended. He is now with his new dad, Lance Weir who is a reservist veteran of the Marine Corps. Ashley couldn’t be any happier that Elijah is now helping his dad live a better life.

Credits to Ashley Wilt