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dog rescue

Pets

Grieving son travels 2,650 miles to Mississippi Humane Society to rescue parent’s dog

The dog was so excited to see his human brother, everyone could feel it.

Humane Society of South Mississippi|Facebook

Grieving son travels thousands of miles to rescue dad's dog




Pets are lifetime companions that can quickly become part of your family, including extended family. Family members build their own unique bonds with pets residing in other family members' homes, especially if they visit frequently or are prone to longer visits. While it may be difficult to discern if an animal like a cat or pet snake misses their people when they're gone, dogs wear their hearts on their full body wagging tails.

So when a pet owner dies before the pet, it can be difficult for the dog left behind without a familiar face to reassure them. This human-pet bond was the cause one man to trek from Seattle, Washington all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi. Traveling from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf Coast to pick up his four-legged family member left behind.

In a post shared by the Humane Society of South Mississippi, they explain that a dog named Alex was brought to them after his owner passed away.

Alex's human brother, fresh with grief was all the way in Washington state trying to handle final arrangements for his parent. But the distance wasn't going to stop the man from reunited with his furry brother so he could live out the rest of his years with family.

"Yesterday, Alex and his owner’s son were joyfully reunited. Alex’s happiness was palpable, reminding us all of the incredible bond between pets and their families," the Humane Society writes.

This act of determination and love has commenters feeling all warm inside, wishing other animals have the same luck.

"This makes my heart so happy. Kudos to this amazing young man. Some people don’t have any idea how we as humans can break an animal’s heart. And then some people just get it. Thank you, sir," one person writes.

"Thank you for caring about your family animal. God bless you both. Thank you HSSM for taking care of him in the meantime," another says.

"This! Pets are a connection to our loved ones. I wish more people could understand. Happy blessings to Alex and his human brother. His dad is resting peacefully knowing Alex is in a good loving home," a commenter shares.

"This man is awesome and a testament to how he was raised!! So sorry on the loss of his Dad. I am sure he is looking down on his son, proud and thankful that his fur baby is safe and loved. That photo makes me so happy you can see how happy the pup is," someone praises.

Hopefully, Alex spends the rest of his days knowing he's the goodest boy who was not only loved by his owner but by his big brother too.

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Joy

Italy's lifeguard dogs work with humans to create a 'six-legged unit' for water rescues

Every year, the list of successful rescues on Italy's beaches grows, thanks to these good doggos.

Great Big Story/YouTube

Dogs are able to pull multiple people in the water at once.

If you're enjoying the gorgeous waters off the coast of Italy and find yourself swept out by a riptide or a rogue wave or in some other kind of water peril, you might be surprised by who comes to save you.

Lifeguards on Italy's beaches will sometimes bring a canine companion along with them to assist with water rescues. These aren't just any old dogs—they're specially trained lifeguard dogs who are paired with a human, making a "six-legged unit" that's able to paddle multiple swimmers to safety.

According to Ferruccio Pilenga, president of the Italian School for Lifeguard Dogs, our furry friends make ideal lifeguard partners because they are able to remain calm under pressure and instinctively choose the safest path through the water currents to get back to shore safely.

And because the dogs are able to keep both the rescuer and the person(s) being rescued afloat, they allow the human lifeguard to conserve energy and focus on being a more effective rescuer.

"I always say, to pull a sled you need at least six dogs.To pull six people, you only need one dog," shares Pilenga.

The lifeguard school has over 350 certified rescue dogs. They currently save between 20 and 30 people a year, with those numbers increasing each year. These heroes jump from speeding boats and helicopters to reach people in distress. The training is rigorous and exhausting, but the dogs seem to enjoy it.

Watch:

Pilenga started the training school after his own dog, a Newfoundland named Mas, rescued his daughter when she was struggling to stay above water in a lake as a young child.

Newfoundlands make great water rescue dogs with their thick double coats, webbed feet, and immense size and strength that allows them to pull large loads behind them as they swim. But other breeds of dogs are trained at the Italian School for Lifeguard Dogs as well. The school is serving as an inspiration for other countries to utilize dogs to aid in water rescues. In fact, there's even an American Academy of Canine Water Rescue in Massachusetts.

What a wonderful way to use a dog's natural strengths to save lives.

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Joy

Firefighters save two puppies stuck in a tortoise’s den by tempting it with watermelon

Watermelon is one food tortoises cannot resist.

via No_Name13/Pixabay

A beautiful African Sulcata tortoise

The San Bernardino County Fire Department found themselves in a bit of a pickle when trying to rescue two 5-month-old puppies stuck in a tortoise’s den. But they were able to save the dogs using a bit of ingenuity and taking advantage of a tortoise's love of watermelon.

The firefighters were called out to a home in Yucca Valley where two puppies, Peo and Finn, had crawled deep inside a tortoise’s den. But when the den’s owner, Oscar, a 100-pound African Sulcatta tortoise, came home, the puppies were stuck inside without food or water.


Realizing the den was too deep for them to crawl into to retrieve the tortoise and that digging might cause it to collapse and hurt the animals, they tried to lure the tortoise out with a big, juicy piece of watermelon on a stick.

Tortoises absolutely love watermelon.

The watermelon enticed Oscar, and as he lurched forward, the firefighters pulled the watermelon back, trying to lure him out of the den. But Oscar stopped a few feet short of exiting his home.

"The tasty watermelon trick was unsuccessful, and firefighters went to plan B, digging,” the San Bernardino County Fire Department said according to Newsweek. After digging up the few last feet of the den, the firefighters were able to pull Oscar out of his home, and Finn and Peo came running out. They were covered in dirt but safe.

"We are glad we could assist with this unique call, and there was such a positive outcome!" the police on the scene said according to Newsweek.

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Pets

A rescue dog was finally reunited with her puppies after she refused to leave the corner of a room

Happy tails all around.

www.youtube.com

Surrendered mama dog reunited with puppies after she refused to leave the corner.

People surrender animals to Humane Societies for all kinds of reasons, but many do it because they don't feel like they can properly care for their animals anymore. It could be that they have to move to a home that doesn't allow pets or they lost a job, making caring for an animal difficult.

Two small dogs were surrendered to Marin Humane Society in Novato, California and the female had recently given birth to puppies. It's not clear if the previous owners felt like they couldn't care for both the older dogs and the puppies so they just kept the puppies, or if something else prompted the drop-off.

Either way, this mama dog was in distress after being left at the shelter without her babies. She refused to leave the corner of the large kennel and just looked so sad. The employees felt for the sweet mama dog and decided to do some detective work to see if they could figure out where the puppies were located.

After some careful sleuthing, Marin Humane Society workers located the puppies and convinced the owner to surrender them. According to the animal shelter's YouTube caption, the puppies were not yet old enough to be separated from their mother and were not in a safe situation. There are no details about the condition of the home or reasons the dogs were surrendered in the first place, but boy are those chubby little babies cute.

With mama still hiding in her corner, one of the shelter employees started taking puppies out of a crate and showing them to the sad dog. It took her a minute, but once she realized that these just may be her babies, she perked up and came to have a sniff. Within seconds her tail started spinning like a helicopter propeller and shortly after her puppies' tails started wagging right along with hers.

Even though the video is from 2016, it's so sweet that it's making the rounds again. Watch the heartwarming reunion below:

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