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Rescue Dogs-Returning The Favour:
 

Dog saves girl from snake

A NEGLECTED doberman adopted by a loving family last week has saved their toddler from being bitten by a deadly king brown snake.

Seventeen-month-old Charlotte Svilicic was playing in the garden of the family’s Atherton home on Monday when Khan the doberman grabbed her by the back of the nappy and threw her clear of the approaching snake.

The heroic pooch was bitten by the snake after saving the toddler but is recovering after a dose of anti-venom.

In an amazing twist, Khan’s breeder revealed his grandfather had saved a child in similar circumstances.

Charlotte’s mother Catherine Svilicic yesterday told The Cairns Post Khan had saved the child’s life and the family would be forever indebted.

"If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it," Ms Svilicic said.

"Khan was really concentrating and was acting aggressive towards Charlotte and kept trying to nudge her but it wasn’t working, so he grabbed her by the back of the nappy and threw her more than a metre."

"Charlotte looked pretty shocked and then Khan screamed."

"I realised quickly it was a snake and Khan had been trying to get in between her and the snake before he threw her."

After being bitten, Khan ran inside and collapsed. He was given a shot of anti-venom by a vet and had a tough night on Monday but managed to survive and eat a large breakfast yesterday, despite the ordeal.

Mrs Svilicic said the family had only had Khan for four days, and they were moved by Khan’s selfless and protective act.

"When Kerry Kinder (Doberinling Boarding Kennels owner) rescued him, he was starving, had broken ribs and had been beaten – he was an abused dog," she said.

"It was borderline on whether or not he should be put down because he was in such a bad way."

Mrs Svilicic said Khan would spend the rest of his life in luxury.

"If Khan wants a gold bowl, Khan gets it. We owe him for the rest of his life,’’ she said.

Mrs Kinder bred Khan and rescued him after discovering he was being mistreated.

"He was starving for attention and wanted to be loved because he came from an abused home, so I’m not surprised about what he has done at his new home."

Just an Old Golden Retriever

I grew up in your average middle-class Jewish home where pets were not available. I never had a pet. There was a lot of plastic on the furniture.

Basically, pets were considered dirty, unwanted things. Animals were not part of my experience, so I had no conscience about them.

I got married in 1968, and in 1970 I had a baby. When he was 18 months old, we were living in a bungalow colony in upstate New York while waiting for our home to be built. An elderly woman and her old golden retriever lived next door. I used to see them together when the woman was outside gardening. My son liked the dog, and she was a friendly animal, but that was all as far as I was concerned.

When the woman died, her relatives came up, and they emptied her house of her treasures, her clothing, anything they thought of value. They contacted a real estate agent who put out a For Sale sign on her property. Then they locked the dog out and drove away.

Because I'd grown up with no conscience about animals, it didn't even cross my mind to say, "Wait a minute. Someone should be taking care of this dog" or "who is going to be responsible for her?" It just didn't. I was not responsible for the dog.

Some of the neighbors mentioned that they'd feed her occasionally, but the dog mostly stayed near the house where she'd lived, where her owner had died. When the dog would come over to play with my son, Adam, he would feed her cookies; once in a while I would give her some leftovers.

One afternoon I went to get Adam, who'd been outside playing in our yard-a safe, level grassy area-and he was gone. Just gone. I was frantic. I looked for him, and then neighbors helped me look for him. We called the police. For three hours the police looked for him, then they called the state police.

The state police brought in helicopters. My husband rushed home from the city. I was hysterical. We could not find Adam. We didn't know if he'd been abducted. We didn't know if he was alive. We could not find him.

The search had been going on for six hours when a neighbor, who'd just returned home, said, "Where's Brandy?"

Brandy? The dog? Why was he asking about the dog?

Someone else said, "Maybe she's with Adam."

What did I know about animals? I said, "Why would she be with Adam?

What does that mean?"

One of the troopers recalled that he'd heard a dog barking deep in the woods when they were doing the foot search. And suddenly everybody started to yell "Brandy!" including me.

We heard faint barking and followed the sound.

We found my 18-month-old son, standing up, fast asleep, pressed against the trunk of a tree. Brandy was holding him there with one shoulder. One of her legs was hanging over a 35-foot drop to a stream below.

She must have followed Adam when he wandered off, just as a dog will with a child, and she saw danger. She was a better mother than I; she'd pushed him out of harm's way - and held him there. This was an old dog. Adam was an 18-month-old child. He struggled, I'm sure, but she'd held him there for all those hours. When I picked him up, she collapsed.

As the trooper carried my son back home, I, sobbing with relief, carried Brandy. I knew in that instant that she was coming home with me, too. Brandy spent the rest of her life with us, and I loved her completely; she lived to be 17 years old.

From then on, I made it a point to learn everything I could about animals. My focus at the time was old golden retrievers. Obviously, I thought they were the smartest, the best, and there was nothing like them. I started the first golden retriever rescue and have had as many as 35 of them in the house at a time, and it mushroomed from there.

Because of Brandy, I have a calling. I have a reason to get up in the morning. Because of Brandy, thousands of unwanted animals have been given safe lives. I can't save them all, but I can make a difference. I now have 300 animals-all kinds, including birds and pot-bellied pigs-and are a well-recognized humane animal sanctuary.

We take the animals that other shelters won't take-the ones my mother would have said were dirty; the old ones who are incontinent, the blind, the ugly ones; they're all beautiful to me. So many organizations feel it's easier to euthanize these animals. I don't agree. How could I? If someone had put an abandoned 11-year-old golden retriever to sleep 29 years ago, I would not have a child. I wouldn't have a son who is the light of my life.

What To Do If Your Pet Is Lost

Be sure to have one person with a clear mind who can properly organize and delegate searches so all areas are being properly covered in a timely manner.

Use Radios and Walkie Talkies to communicate with others in the search. Use maps to mark areas that have been covered. Find appropriate map imagery for the area on Google Earth.

Search your property thoroughly and the property of the homes on either side of your home. Cats, small dogs, and other types of small pets can and do get into some pretty strange places and will hide when scared. Place strong-scented articles outside your home to attract your pet. Animals find their way by scent as well as sound. Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. Sweaty gym socks and jogging suits are great for this!

Place a live trap in the area the pet went missing on the day or shortly after. Put out some smelly food such as tuna, sardines, or warm, freshly cooked chicken, liver, or other savory meat and some of your worn clothing in it. Pets often circle and remain in close proximity to where they were lost for the first day or first few days. Check trap every couple of hours. Keep someone the dog is comfortable with in the area if at all possible.

Telephone all vets, SPCA’s, pounds, humane services etc within your area.

Go to each house in the area where your pet was lost and talk to the residents. Have flyers ready to hand out to each person or leave them attached to the front door if the homeowner is not home. Have REWARD in large block letters at the top of the Flyer, the pet’s picture, your first name and phone numbers where you can be reached. Walk around your neighborhood, talk to everybody you run into; the postman, paperboy, children, people waiting at the bus stop, school crossing guards, garbage pick-up workers etc. Give them a flyer. Don't ever give out your full name or address. Criminals in our society can and will use this information against you and your family. Remember, it is never a good idea to publicize this information no matter what the reason may be. When you offer a reward don't state the amount.

Whenever you set out on foot to search for your pet, don't travel alone. Take a friend or family member with you.

Make some noise while you walk around the neighborhood! Animals can hear you from great distances. Have your family members call the pet's name where ever they may go. If your pet has a favorite "toy" that has a bell or makes a sound, bring it along and use it to help you make familiar noises. Use a "Dog Whistle" to get your pet's attention. The high-pitched sound from these whistles can carry up to a mile or more. Cats are attracted to this sound as well as dogs. (Note: this whistle is the "silent" ultrasonic type, but has a simple adjustment that lowers the tone into the human audible range. Use this audible tone when searching for your pet because the sound will carry farther). It is always good BEFORE an animal goes missing to have your animal trained to come towards this noise. Carry a box or can of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name. Make any other noises that your pet may be familiar with.

It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply. Don’t be concerned if the neighbors think you're crazy, hey, this is your pet's life we're talking about here!

Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking in dark spaces. A frightened or injured animal will hide in dark spaces and may not come to you. Use your flashlight for checking under houses and other dark spots. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, trash cans, and under cars. Don't forget to look in trees for cats and other pets that access tree tops.

If weather conditions permit and it won’t create a problem take other family pets with you in your search.

Call local veterinarian emergency clinics after 5 PM to find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these offices or clinics for treatment. If an office has taken in or treated any animal that even remotely resembles your pet, VISIT THE OFFICE IN PERSON. Your description of your pet and their description of the same pet rarely match. YOU MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Call any rescue organizations in your area and ask for their help and find out if they have your pet. These groups generally network with each other and will pass the word about your case. Be sure to leave a flyer everywhere you go and have plenty with you.

You must actually visit the animal control and humane shelters every day or two. It works well if several family members can take turns visiting the shelters. Your description of your pet and their description rarely match. YOU MUST GO LOOK! Be sure to check all areas of the shelter, including the infirmary. Also be aware that dogs may be housed in the cat section and vice-versa. Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at each shelter. Befriend the workers at the shelter, you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar. Find out the holding period of each animal control and humane shelter. Be aware of how much time you have to claim your pet before it is euthanized! Government Animal Control agencies usually keep an animal for only 3 - 4 days and then they either adopt it out or kill it. You only get one chance at this. Be there!

Find out if your pet has been killed on the road. (DOA reports are usually available at the Animal Shelter front desks). This is a very sad but necessary task. Otherwise, you may never know what happened to your pet and it could haunt you for years. The road crews for your local Department of Transportation will usually pick up dead animals from the highways and freeways. The Animal Control Department is usually responsible for roads and city streets. You have to call around and find out which agencies do this service in your area. Be sure to find them all! Dogs are usually picked up within 24 hours, but cats and other animals often are not.

Call the city road crews, and Animal Control EVERY DAY to see if they have found your pet's body. If any of the agencies do not cooperate with your efforts, contact City Hall as a last resort and complain. This usually gets a response. But remember, you will get better results with courteous personal visits.

It is extremely important to post as MANY flyers as you can about your lost pet. From the point where your pet was last seen, place your posters within:

* 10 Kim (6-mile) radius for cats

* 32 Kim (20-mile) radius for dogs

If you receive a call from someone stating that they saw your pet near his or her home or business, it will be extremely difficult to physically "hang around" this person's house or place of business, however you do have other options. You can send your flyers directly to homes and/or businesses via the US Postal Service. This can be costly but it could provide you with more sighting information. Here's how you go about this process.

You will need to have at least 500 flyers for each area that you decide to do a "mailing." They do not have to be color flyers, black and white will suffice for this purpose. To save some time, have the printer or copying service tri-fold the flyers for you; this costs about 3 cents per copy.

Title companies generally maintain current lists of the names and addresses of each homeowner in each housing subdivision in your city or town. You can purchase these subdivision databases for a minimal fee of about twenty dollars per subdivision. Call the local title companies in your town and ask if you can purchase the database for "Country Meadows Estates" or whatever the name is of the subdivision where the sighting of your pet occurred. Ask them to send the database via email. This way you should be able to convert or transfer the information into one of your database programs on your computer, such as Excel. Using the database program on your computer you should be able to print mailing labels for each homeowner in that particular subdivision. If you don't want to generate the labels yourself, the title companies can provide you with mailing labels but the there is an added cost for this service. Affix the labels to your flyers and check with your Post Office for the proper method of sealing the flyers. Do not send your flyers "Bulk Mail" as many post offices only send out Bulk Mail at specific times of the month. Time is of the essence and you cannot risk waiting for your flyers to be delivered on Bulk Mail delivery days.

Overall, flyers or posters produce more "finds" than anything else. Your budget will determine how many flyers you can afford to post, but the more the better.

* If possible, it is best to place a color photo of your pet on each flyer.

* Use 8-1/2" X 11" fluorescent paper for high visibility.

* List the date and place your pet was lost, breed of dog or cat, sex, age, weight, color, markings, and your telephone number.

* Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

* Do not put your full name or address on the flyer, just your phone number.

* It is very important to always withhold several identifying marks and characteristics of your lost pet. You may need to use these later to verify that a person has actually found your pet.

* Post the flyers on telephone or street light poles, at a level as far above your head as possible, as there are those that find it amusing to destroy posters of this type. By placing the posters as high as possible you will most likely discourage anyone from attempting to destroy your poster. If it is during the winter or rainy season, put your posters in "top loading plastic pages", however, you will want the opening to be at the bottom. This way you can prevent (AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE) the ink from running due to the moisture in the air. Be sure to use wide clear tape. Packing tape works very well and it is stickier than most other tapes. Tape all four sides of the poster, so that someone cannot simply stick a finger or a stick under an edge of your poster and rip it down.

* Taking these extra measures when posting your flyer will give your poster a much better chance of remaining in its spot for an adequate length of time. Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the ones that are missing or damaged.

* Place an ad in your local newspaper and/or an Internet Lost and Found web site. Some will do this for free. Be sure to advertise in the Sunday edition as well as during the week. Check the Lost and Found section of the newspaper everyday. Most newspapers provide free ads to people who have found lost pets. Also check regularly in any other local publications.

Don't ever give up! Pets have been known to find their way back home after being lost for several months!

Respond to All Sightings if at all possible, respond to every sighting in person. Here's why:

* There have been numerous instances where the lost pet's physical description has changed slightly from when the animal was in the care of its original owner. For instance; let's say your dog was not wearing a collar or I.D. tags and you receive a call from someone who believes they have seen your dog. You discuss the physical description of your dog with the caller and everything matches except for the fact that the dog they found was wearing a collar or I.D. tags. Do not immediately assume that the dog is not yours because it is wearing a collar and/or I.D. tags and your dog was not. Many times, people who have taken in a stray animal will place a collar or I.D. tags on the animal.

* In the case of PET THEFT, physical characteristics are often altered on purpose. If someone has stolen your pet, the thief may very well alter certain physical characteristics so the animal is less likely to resemble it original appearance in the hopes that if people should see the cat or dog, they will not be as quick to associate the animal's description with a description seen on a "Lost Cat" or "Lost Dog" flyer they may have seen posted in the area.

Pet thieves will also make every attempt to tear down your "Lost Cat" or "Lost Dog" posters, so pay attention to posters that are repeatedly torn down or removed. If this does occur, enlist the aid of homeowner nearby, who can see the flyer from their place of residence. Ask them to keep an eye on your poster and tell them to call you immediately if they see someone removing your poster. Ask them to jot down the following things; a description of the person or persons, a description of the vehicle and if at possible, to get the license plate number, the time of day the poster was torn down, and anything else that strikes them as being unusual or peculiar about the person(s) or vehicle. If they happen to get a license plate number, immediately call your local law enforcement and report the incident.

Do not call the police unless you are able to get the vehicle license plate number, they cannot provide any assistance to you without this information.

A Few Words Of Caution

There are dangerous people in our society who prey upon victims by using "found" pets as a ploy.

* NEVER respond to a "found" pet contact alone. Take a friend or two along with you.

* Arrange to meet in a public place.

* NEVER invite the person to your home unless you happen to know him or her well.

Beware of money scams. A common one is a person calls you claiming to be a long-haul trucker. He says he picked up your pet and is out of state now. He heard about your ad, flyer, etc. and says he will return your pet if you will pay to ship it home. This person does not have your pet, he is only trying to take your money. Don't wander around looking for your pet alone, either during the day or at night. Always bring a friend or relative. This is especially important in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Use the identifying information you have withheld about your pet. Please remember that you should never give out all of the identifying features of your lost pet. If the person who claims to have found your pet cannot describe these features to you, he or she does not have your pet!

When You Find Your Pet

Go around and collect up all of your old flyers. Thank everybody who has helped you.

How To Protect Your Pets Now

Safeguard your pets before they are lost by following the common-sense tips below. Pet-proof your yard fence so your cat or dog will be safely confined. Be sure to check your fence regularly for new escape routes. Keep fence gates securely locked. This is for the safety of both your pet and any visitors (wanted or unwanted). Never allow your pets to roam free in the neighborhood. Leash them at all times. Always transport a cat in a carrier. Never take your cat to the vet or anywhere else unless it is secured. A carried cat can bolt and hide if frightened by loud noises. When a cat is frightened in strange surroundings, especially with traffic noise around, it will hide and will not come to you. The same goes for dogs. Always leash them when taking them anywhere. If a dog gets loose in an unfamiliar area its chances of ever finding its way home are practically impossible.

Get some good photos of your pet now, before it's too late.

* Take close-up shots so that details show up well.

* Keep taking shots until you get a few good ones that really look like your pet. Most snapshots of pets look like any other cat or dog. You want your photos to be unique and your pet to be unmistakable.

* These photos will be invaluable to you later if your pet is ever lost.

Train your pet (cat or dog) to associate a "Dog Whistle" with pleasant things. Blow the whistle each time just before you feed them. They will then be more likely to come running to you when you use the whistle to find them when they are lost.

Ensure that YOU can be located if your pet is found.

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