German Shepherd Heroes

Once again in a time of great disaster, Our beloved friends step up to the work. Search and Rescue in Haiti

"If these dogs only knew what a difference they make. Certainly, there's nothing that can replace the precision of a dog's nose—and absolutely nothing that can replace a dog's heart."Their sense of smell has been estimated to be at least one million times more refined than ours; they have as many as 220,000,000 "sniffer" cells, compared to a human's mere 5,000,000; they can detect sound vibrations at 250 yards that most humans can barely hear at 25; and most importantly, these marvelous workers are dedicated, determined and motivated beyond the limits of exhaustion like no human or machine could ever be.

It was the largest deployment of search dogs in U.S. history and possibly the single greatest example of inter-species cooperation in the history of human disasters.

More than 350 dogs lent their snouts to 9/11 search-and-rescue (SAR) efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Approximately 100 were deployed by FEMA, and the remaining 250 included SAR dogs from around the country, NY police dogs, security dogs and volunteers who rushed to the scene as soon as it happened.

No accurate count has been made of all the furry heroes who were there, and we have even less of an idea of their current whereabouts

"Anna" Atlas

German Shepherd Dog

December 17, 1997-August 2, 2002

Owner: Sarah Atlas

Deployed to the World Trade Center

"Dylan" Bobrosky

German Shepherd Dog

August 31, 1994 to January 13, 2005

Owner: Darren Bobrosky

Deployed to the World Trade Center

Jake Balsam Memorial

"Jake"Balsam

German Shepherd Dog

February 1, 1995 - December 5, 2006

Owner: Sam Balsam

Deployed to the Pentagon

"Ivey" Hachmeister

German Shepherd Dog

May 2, 1995 to April 19, 2005

Owner: Nancy Hachmeister

Deployed to the World Trade Center

These are only a few of our Brave Friends you can see the entire memorial by clicking here!

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — A bruised and battered southern Georgia woman credits a wayward German shepherd with rescuing her after her car careened down an embankment, tossing her through the rear window and leaving her sprawled, cut and bleeding, on the vehicle’s trunk.
Shannon Lorio, 36, said the dog, who has since been given the name Hero, pulled her by her collar off the trunk and dragged her about 50 yards through briars to the edge of a highway and let her lean against him so she could stand up and flag a passing motorist.
Officials of the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society, which runs the local animal shelter — now Hero’s temporary home — were so impressed with the victim’s account they have arranged to have Hero evaluated for search and rescue work.
“That dog is always going to have a special place in my heart,” Lorio said Friday during a tearful reunion with the dog. “He’s my hero.”
Lorio, who still has scratches and bruises on her arms and legs, spent most of a night in the hospital, until she insisted on being released.
She still walks with a limp. Cuts on her left elbow are held closed by more than 20 metal staples.
She had her first reunion with Hero on Thursday, when she arrived with her mother-in-law with gifts for the dog, including a large pillow, a stuffed animal and a bone almost as big as a rolling pin.
When Lorio returned Friday, she hugged and kissed Hero as he plopped down on the pillow and began crunching the bone with his strong jaws.
“If he ever needs anything, I’ll be there,” she said, noting that she can’t adopt Hero because she already has six dogs. “If I did adopt him, he’d be treated like the king he is. That dog is always going to have a special place in my heart.”
The crash occurred on the night of Jan. 26. Lorio, who has three children of her own and two adopted children, said she lost control on a curve in a remote area and the car tumbled backward down an embankment in a heavily wooded area.
She was thrown backward, so that her torso was on the trunk and her feet were dangling over the rear seat.
She said she was not wearing a seat belt, although she requires her children to wear them.
“I was bleeding from my face and my nose,” she said. “All of a sudden, I felt a presence — a really huge presence. He was straddling me. I have watched too many horror movies about werewolves and vampires. I thought he was going to eat me.”
Instead, the dog licked her face and locked his jaws on her shirt collar, she said. He dragged her off the car and kept pulling until she was near the edge of a highway, said Lorio, a trim, 136-pound woman.
She leaned on the dog while summoning help and then collapsed in a semiconscious state, Lori said.
By the time authorities arrived, she said she heard someone mention the Humane Society. Lorio begged them not to take the dog there, fearing he might be euthanized.
“I don’t know where he came from, but this dog saved my life,” she said. “I didn’t want him put to sleep.”
Kim Arrington, manager of the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society, said there’s no danger of that.
Because of all the publicity the dog has received, at least 50 people have offered to adopt the 2-year-old shepherd, who weighs 65 to 70 pounds, she said.
Based on Lorio’s experiences with Hero, Arrington thinks he might have the right stuff to be a search and rescue dog.
So she contacted Heidy Drawdy, a veteran Thomasville dog trainer who is a member of South Georgia Search Dog, a group that has taken part in numerous searches, including work in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
After a preliminary evaluation, Drawdy said Hero may have the qualities needed to become a certified search and rescue dog, but first he’ll be given obedience training.
Following the accident, Hero’s previous owners signed him over to the Humane Society because he kept wandering off.
Hero will move in with Drawdy, her husband, Michael, and their two search dogs on Monday, she said.
Training a search and rescue dog can take from nine to 24 months, Drawdy said. Besides obedience training, Hero will also learn to socialize with other dogs, children and senior citizens, and he’ll be exposed to the noise of emergency vehicles, she said.
“Right off the bat, he showed signs of having natural talent,” said Drawdy. “We’d like to see if we can give him a job because obviously he’s meant for something special.”

The 45th Skippy Dog Hero of the Year is Shelby, a 7-year-old German Shepherd from Ely, Iowa, who saved the lives of two adults and two children by alerting them to dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the home where they were sleeping.

On the evening of December 13, after a long day of baking Christmas cookies, John and Janet Walderbach were awakened by the cries of their friends' two children, who were overnight guests. They and the children awoke with terrible headaches and upset stomachs. As Janet was rocking the younger child to sleep, she passed out.

Shelby revived her by nudging her until she regained consciousness. Shelby had her ears down and her tail tucked between her legs as she went to wake John. She continued to act anxious and would not leave their sides, as they tried to determine what was making them and the children feel so sick.

Thinking she might need a trip outdoors, John put her outside; but that only made her act more anxious as she began to bark, whine and scratch at the door. She did not rest until John, Janet and the children were safely outside the home.

Luckily, at the hospital, all four people were successfully treated in hyperbolic chambers, which eliminated the carbon monoxide in their bodies, preventing any severe damage. Doctors remarked that they were very lucky to have made it out when they did. The house measured 280 ppm (parts per million) of carbon monoxide, a level at which death or severe long-term damages are imminent.

Shelby survived the incident as well. And her owner, Joleen Walderbach (John and Janet's daughter), couldn't be more proud.

"In my eyes, and in the eyes of my family, Shelby is more than a hero; she is a lifesaver, a guardian angel," said Joleen

Police praise canine crime fighters
Use defended in wake of 2 dogs' deaths

By Shannon Womble
Times-Union staff writer

Simon and Zor, 2-year-old German shepherds, play with a PVC pipe on a steamy Thursday afternoon.

They think it's playtime, but in reality the two canines are learning to sniff out drugs.

''It's all a big game to them,'' said veteran handler and Jacksonville police Officer Blair Twigg. ''We treat these dogs like family.''

In the wake of two police dog shootings in Jacksonville in the past month and a request from an animal rights activist to stop using the dogs in deadly situations, the officers and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office administration continue to stand behind their use of four-legged patrol officers.

''I think the quality of the officer that we have in here and our training program gives us one of the best units in the country,'' said Sgt. Paul Butler. ''We maintain a constant training program.''

Each day, canine officers and their dogs take time out to review training scenarios.

Kazan, a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office police dog, models a bulletproof vest, which Jacksonville officials say they'll reconsider using.

-- Special

''There's no secret to what we do,'' Twigg said. ''We train every day. We're always training in public. People can stop by and watch us all the time.''

Right now the canine unit has 16 dogs working the streets, but two new dogs arrived in Jacksonville on Wednesday. The dogs will replace Quanto and Titan, both fatally shot in the line of duty, after they undergo a 10-week patrol school and either narcotic or bomb detection classes.

Jacksonville's canine force is currently made up of male dogs, said officials, who said females are usually kept for breeding.

Officials said despite public perception, officers don't rely on dogs for their teeth but for their noses. Dogs are able to track people, drugs and explosives keenly.

The police dogs are trained to bite only on command given by their handler.

And the handlers are thoroughly trained, too. Canine officers undergo an interview and physical agility test just to be selected for the unit. During the 10-week training with their dogs, officers must learn hundreds of pages of case law and dog psychology, write term papers and pass comprehensive tests.

Once a month the officers are spot-checked by the unit's head trainer to make sure the team is performing properly.

''These dogs are taken care of better than most people take care of their house pets,'' said Steve Birdsong, a Flagler County deputy. He's training his first canine partner, Zor, with the Jacksonville canine unit.

Each canine car is equipped with a special cage for the dog that includes a rubber mat to prevent slipping, and a fan. All canine squad cars have heat alarms designed to alert officers when the car becomes too hot for the dog.

Flagler County Deputy Steve Birdsong prepares to release Simon during a training exercise with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

-- Rick Wilson/Staff

Every hour the dogs get a chance to run, play and grab a drink of water.

''We spend more time with our dogs than we do with our families,'' Jacksonville police Officer Rob Troxel said. He's undergoing narcotic training with his second canine partner, Simon. His first dog, who was shot two years ago by a carjacking suspect, is being retired after five years with the department.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office pays for the dogs' food, veterinary bills and shelter. Butler said the department spends roughly $2,000 per year per dog.

''They eat about 40 pounds of dog food a month,'' Troxel said, ''and the occasional Milk-Bone [dog biscuit] if they have bad breath.''

Twigg, one of three assistant dog trainers with the department, said he began training police dogs during his military career. He said he's used to criticism of canine police programs, but thinks the concern is unfounded.

He said the dogs are trained for every possible scenario and are used only in dangerous situations.

Police administrators said they will reconsider whether to outfit the dogs with bulletproof vests, but handlers aren't sure the plan would be feasible.

''The heat is really bad and we have five dogs that work the day shift,'' Twigg said. ''I'm not saying it's a bad idea. . . . I'm just wondering exactly how the dogs would handle it.''

When the department last evaluated bulletproof vests for dogs, the suits weighed 15 pounds.

Kay Timmerman, a proponent of the vests and operator of an animal rescue shelter, said the new 5-pound vests take only 30 seconds to put on a dog.

''They can be used, and they will help,'' she said. Timmerman plans to show off the new vests to Jacksonville police officials soon.

(Story appeared Monday, July 19, 19999 - The Florida Times-Union)

GSD Heroes