A year ago last Thanksgiving Alisa Holmes had her dog Shadow in the back of her truck. At one point during the ride Shadow escaped from the truck in the North Dallas area and disappeared.

Strangely enough, the dog took up residence in the parking area behind a newspaper building, the one of the reporter who wrote this story.

It’s so unusual to see a dog running loose in downtown Dallas that the black Labrador retriever mix caught everyone’s attention.

But the poor thing was so skittish that you rarely got more than a fleeting glimpse of her as she cowered down and scurried away.

Because no one could get anywhere near her, some kind souls here made do by putting out food and water each day.

But that couldn’t go on forever. Someone remembered a story we had run about Capp Evans, a local fellow who has success catching wary strays when no one else can.

His help was enlisted, and the dog some were calling “Belo” was snared on Saturday.

A wonderful dog sanctuary in East Texas, Straydog Inc., agreed to take the poor old mutt in.

And on Monday, as is routine with all new arrivals there, she was taken to a veterinary clinic in Athens for spaying and medical care.

Bill Arnold, the president of Straydog, said he couldn’t believe his ears when the vet called to say the dog was in good health, was already spayed and … had a microchip implanted!

Using the microchip information a call was placed to James Tubbs, the father of Shadow’s owner.

Alisa Holmes was so excited to find out her beloved Shadow was safe.  She had spent many months putting up fliers, searching animal shelters, and looking at lost-pet websites to no avail.

She had gotten Shadow as a newborn pup five years before, his mom was a street dog who had puppies at an abandoned service station.

After the phone call a happy reunion took place. I don’t think Alisa and her Shadow will ever be separated again.

* The pretty girl pictured is Lenora.

In 2002 Amy Jones life was forever changed after a tragic skiing accident left her a quadriplegic.

Two years later she was paired with Skeeter, a trained service dog.  Jones went back to school to get her undergraduate degree, then on to law school.

On Saturday Jones graduated from Baylor University,  Skeeter by her side.

As Jones got her juris doctor degree on Saturday, Skeeter received an honorary law degree.

“Amy has busted through brick walls, and Skeeter has been faithfully by her side every step of the way,” law school Dean Brad Toben said. “Skeeter has become a part of our community and part of our family here at the law school.”

Not only is this an inspiring story, now I know who to call if our “kids” get in trouble with the law.  It’s not easy finding a canine with a law degree in the phone book.

Here’s a nice story about three dogs inducted to the Iowa Animal’s Hall of Fame.

The dogs were chosen because of their ability to comfort, assist, and stay calm under pressure.

The awards are sponsored by the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and Schering-Plough Animal Health.

The first honoree is Hericane, a Black Labrador.

Hericane,  owned by Lynette Krambeer of Des Moines, worked as a full-time residential pet at Trinity Center at Luther Park, a care facility in Des Moines.

“She had this way of knowing who needed her the most,” Krambeer said.

Next,  HJ,  a three year old Weimaraner.

HJ,  owned by Loren and Dianna Engelbrecht of Fredericksburg, saved Loren Engelbrecht’s life after he suffered a heart attack on Easter Sunday 2007.

Engelbrecht woke up around midnight feeling sick and soon developed a pain in his chest that left him immobile.

HJ roused Dianna Engelbrecht, who called for help after seeing her husband’s distress.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Loren Engelbrecht said about the dog.

Rounding up the trio is Sidda, a beautiful Golden Retriever.

Sidda, owned by Julie Robinson of North Liberty, is the only full-time learning dog in the Iowa City Community School District. Robinson is the principal of Penn Elementary School and she takes Sidda to work with her every day. Sidda is a certified therapy dog trained by Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services, a nonprofit organization in Kansas.

Students who are otherwise reluctant to read will read to Sidda. The dog also works with students who are angry or upset.

Sadly, at the age of 14, Hericane had a stroke and went to Rainbow Bridge in September 2006. I can’t think of a better tribute than having your legacy forever memorialized.

There are so many sad stories in the news about the horrific crimes people commit against dogs it starts to become overwhelming.  When I came across a story about a woman who rescued two lost labs wandering the streets and read two years prior she did the same thing I knew I had to share this story.

Teri Carnessal, who lives in the Jacksonville, FL area truly deserves a good samaritan award. Last Sunday while driving down the highway she noticed two labs running in the road.  Knowing something was not right with this picture she stopped her car and called out to the labs who without hesitation jumped right in.

Once inside Carnessali’s vehicle, the black and blonde canines were well-behaved on the ride home and seemed content to wile away the hours in their rescuer’s Florida room. Because Carnessali has cats, she knew she couldn’t keep the two large dogs, but she couldn’t let them roam a busy road where she felt sure they’d eventually be hit by a car.

The crazy part is that two years ago she rescued another pair of labs, one blonde one black, not far from where these two were.  At first she thought they may be the same pair but they weren’t. Also, unlike the first pair there were no signs put up for these two.

No signs appeared near the site of the black and blonde dogs, and after putting the word out, sending out notices and keeping the dogs at her home for as long as possible, Carnessali had to board them at her veterinarian’s office.

“I didn’t know how long I could afford to do that,” she said, “but I hated to take them to a shelter. It’s hard to find homes for large dogs, and I didn’t want to separate them.”

Not only did she take the time to stop and rescue these dogs from getting run over on the highway she paid to board them to keep them safe.  In my book that makes Teri Carnessali a true hero. Eventually Carnessali received a call from a man about the missing dogs.

“When he described the dogs, even down to one of them having a place on his leg without hair, I knew they were his,” Carnessali said, explaining how the man had been on vacation with his family and had a neighbor taking care of his pets.

After the phone call a happy family reunion soon ensued. Carnessali said, “It’s a great feeling to be able to reunite a person with their pet.”  I think it’s a great feeling knowing there are people like Teri Caressali out there.

In Berwyn Heights, MD the mayor’s house was raided on a drug bust, his two black labs were shot, and now it appears the entire incident may have been a huge mistake.

Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside, putting it on a table.

Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple’s two dogs and seizing the unopened package.

In it were 32 pounds of marijuana. But the drugs evidently didn’t belong to the couple.

Chief of Police, Melvin High,  is now saying  Calvo and his family were “most likely … innocent victims, of a drug smuggling scheme in which packages were shipped to unknowing recipients and intercepted.”  The officers have not apologized about shooting the dogs saying they felt threatened.

Calvo insisted the couple’s two black Labradors were gentle creatures and said police apparently killed them “for sport,” gunning down one of them as it was running away.

“Our dogs were our children,” said the 37-year-old Calvo. “They were the reason we bought this house because it had a big yard for them to run in.”

Mayor Calvo has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the county police raid on his home during which his dogs were killed, and the department agreed.

On Sunday night, supporters gathered on a ball field to pay tribute to the family and the dogs.

In Fairhope, AL the mayoral race is heating up. Willie Bean, one of seven candidates, wants your votes.   This wouldn’t be so strange except he’s only 7 years old and a yellow labrador.

“I think he polishes up the field,” said Vince Kilborn, 66, of Fairhope. “We need new blood.”  Some of his supporters say all the politicking, name-dropping and sign-maneuvering in the seven-man Fairhope mayoral race is wearing on them weeks ahead of the Aug. 26 election.

While he may have some supporters Willie Bean also has his share of opponents.

Willie Bean may not be up for that rough-and-tumble world.
“When a little dog barks at him, he cringes and he runs away,” owner Tress Turner told the Press-Register in a story Sunday.

Before you think Willie Bean doesn’t have a shot, keep in mind some of his fellow politicians who beat the odds.

In 2004, Rabbit Hash, Ky., elected Junior Cochran, a black Lab, as mayor. It was the second canine elected to lead the small Northern Kentucky town, according to the town’s Web site. The first was a mutt named Goofy Borneman, according to Laurie Lamblin, a resident and employee of the town’s historic general store.

In the Hoefinger household Willie Bean can count on 12 paws in his favor.