Service Dog is a Hero Once Again

[Charon]

Service Dog Calls 911, Saves Blind Woman's Life During Fire
By David Chang

A service dog is being hailed a hero after she jumped into action and saved her blind owner’s life by alerting authorities to a house fire in Philadelphia Thursday morning.

The fire started inside a home on the 4300 block of Oakmont Street in the city’s Holmesburg section. Fire officials say the homeowner, a woman in her 60’s who is blind, was inside at the time. The woman’s service dog Yolanda immediately dialed 911 on a specialized phone.

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Firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the blaze. The woman was taken to Nazareth Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

It wasn’t the first time Yolanda saved her owner’s life. Jen Leary, the founder of the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, told NBC10 Yolanda also called 911 last year when her owner fell down inside her home and lost consciousness.

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Yolanda and her owner were both displaced by the blaze and are being assisted by the Red Paw and the Red Cross.
Published 5 hours ago

On August 15, hundreds of animal shelters across the country are coming together for "Clear the Shelters" Day, a nationwide push to place deserving animals in new homes. For more information on Clear the Shelters, including info on participating shelters and available pets, click here. Follow the #Cleartheshelters hashtag on social media to keep up with the latest news on the big event.



http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-...85531.html

[IceWizard]

Hard to beat a good dog ...

[Rumor]

One of my young cousins has battled with bi-polar disorder since her early teens. After many years of experimenting with different medications and programs, she is finally doing really well. She is on the correct meds, but equally important, she has a service dog. This is becoming more common for people with depression, PTSD, etc... Her dog goes EVERYWHERE with her and allows her to leave the house and have a more "normal" life. These dogs are specially trained and allowed to go anywhere service dogs for the blind can go.

This has been a phenomenal intervention and completely life changing for her. I am so happy she has had this opportunity to figure out that this is a great coping skill for her. R.