When Oscar Segovia and his family were asleep on an early Sunday morning, they were annoyed when Scooter, their 1-year-old Shih Tzu, wouldn’t stop barking, the Miami Herald reported.
Segovia said that although Scooter often barked, he always quieted down after awhile. When the Segovia’s finally arose, they found a car in their driveway had caught fire and quickly spread to the attic of their home.
Because Scooter woke them up during the fire, the family was able to escape safely while firefighters put out the flames. Although no one was harmed in the fire, the Segovias, now homeless, are looking to identify the specific cause of the fire.
“This car has been parked in the same place since 9:30 last night,” Segovia told ABC Action News. “…I don’t know how to explain it.”
Underwood, a longtime animal lover who used to volunteer at a local veterinary clinic, recently revealed to US Weekly that when she ties the knot with hockey player, Mike Fisher, she will definitely have Ace in her ceremony.
"It would be like if I was getting married and I had a child – of course my child would be in the wedding," Underwood said.
She added that while Ace may be donning a tuxedo for the big day, he may have a little assistance with some of his ring-bearing duties.
Underwood told the news provider that Ace would not be getting the actual ring for fear that the small dog would run off with it or even accidently swallow it—compromising her pet’s health.
Underwood, who is rarely seen without Ace, is excited to make him a part of her ceremony.
"He’s like my kid," she said.
The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that service dogs can accompany their owners even if the facility does not allow animals- but when 5-year-old Amanda Ivancevich, entered a local store with her mother and service dog, Ellie, the store owner insisted the dog stay outside, North Carolina NBC affiliate WECT 6 reported.
According to OhmiDog.com, Ellie has the ability to alert people when Ivancevich is about to suffer from a seizure, as service dogs are trained for emergency situations and must remain in prime dog health care to complete their duties.
Owner Robert Bryant, who thought the dog was unsanitary and would mess up his merchandise, apologized for the incident after Ivancevich’s mother, Susan, garnered support from local residents to boycott Bryant’s store.
Bryant remains apologetic and has since set-up a special visit with the family and Ellie.
Humans who overcome significant trauma often become inspirational platforms for others.
A Beagle named Champ is learning that animals too can be motivational.
Upon seeing the puppy who was doused with acid by his owner, veterinarians and animal workers worked to restore the pup to normal dog health.
The puppy, who was found nearly dead with over 85 percent of his body burned, has since become a source of comfort for wounded Iraq veterans, says the website ChamptheMiracleDog.org.
Champ has appeared on a talk show and received more than 11,000 letters a day from fans who were inspired by his story, according to NorthJersey.com.
Champ’s new owner, Mike Martin, has been taking the dog to various forums to talk about how a person’s external appearance has no bearing on their good nature, just like Champ.
“This dog was wounded and he has scars left over from it, and yet, he’s still showing unconditional love,” Martin said.
Glen Lurie’s dog will likely be among the first to find his way home if he ever gets lost.
Lurie, the president of AT&T Emerging Devices, Resale and Partnerships is excited to have recently paired up with Apisphere which creates location technologies, to develop the first-ever location-smart dog collar.
"The peace of mind that a wirelessly connected collar will bring my family and pet owners across the country is long overdue," Lurie said of the device.
Not only will this dog collar, which is expected to launch in 2011, allow pet owners to track their pets via phone or computer, but the collar features a SIM card that may help keep animals out of danger by alerting their owners of where they are before they get themselves into sticky situations.
"There are few things as important to my daughter as knowing the whereabouts of our dog," Laurie said. "We’re extremely excited about this product and its possibilities."
