Kinsey: Service dog
Kinsey – an 11-year-old Golden Retriever, owned by Nan Stuart, is well regarded among thousands of animal control and humane society personnel, veterinarians, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public safety individuals. Kinsey is a canine ambassador for Code 3 Associates, Inc which is an organization that provides quality training to public safety personnel and provides disaster relief for animals. She has helped train over 3,000 students in various aspects of animal cruelty investigations as well as technical animal rescue work.
Kinsey is also certified in Swift Water Rescue, Ice Rescue, is nationally certified for Animal Assisted Therapy and Activities as a Delta Pet Partner, and doubles as a service dog for her owner’s father, a stroke victim. She not only performs rescues on ice and in water, she also can serve as a victim to teach animal control or other rescue personnel how to rescue an animal.
Her intuition is uncanny in that she seems to always know who needs her most. During a class she kept going to a gentleman and finally went outside with him. Nan subsequently discovered he was blind and that Kinsey was serving as his guide. This past year she also spent 4 weeks in the hospital with Nan’s father as he suffered a stroke, was diagnosed with colon cancer and endured cancer surgery. Kinsey remained with her “patient” nearly around the clock and filled a void of his recently lost dog enabling him to recover from his trauma.
Kinsey is certainly an extraordinary example of the way companion animals can have such a tremendous impact on our lives.
See other canine (and human) heroes recognized by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association at: http://colovma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=4
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Dog Guards Owner’s Body For 6 Weeks - Authorities Say Man Committed Suicide
August 13, 2008
GREELEY, Colo. — A German Shepherd that was reported lost in June has actually been guarding her owner’s body for six weeks after the man took his own life in the remote northeast Colorado plains.
Cash, the dog, was found alive, next to the body of her master, Jake Baysinger, 25, a resident of La Salle, KMGH-TV in Denver reported.
Weld County Deputy Coroner Gracie Marquez said Tuesday that Baysinger’s death was ruled a suicide. The cause of death hasn’t been determined, but authorities found a gun nearby.
His 3-year-old dog was found thin and dehydrated, but veterinarians said she is otherwise doing well. Officials said there was evidence that Cash ate mice and rabbits to stay alive during her 40 days and nights alone on the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County. Investigators said the dog probably protected her master’s body by keeping coyotes away.
“She’s been such a good dog. I knew that if she was there, she was doing her best to take care of Jake,” said Baysinger’s wife, Sara Baysinger.
The family credits Cash for helping authorities find the missing man and helping to bring closure to the family.
“It was a relief to know that there’s an end and that we still have a part of Jake,” Sara said.
Jake Baysinger was reported missing on June 28, and authorities said they believe he died that day. An extensive aerial search failed to locate him, but rancher Kip Konig spotted Cash last weekend. Konig went to investigate and discovered Baysinger’s body and his pickup.
Konig said Cash kept running back to the pickup and jumping into the front seat.
“I got the sense she was trying to tell me where her master was,” Konig said.
Cash was checked out at the Weld County Humane Society and then reunited with Sara and Jake’s 2-year-old son, Lane, on Monday.
“We need to put some weight on her. She’s a big dog and looks too skinny,” Sara said.
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Rex: Law Enforcement Dog - (Photo on Colorado opening page)
Owner: Jamie Dana of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Rex is a retired military working dog. With his partner Tech Sgt Jamie Dana, Rex served in the United States Air Force as a bomb detection dog. The pair worked for three years on assignments in the US and abroad before Jamie volunteered for a tour of duty in Iraq.
Months passed and Rex saved countless lives by detecting bombs planted by insurgents. One day on the way back to base, Rex and Jamie’s humvee was hit by a roadside bomb. It was demolished by the sudden blast and Jamie suffered life threatening injuries. Barely clinging to life, she was rushed to a field hospital.
Rex was sent to Walter Reed Hospital to comfort Jamie as she recovered. She asked if she could adopt Rex, knowing that they would soon be separated by Rex’s obligations as a military working dog. The Air Force declined her request because Rex still had another 5 years to work. As a result of this devastating news, Jamie’s family and friends went to Congress and successfully urged them to pass legislation that would allow Jamie to take Rex home. Passage of Sec. 599 of Public Law 109-163 now allows handlers who wish to adopt their dogs to do the same.
National Canine Research Council