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According to David Ramirez of the Liberty Humane Society, the pair were spotted traipsing about Jersey City’s Liberty State Park a few days before the storm hit.  When animal control officers attempted to capture them, the black dog allegedly lunged, and the officer shot him in self-defense.

He was not critically injured, and the dogs bolted.  Animal control set up a live trap, and days later, as the area was battered by wind and heavy snowfall, the boys were caught.

“I absolutely believe the two truly needed each other to survive at the time,” Ramirez told ABC News. “With one having been hurt and bleeding and then with the blizzard coming down, there was definitely a time crunch to capture them and get them to medical care.”

The black dog was taken in for surgery, and it was determined that the bullet had exited his neck and didn’t cause any major damage.  They were then put in the care of Liberty Humane Society.  Staff called the black dog Braveheart for his steel nerve, and the brindle dog was called Faithful for the allegiance he showed to his friend.

Workers believe they have such a good rapport because they may be littermates.

“While Braveheart was away, we had a miserable Faithful on our hands,” Ramirez explained. “He was crying relentlessly for Braveheart, and it was immediately obvious how bonded together they were.”

Last week they were reunited, and “everyone could sense their relief when they finally saw each other again.”

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“They’re very well trained,” Ramirez noted. “They knew a lot of commands like sit, stay, down and roll over, so we’re thinking they may have come from the same home. Neither were microchipped.”

The shelter is hoping someone will step up to give them a home together, as it’s obvious that separating them would break their hearts.

“It’s really hard to imagine them without each other at this point, especially after all they have been through,” Ramirez concluded.

If you’re interested in adopting Faithful and Braveheart, please CLICK HERE

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“Levi is our hero,” Darcy Cherry explained to the Janesville Gazette.

Levi, a smiley sweetheart, is small for a pit bull. But he has a big heart, and will defend his family to the death.

On January 19th, Darcy and her longtime boyfriend, Bob Stenzel, had forgotten to lock the back door of their Wisconsin home. Around 6:15 PM, a masked man dressed in black barged in and ordered the couple to the floor.

“I prayed. I prayed to God for us all to be well,” Darcy said.

“Where’s the safe? Where’s the money?” the gunman repeatedly demanded.

But they told him there was no money or safe. Darcy told the Gazette that they’re simple working people: she’s a property manager for a landlord, and Bob is a handyman. She said the fact that the man remained so calm was chilling.

“Where’s the weed?” he then asked.

Darcy told him they didn’t have any of that, either. At that moment, Levi, who had been in the dining room with them, stood up and began growling at the burglar. Though he’s usually friendly with strangers, he doesn’t like violence and reacts defensively at the sight of toy guns.

“He said, ‘Call of your dog. I’ll shoot. I’ll shoot,” Darcy noted.

She could hear in his voice that Levi was distressing him. She and Bob called Levi to them, but he refused to listen. The man fired at him and fled.

The bullet grazed the top of his head and became lodged in the thick skin of his neck. Bob called 911, and police and Emergency Veterinary Service arrived quickly.

“They were so wonderful to Levi,” Darcy recalled.

She says they’ve had him since he was a puppy. Friends found him abandoned in an apartment building. Bob called and said, “Hey, I’m bringing home a pit bull!”

“No, you’re not,” Darcy told him, but the little guy quickly stole her heart. It seems that everyone who meets him falls in love, and friends and family members often ask to take care of him.

A drain tube has been inserted in Levi’s skin to prevent an infection from developing.

But Levi’s life has been full of nerve-wracking events. About five years ago, he was dognapped in the middle of the day. Thankfully a neighbor saw him being enticed into a van, and took down the license plate number. Police found it and saved him that same day.

Then in June of 2014, the family was walking along the trails above the Devil’s Staircase in Riverside Park when Levi toppled over the side of a cliff. Darcy firmly believes that Levi falling prevented her sons from inadvertently taking the same spill, so he has saved her family once before.

That horrific incident shattered the bones in his right front leg, causing amputation to be necessary. But he’s a true survivor, and clearly loves his family.

Darcy is still incredibly shaken by the ordeal, and worries about the possibility of seeing him when she is outside of her home.

“It’s exhausting, having to live a normal life again… This guy knows who I am.”

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Police from the Canton, Ohio police department responded to a call about an alarm at a grocery store on the night of Saturday, January 9^th.  Officer Davis and Jethro arrived on scene and were fired upon by the suspect, Kelontre D. Barefield.  He struck Jethro in the face, neck, and shoulder.  Police returned fire, and Barefield was struck in the leg.

Jethro was rushed to a hospital, and Davis remained by his side throughout.

“One of the problems is Jethro is refusing to rest. He’s just trying to beat this thing the way he’s used to, by fighting,” the Police K-9 Association posted. “So they have given him a sedative that has finally allowed his brain to settle enough to actually close his eyes and rest. He hasn’t closed his eyes since 0200 yesterday. Hopefully he rests through the night.”

Sadly, the next morning, he had succumbed to his injuries.

“He was a fighter,” Davis told Fox 8. “He fought extremely hard… there came a time at the hospital when the vet told me with that look that there was nothing else they could do. I just needed to let him go be in peace.”

The memorial service was held at the Canton Memorial Civic Center on what would have been Jethro’s third birthday. Hundreds of human police officers and 106 K-9 officers attended the service, and the dogs walked in the procession.

“They teach you from day one that this could happen – they’re there for you, for this, to sacrifice for you if need be, but it doesn’t make it any easier. It hurts. I’d gladly take his place if I could,” Davis said tearfully.

Barefield is currently recovering in a hospital, but when he is released, he will be charged with assaulting a police dog and felonious assault on a peace officer. A petition has been created asking politicians to create a law so that murderers of K-9s would face the same charges as if they had killed a human officer in the line of duty.

“There is no doubt in my mind that I am here because of what he did,” Davis noted.

A fundraiser has been set up in honor of Jethro to provide other K-9s in the Canton area with bulletproof vests so there are fewer fatalities on the job. Click here if you would like to donate.

“My husband and I own a veterinary clinic in Canton, Ohio. This morning our team asked if we could help in any way. We are purchasing Pet Oxygen Kits for the Canton PD K9 Unit,” said Angela Gainey, a commenter on the fundraiser page. “They have been contacted about what we are doing. I am letting everyone know so that they money goes towards other things needed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Canton PD and K9 Officer Jethro’s family.”

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An altruistic man made the ultimate sacrifice when he stepped in to help a dog being kicked in a parking lot.  He lost his life, but spared the dog any further abuse.

On December 11^th, David “Krockett” Krieger witnessed a man ruthlessly kicking a dog in the parking lot of a Benton Township, Michigan hydraulic repair shop where he worked.  A dog-lover himself, Krockett immediately confronted Roy Thompson, a convicted felon out on parole.  Krockett was the dog dad of two rescues, Trout and Sophie, and would have done anything to help an animal in need.

Both were carrying weapons, but only one was doing so legally, and the other drew his firearm and took the life of a man who was just trying to help a defenseless creature.

Thompson’s family held a press conference, claiming that the animal abuser was only defending himself from Krieger (though not one of them was an eyewitness).  Krockett’s brother Stephen, however, was a witness, and says the two men were arguing before Thompson took a few steps back, pulled out a gun, and shot Krockett in the chest.

“When I first saw it come out it just didn’t register what was happening in couldn’t and then when the shot happened that’s when my brother immediately grabbed his chest,” Stephen explained. “Grabbed his chest and he turned towards me and he said, ‘he shot me bro,’ and I ran.”

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His partner visited as soon as he could — and the reunion was so heartwarming to see.

This little guy could not be happier to see his best friend!

R.J. and Bruno are as close as partners could be and will always have each other’s backs. It’s heartwarming to see such an amazing friendship.

The post A Police Dog Shot In The Line of Duty Reunites With His Human Partner appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

It is still unknown who did the cruel act to poor Timber. But whoever did it, must have gotten close to him and must have known that he was a good dog, because the gunshot wound showed that the shot must have been fired about one foot from his head.

Watch the video below and see how Timber is doing now!

The post After Being Shot At Point Blank Range And Surviving, This Dog Shows Us What Real Love Looks Like appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

A woman in Eastern Idaho discovered Sis, a brown and white border collie, on the side of a road.  She had been shot, was abandoned and left to die.  

To make matters worse, Sis was pregnant When Beth Stenberg came across her.  Now, Sis has a new lease on life and a new family, both human and some pups to care for.  Stenberg says she loves her new family members, and couldn’t be happier.

Stenberg noticed the dog running alongside Interstate 15 between Fort Hall and Blackfoot in Idaho.  She’d seen the dog on her commute several times before.  

However, this time something was very different, and very wrong.  The dog wasn’t running along the road this last time.

This time the dog was lying, sprawled and wounded in the grass according to reports.  Stenberg pulled over and saw the dog had been wounded and was in desperate need of help.  

Stenberg called police for assistance, and when two highway troopers arrived, Sis was loaded into Stenberg’s car and taken immediately to nearby Bannock Animal Medical Center.

At the animal hospital, Sis was examined by Veterinarian Jamie Rantala.  It was discover that not only did Sis have bullet fragments in her back and shoulders.  

To make matters more difficult, it was also discovered that Sis was pregnant.

She must have known that without human help, she and her unborn pups were not going to make it.  Even though she was badly injured and in a great deal of pain, she didn’t protest the help in any way.

“For the extent of her injuries she never once tried to nip at us,” said Rantala.  She noted the had dog had wounds from a kind of small ammunition, and it took place less than 24 hours earlier.  

“She seemed to have an understanding that we were there to help her.  She was a sweetheart from the get-go.”

Despite the harrowing injuries, being pregnant and basically being left to die, she’s now a member of Stenberg’s family.  All of her pups were also delivered alive and healthy.  

So now, you can add the manes Sis, Suzie,Sassy, Oden, Chuck, Trip, Dottie, Rogue, Petunia and Valentine to the Stenberg family roll call.  

Stenberg and her husband are very happy for their new family, and wouldn’t change things for the world.

Prospective adopters have already began to be lined up for the puppies, but Sis will be remaining with the Stenberg family, unless someone calls to claim her.

“I’ve really fallen in love with her,” said Setnberg.  “She’s part of my family now.”

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