Heroes
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Stories of Goldens who are
"Heroes" (Dusty's story is on the bottom row, 2nd from left)
Dusty
A great friend of mankind
He is a golden retriever and was born July 4th, 1986 - Went over the Rainbow
Bridge Oct 11, 2002
I, Dusty's parent and caregiver was just
started heating up a grill in the back yard in July 1995.
Usually I let it heat up for 5-10 minutes.
This fateful day I started up the grill, and went downstairs for a 5 minutes cooling down as it was a hot day. But this one day something happened to the hose that carried the gas as it must have split and started spewing out flame and fire. The house caught fire BUT I did not know it as I just turned on the BBQ grill 5 minutes earlier and went downstairs to cool off from this hot July day.
Dusty came downstairs, cried, then went upstairs and cried. He did this a couple times, so I thought he just wanted out. By the time I got upstairs that whole end of the house was on fire.
If not for Dusty coming downstairs and letting me know something was wrong, I would have been trapped downstairs and might have died. Anyway we both got out ok and while I was running out the front door with Dusty I called 911 and yelled "Fire Fire Fire" and dropped the phone without hanging it up.
Within a few minutes the first fire truck arrived with its lights and siren. The firemen propped open the front door and went in with their hoses. Without me knowing Dusty got scared of the fire trucks and sirens and ran back into the house during the height of the fire.
2 Lake Johanna firemen saved
Dusty. Paula found Dusty in a
lower level shower.
Paul and Paula carried him out. Dusty did suffer smoke
inhalation but survived without any permanent damage. He is over 15
years old and still doing good.
Dusty and I presented the plaques to the fire department in their annual retirement party. There were a couple hundred people there and also they had just got done eating. Dusty went from person to person and table to table saying hi to everyone.
PS: For a couple years, Dusty and I would visit a retirement home and Dusty would have free run of the place. The retired men and women loved Dusty and sometimes would cry as they petted Dusty because they would start remembering their own best friend like Dusty.
Click on a picture to enlarge it!
| Dusty with who saved him |
Dusty with who saved him |
Plaque that Paula was honored with for saving
Dusty |
| Plaque that Paul was honored with for saving
Dusty |
Plaque that was given to the Lake Johanna
Fire Department |
Plaque that was given to U of M Vet Hospital
for life saving surgery Nov. 1999 |
| Plaque that was given to Arden/Shoreview
Animal Hospital for years of loving treatment of Dusty |
These pictures were taken with an Olympus digital C2000-Z on its medium digital setting