When a dog takes to biting off toes from its owner’s foot, you would normally expect the canine to be put down as being a dangerous dog. However, when Jack Russell Kiko, owned by Jerry Douthett from Michigan in the USA, took it upon himself to bite his owner’s toe clean off, he was hailed as a hero by his owner instead of being chastised.

Kiko’s owner, Jerry, had a very serious infection at the time – one that could have become fatal. Jerry had Type 2 diabetes, but it was undiagnosed and it was centred in his big toe. The reason Jerry’s diabetes hadn’t been diagnosed was because he foolishly tried to conceal the infection from family and friends, and even his wife didn’t know about it. Kiko, the dog, knew though – and Kiko knew just what to do.

One evening Jerry’s blood sugar level was reaching dangerous levels, at around 560. The normal level someone is around 80-120. With the pain becoming too much to bear, Jerry got himself blind drunk (rather than calling for an ambulance) and then passed out cold. This is when doctor Kiko leapt into action, setting about the infected toe and (more…)

Last week we wrote about 72 year old Liz Hiorns and her Jack Russell named Penny. Liz’ dog Penny ran away from home and was taken in by a rescue centre, before being sold to a new family as she had no microchip and no collar. Despite Liz contacting the rescue centre, they refused to contact the new owners claiming it was against their rules, and Liz faced the prospect of never seeing her dog, who she had been with for 11 years, again.

Liz reported Penny’s disappearance at the time to Stratford District Council, but they lost the details and the dog was subsequently rehomed when it was found.

All’s well that ends well though as Liz and Penny have now been reunited.

Liz Hiorns had to take matters pretty far however, even launching a £4,000 legal fight to get her dog back. The dog cost the new owners just £80 when they bought it from the rescue centre, and on the day before the case was due (more…)

If ever there was a case for having your dog microchipped, this is it. 72 year old dog owner Liz Hiorns recently lost her dog, a Jack Russell named Penny. The dog didn’t have a microchip – which could have contained important data such as the dog’s name, address and the phone number of its owner. Nor did the dog have a collar and name tag – so the chances of the dog being returned were slim.

Luckily the dog was found by a dog warden and taken to a rescue centre in Tibberton, Danemere Animal Rescue Centre. However, because the dog had no nametag, or a microchip, staff had no way of tracing the owner. Following their own procedures, they sold the dog to a family living 30 miles from Liz Hiorns.

Mrs Hiorns only discovered that her dog had been found, and subsequently sold, after she contacted a local vet on the advice of her friend. The vet told her that a dog that sounded as though may have been Penny was found in Stratford-upon-Avon in April, and was taken to the dog rescue centre. Upon contacting the rescue centre, Mrs Hiorns was told that her dog had been sold and they couldn’t give her the contact details of the new owners.

Mrs Hiorns commented:

I’m not in the first flush of youth and I was widowed last year and Penny’s a real (more…)

A trainee vet at Churchview Veterinary Centre in Heswall on the Wirral cut a dog with a knife when she should have been removing his stitches, and then the vet centre charged the owner for the treatment.

A retired fitter, Mr Evans, of Heswall on the Wirral was playing with his Jack Russell terrier Buster in July when (more…)

Firefighters were applauded yesterday for rescuing a dog, a Jack Russell terrier, from a well.

The Jack Russell, Vera, fell down a well in Staffordshire whilst out walking with her owner in Stretton, Burton-upon-Trent at the junction of Derby Road and James Brindley Way.  The dog luckily landed on a ledge about 16 feet (5 metres) down the well and was unhurt.

The fire brigade were called and a firefighter was lowered into the well so he (more…)

Fire crews spent six hours rescuing two Jack Russell terriers that had become lost in underground burrows.

The two dogs, Rosi and Charlie, had been out walking in the woods with their owner Rachel Hartshorn in West Sussex, when they got overexcited and ran off.

Ms Hartshorn said:

“I’m normally quite cautious when walking the dogs because I’ve lost them once before.  But they just couldn’t resist the sight of the woods and nearby stream, so I let them off their leads so they could enjoy themselves.”

She added that she had been reluctant to call the fire crew but (more…)