Lizzie had just eaten her dinner. "Shall we go for a walk?" I suggested. That seemed to be a great idea. Such a lovely sunny afternoon. We strolled for a while, then stopped to watch some kids skating and throwing a ball. She was clearly interested, and seemed to wish she were that young again. "It's OK. I said, We still enjoy our walks, and feeling the sun that gleamed on her glossy silver and black hair. "Time to go home now" i said. We walked slowly down the hill, anticipating a leisurely evening. As I opened the door, my daughter's two cats ran up to greet us. Lizzie barked, then groomed her two "Puppies". my 13 year old diabetic dog then lsprawled down on her special rug, for a well deserved nap.

Strangers Kindness Reunites Stolen Dogs with Grieving Owner

by Bob Ross, The Times-Picayune
Thursday March 19, 2009, 8:29 AM

The last thing Shoshana Rothschild worried about, as she stopped by her Uptown warehouse Monday morning, was the safety of her three dogs outside in her Chevy truck.

Maybe no one would be scared by Little Man or Tik, both under 25 pounds, but J.D. was an impressive specimen -- a Doberman/St. Bernard mix, about 180 pounds.

Yet in the few minutes Shoshana was inside the warehouse with sister Jamin, the pair heard the truck start up and drive off.

"My heart just dropped the second I heard my engine starting," Shoshana said. "I couldn't hear or think of anything else."

Since Hurricane Katrina, when her father moved out of town, it's just been Shoshana, 33, her sister and now her three dogs. "That's her family," said Jamin, 30, who works for a downtown hotel.

After first trying to chase down the thief, the sisters bumped into officials with Mutt Shack, an animal rescue group that came to town after Katrina. Officials with the group got the news out Monday to local TV stations, put together a $1,500 reward with the help of the Louisiana Humane Society, and Shoshana and Jamin waited and hoped.

That's when Kermit Rhea of Shrewsbury came to the rescue.

Later Monday, Rhea went into his yard in the Jefferson community to get something from his truck. From there, he saw two dogs being attacked in the backyard of the empty home behind his. He recognized the strays doing the attacking as local dogs. But he had never before seen the other two dogs, which soon found their way to his front porch.

Both were wearing green parade beads and one -- nearly 200 pounds -- was bleeding from the side and appeared to have a type of collar that sends a shock if a dog gets out of its yard.

"I knew they had to (belong to) somebody," said Rhea, who works for a pest control company. "I am always working in people's yards and I know about those collars and invisible fences."

He called Jefferson Parish shelter officials and even helped workers get the third dog, which was hiding in nearby bushes, into the truck.

Then as he watched the TV news Tuesday, Rhea realized the dogs missing from New Orleans were the ones taken to the Eastbank Animal Shelter. The news report asked anyone with information on the case to call 911, which he did. He also called the television station to tell them where the dogs had been taken.

He didn't learn of a reward until Wednesday.

"I really feel great," he said Wednesday evening. "But I didn't do it for the reward. I didn't even know there was one. I just didn't want to see those dogs hurt."

Jen Huber, assistant director of the animal shelter, said Rhea took the time to do the right thing.

"He saw the beads and obviously knew they are owned dogs," she said. "He was just a good Samaritan."

A reunion took place late Wednesday afternoon after Shoshana and her sister got a call from a television reporter who said their dogs apparently had been found. The recovery process was slowed because Shoshana no longer had her driver's license or other identification -- it was in the stolen truck.

"They were very, very, very happy, though Little Man let me know he was also upset," Shoshana said. "I feel great and this is all I ever wanted," she said of getting her family back.

The dogs all got a bath and new collars. On tap for Wednesday evening was a pajama party at Jamin's house and a special meal.

"We're going to order steak or pizza," Shoshana said. "Whatever they want. It's going to be a celebration."

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/strangers_kindness_reunites_st.shtml

Billy and Lilly - charming little story from England

A paternal dog has adopted an abandoned baby goat as his surrogate child. Billy the boxer has become the constant companion of the 12-day old kid called Lilly. He sleeps with the goat, licks her clean, and protects her from any dangers at Pennywell Farm wildlife centre at Buckfastleigh, near Totnes, Devon, England.

The kid was abandoned by her mother when she was only a few hours old and adopted by Billy when his owner Elizabeth Tozer began hand rearing the goat.The unusual bond has developed over the last month and the pair are now inseparable. Elizabeth said: 'Lilly follows Billy around which is really quite amusing to watch and
Billy sleeps with the goat and cleans her mouth after she feeds.

Billy the boxer protects his little kid. Lilly was the smallest of a litter of three kids and her mother abandoned her because she could only care for the two stronger ones. The pair have attracted quite a crowd at the animal center and the staff are keen to see how their relationship will develop.

This Dachshund is fostering this little guy for another mom who couldn't take care of him. He had his eyes closed, but now they are open. He is just a little bigger than her other pups. She loves this little guy as much as the other puppies and she is nursing him back to health. He is the cleanest pig-uppy ever because she licks him all the time. HIS NAME IS PINK....