[Kevin]

Dog saves owner from fire, dies trying to rescue cat - CNN.com

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (AP) -- After a disabled woman's cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue, then died trying unsuccessfully to rescue the cat.

Jamie Hanson said her 13-year-old dog Jesse brought her artificial leg and a phone she used to call 911.

"She got me outside and then she heard the cat upstairs and she went up there to get the cat, and she wouldn't come back to me," Hanson, 49, said at a news conference Monday at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, where she was being treated for her injuries.

She received third-degree arm burns in the fire Sunday night at her home in Rhine, south of Elkhart Lake. Both pets died.

Hanson, who lost a leg in a car accident three years ago, said she was on the couch watching television when the cat ran over the back of the couch.

"And he jumped onto a table that had a candle on it and tipped it over and lighted the artificial plants on fire," she said.

Hanson said she fell off the couch and was unable to get her artificial leg from the table, "so my dog got my leg for me and went and got the phone and brought the phone to me so I could call 911."


With all these Dog VS Cat threads, it's nice to see them working together.

[Dakar²]

That's an interesting instinct for the dog to have. I wonder how he was trained to do that.

[Kevin]

Or IF he was trained. My ole lady's mom has a dog that keeps care of a dozen or so wild cats at night. They all sleep around her.

Anyone comes near and she growls.

It's amusing.

[zro]

Maybe she went back to kick the cats ass.

[Mithras]

Seriously, that just sums it up, huh? Cats start trouble, dogs selflessly aid.

[andi*pandi]

or, the message could be that candles are dangerous and should be used with caution.

poor pets.

[kmkkid]

Funny how the article makes the cat at fault. If you have animals you should never have candles lit unless they are up high enough that an animal can't reach. Same goes for children.

[davesimondotcom]

As a "parent" to two cats and a dog, who has always "leaned dog" I was really sad to read this. That wasn't a pet - that was her companion dog. Not that she loved the dog any less or more because of that, she just relied on the dog more.

Very sad to hear both pets died. The dog was a hero. The cat, well, she was a cat. Probably didn't realize the dog was trying to save her... probably liked the new warmth in the house, at least for a while.

[Cody Dawg]

The dog is a hero, plain and simple.



Now, the cat is a...cat. The truth is that it could have been a chihuahua or a tiny toy dog that jumped up and ran along and tipped over the candle so it doesn't matter that the cat started the fire.

What I want to know is why did the owner have a candle burning next to the sofa? I read somewhere that she had the candle burning on an end table.



That's just weird.

I can see having a candle in the center of a dining table, or a candlebra on a dining table, but just sitting there burning for no reason? She's getting romantic by herself?



The woman is a moron if you ask me.

I feel sorry for the poor pets.

[natural1]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg 

The dog is a hero, plain and simple.



Now, the cat is a...cat. The truth is that it could have been a chihuahua or a tiny toy dog that jumped up and ran along and tipped over the candle so it doesn't matter that the cat started the fire.

What I want to know is why did the owner have a candle burning next to the sofa? I read somewhere that she had the candle burning on an end table.



That's just weird.

I can see having a candle in the center of a dining table, or a candlebra on a dining table, but just sitting there burning for no reason? She's getting romantic by herself?



The woman is a moron if you ask me.

I feel sorry for the poor pets.

I also feel sorry for the pets, but to call the old, handicapped woman a moron is going a bit far, don'cha think? Maybe she was burning one of those scented candles to provide a little aromatherapy - perhaps to lift her spirits, considering she was an old, handicapped woman living alone!!

Wow - a woman loses her pets in a tragic accident, but the best you can do is call her a moron? How cruel and shallow of you...and how contradictory to the teachings of Jesus. Would Jesus call the old woman a moron? Hell will have a special place reserved just for you Cody - a place where you will be bit by dogs for all of eternity. Bless you.

[turtle777]

OMGWTFBBQ

Cody haxxored Kevin's account

-t

[Mithras]

So yeah, I was just joking about the "cats teh evil" bit. It really is a tragic story all around.
And, there's a huge difference between what might be predictable (fire from open candles) and what someone deserves. Obviously, the woman did not deserve this tragedy.

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by natural1

Hell will have a special place reserved just for you Cody - a place where you will be bit by dogs for all of eternity. Bless you.

Cody's place in hell will consist of infinite places, people and things, all of which she will not be able to find one thing to complain about. She will then grow wings out of boredom and rise to heaven, where she will witness Wesley, Madonna, Bill Clinton, and Britney Spears perform in "Spuzzball", an acrobatic singing troupe known for juggling live dogs and Republicans. God will thrust the cosmic microphone into her face and ask, "Well, whaddaya think, Code?" Just as she opens her mouth to answer, the flaming dove of truthiness will fly into her mouth and answer the question for her: "Rrrrraaawwwwrk!" God will giggle, the angels will cheer and the dove will lay a chocolate egg, just in time for Halloween.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by BlueSky 

Cody's place in hell will consist of infinite places, people and things, all of which she will not be able to find one thing to complain about. She will then grow wings out of boredom and rise to heaven, where she will witness Wesley, Madonna, Bill Clinton, and Britney Spears perform in "Spuzzball", an acrobatic singing troupe known for juggling live dogs and Republicans. God will thrust the cosmic microphone into her face and ask, "Well, whaddaya think, Code?" Just as she opens her mouth to answer, the flaming dove of truthiness will fly into her mouth and answer the question for her: "Rrrrraaawwwwrk!" God will giggle, the angels will cheer and the dove will lay a chocolate egg, just in time for Halloween.

Been taking mescaline long?

[FireWire]

Originally Posted by natural1 

I also feel sorry for the pets, but to call the old, handicapped woman a moron is going a bit far, don'cha think? Maybe she was burning one of those scented candles to provide a little aromatherapy - perhaps to lift her spirits, considering she was an old, handicapped woman living alone!!

Wow - a woman loses her pets in a tragic accident, but the best you can do is call her a moron? How cruel and shallow of you...

I think I'm gonna side with Cody on this one. Personally, I would have kept the moron qualificative for myself out of respect, but I can't deny the word crossed my mind when I thought about the story. Ok this is sad and I don't want to remove the sadness of the situation, but maybe the lady was a bit imprudent. A few details I have a problem with:

- as it was mentionned, you don't leave open flame near animals or children. Normally, scented candles are more wide than tall, so they would be hard to tip over.
- if you still use candles, don't place them near flammable objects.
- how big was the artificial plant if it ignited the whole house once it caught fire? I would imagine a normal-sized plant would have burned for 5 minutes and that's it.
- when you have an handicap, you should make sure to use extra safety in your daily action. And you don't put your leg and telephone out of reach, because you might need them fast...
- it seems the lady had only one leg amputated. Ok, I still have my 2 legs so I can't understand the dynamic of having just one, but how hard is it to get up and do something, especially when you have furniture nearby to hold on. It seems she couldn't even crawl to the living room table...
- and finally: we are taught this since childhood: if there's a fire in your house, don't call 911 from your house!

[itai195]

Originally Posted by Kevin 

Or IF he was trained.

The article specifically says the dog was trained.

Anyway, sad story. Perhaps the woman was negligent putting a candle on an easily tipped table near a bunch of flammable stuff, but I don't think that warrants labeling her a moron.

[bstone]

Damn cat. Cats cause problems. This perfectly illustrates the point.

[zerroeffect]

I think they meant IF he was trained to go get the cat or go above and beyond like that. Pretty incredible all the same and shouldn't give all the credit to some trainer.

Sad story, but amazing to think of supposedly "soul-less" animals doing things like this.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by zerroeffect 

I think they meant IF he was trained to go get the cat or go above and beyond like that. Pretty incredible all the same and shouldn't give all the credit to some trainer.

Ah you are probably right!

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck 

OMGWTFBBQ

Cody haxxored Kevin's account

-t

I just found the article too amusing to ignore.

But hey, I like cats AND dogs.

[Cody Dawg]

Here's the thing: The woman has an animal that crawls all over furniture, counters, lamps. You name it and it is there. Cats are worse than monkeys that way, you know? They're like little kids crawling all over. This lady - who is not very ambulatory - just decides to light up a candle and put it someplace where the cat would/might go? I mean, she's either stupid...or stupid.

I bet she didn't even have a candle. She's probably a damned smoker who fell asleep and the cigarette started the fire and she's trying to cover it up.

[Mithras]

Definition of a Republican: One who believes that everyone in the world gets exactly what they deserve.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg 

Here's the thing: The woman has an animal that crawls all over furniture, counters, lamps. You name it and it is there. Cats are worse than monkeys that way, you know? They're like little kids crawling all over. This lady - who is not very ambulatory - just decides to light up a candle and put it someplace where the cat would/might go? I mean, she's either stupid...or stupid.

I bet she didn't even have a candle. She's probably a damned smoker who fell asleep and the cigarette started the fire and she's trying to cover it up.

Come on Cody, did a cat beat you up at recess?

Seriously I love both cats and dogs. Most all animals. While I do have a softer spot for Dogs, cats are great too.

You'll find most police officers don't like cats because they are hard to control. They are defiant and do what they want. You whistle for them or calling for them sometimes and they look at you and go the opposite way.

Cops are more dog people because they are more easily controlled and will obey.

I like both animals for both reasons.

Turn off the lights in a house, and get a laser pen out and just see how fun cats can be.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Mithras 

Definition of a Republican: One who believes that everyone in the world gets exactly what they deserve.

Definition of a political Zealot. One who brings up political matters in places it simply doesn't belong.

[Cody Dawg]

I don't hate cats, Kevin.

Guess what? I'm supposed to take care of a Russian Blue (cat) for a lady who is in the hospital.

Your comment, "Did a cat beat me up at recess" is really not appropriate is it? DID I BEAT UP ON CATS IN THIS THREAD?

NO, I did not.

In fact, I went out of my way to say that the WOMAN who owns the cats IS AT FAULT.

Don't lead everyone to believe that:

a) I wrote the article that blames the cat
b) That I said anything negative about cats

Having said that...



I do not care to keep cats as *permanent* pets. In fact, other than fostering dogs AND cats or rehoming them - one at a time - we do not have any pets besides fish in a couple of huge saltwater aquariums and that's it.

Right now I have this little tiny mixed breed 10-pound dog that needed rescuing and that's it. He's here because he showed up at the house in bad shape and needed a home.

I just don't have the time for pets. We're expecting a baby, we have children that are in school and about a zillion extracurricular activities so we're constantly trying to shuttle children places, my husband coaches children on a sports team, and I work part-time. There is absolutely zero time for pets.

The dog that is staying with us is small enough to come with me on all of my trips so he comes along and doesn't have to stay home. He also fits into the shopping cart so he comes with me on shopping trips and errands. Otherwise he'd be home alone a lot and it's not fair to a pet to have it stay alone all of the time, at least that's what I think.

But, I don't hate cats. I just think that dogs are smarter in ways that matter to society, though the companionship that cats afford some people is great, and if I were going to keep a pet full time it would be a dog.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Mithras 

Definition of a Republican: One who believes that everyone in the world gets exactly what they deserve.

Definition of a Democrat: One who has no actual platform outside of stating that Republicans are evil jerks.

[CatLady]

Originally Posted by Mithras 

Seriously, that just sums it up, huh? Cats start trouble, dogs selflessly aid.

WRONG! My kitty is very heroic thank you very much.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by CatLady 

WRONG! My pussy is very heroic thank you very much.

Fixinated.



SCNR

-t

[drnkn_stylz]

I don't get why people use candles... Especially if you are disabled and cannot put it out quickly, if something were to happen, such as this. I have a cat, and I know damn well not to have candles around, and I am not disabled in any way. If you feel you must have candles, get the ones that float in water. They're safe and look cooler IMO...

[Kerrigan]

What the liberal media won't tell you is that moments before, a sting-ray flew through the window and tried to stab the cat.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

What the liberal media won't tell you is that moments before, a sting-ray flew through the window and tried to stab the cat.

No one is safe.

[drnkn_stylz]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

What the liberal media won't tell you is that moments before, a sting-ray flew through the window and tried to stab the cat.

lolerskates

[Cody Dawg]

Kerrigan: You rock!





Post of teh Day™:

drink_stylz

I don't get why people use candles... Especially if you are disabled and cannot put it out quickly, if something were to happen, such as this. I have a cat, and I know damn well not to have candles around, and I am not disabled in any way. If you feel you must have candles, get the ones that float in water. They're safe and look cooler IMO...

That's what I thought - but you said it better!

[drnkn_stylz]

feels nice to be quoted.

[ghporter]

The news story on this event that I read did not assume that the cat started the fire; an unprotected and unmonitored candle is a dangerous thing no matter who's around it. Cats are somewhat unpredictable when faced with new and scary situations, the cat may have run upstairs to get away from the comotion or the fire or both.

And how is a cat to know that bumping into any particular item is dangerous anyway? Is anyone suggesting that cats be schooled on candles, stoves, and other ignition sources? Cats are a responsibility, just as all pets are, and however smart or unsmart they are, they need to be protected from dangers rather than become the recipients of blame when there is apparently no blame to apply.

[Cody Dawg]

I agree, ghporter.

Like I said, it could have just as easily been a dog - especially a small one that gets up on the back of the sofa like ours does - that knocked the candle over.

The woman is a fool plain and simple.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Is anyone suggesting that cats be schooled on candles, stoves, and other ignition sources?

Cats can be trained. It's not even that hard.

[ghporter]

Sure cats can be trained. But everyone is BLAMING the cat for NOT being trained. How is that the cat's fault? Like Cody says, it was the owner's fault in a number of ways.

[Cody Dawg]

Sorry, but I'd like to know how you TRAIN a cat NOT to go someplace?





Furthermore, HOW do you "train" a cat not to go someplace? Cats are not very "trainable" in my estimation. Simple things, maybe, but not to on the back of a couch or jump up on a table? Don't think so.

[andi*pandi]

be the alpha cat.

(at the very least, you get them not jumping on the counter when you're around)

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg 

Sorry, but I'd like to know how you TRAIN a cat NOT to go someplace?
Furthermore, HOW do you "train" a cat not to go someplace? Cats are not very "trainable" in my estimation. Simple things, maybe, but not to on the back of a couch or jump up on a table? Don't think so.

With water. Cats hate to get wet. Spray a cat with a water bottle every time the get up on something and they'll stop doing it. There are also things like "Rotten Apple", which is a spray that you can put on things that will make cats (and dogs) stay away from it because they don't like the smell of it (humans don't really notice the smell).

With candles, show the cat what happens to a piece of paper that gets too close to the candle. Cats aren't brilliant, but they do observe what's dangerous and what's not. The flame spreading to the paper will actually scare the cat and it will stay away.

I'm not particularly a fan of cats, but my wife is. We've had a few, and you can control what they do up to a point. It's no problem to teach a cat to stay off of certain furniture. Easier with the cat than with our dog. Our dog is smart enough to stay off when we are home and then just get up there when we're gone. She'll hear the car coming and get off, so you never see her on the couch, but you can see the indentation and feel the warm spot, so you know she was there.

[andi*pandi]

Back in the cold spell we had in september, I lit a fire in the fireplace. I was curious to see what the cats would do, it wouldn't be that hard for them to open the grate doors. (they frequently open other doors).

After a brief inspection, they proceeded to ignore it.

water was helpful in training them off the christmas tree last year. Other than that, we hiss at them when they're naughty. From the guilty look on their faces, they know what that means.

[hyteckit]

Who said dogs don't go to heaven.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by hyteckit 

Who said dogs don't go to heaven.

The Bible

Rev 22:14, 15 (NIV) "Blessed are those who wash their robes,
that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through
the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice
magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and
everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

-t

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck 

The Bible

Rev 22:14, 15 (NIV) "Blessed are those who wash their robes,
that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through
the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice
magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and
everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

-t

Is "dogs" part of the list, or are they saying dogs practice magic arts and are sexually immoral, murders, idolaters, etc...

[JoshuaZ]

All I have to say is: Fake plants? Waaaaaaa?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Is "dogs" part of the list, or are they saying dogs practice magic arts and are sexually immoral, murders, idolaters, etc...

Haha, LOL

-t