Puppies galore
This litter of baby pit bulls was born soon after t heir mother was rescued from the St. Joseph River at floo d stage by St. Joseph County
Animal Control Director Tom Miller. who is seen here enfoying thei r company.
Commercial-News/Rick Cordes
•
Dogs rescued from river Harrowing
adventure ends well
By Rick Cordes
Staff Writer
NOTTAWA TOWNSHIP - It
sounds a bit like a tale from Old Yeller,
two dogs on logs stranded in a swollen
river barking in the night unseen.
Rescuers scramble to locate the
distressed canines and an unusual
story unfolds.
This true adventure began . last
spring when White Pigeon Township
residents Jim and Orean Shafer one
evening heard the sounds of dogs
barking in the vicinity of the White
Pigeon River.
Seeking to assist, the Shafers called
Animal Control director Tom Miller,
informing him of their concern, and
Miller set out to help.
"1 went there and the barking had
quit;' Miller said in recalling the events
of that evening and the following day.
"I checked both sides of the river ­
nothing. So I gave up:'
The next day Miller got a call from
another family who lives on Indian
Prairie Road. They also heard barking
in the same vicinity. Miller repeated
his trip to the.area, but his callers were
unable to pinpoint where the animal
was or to assist Miller in fmding the
dog or dogs.
However, the Shafers appeared on
scene and told Miller that they had
taken a boat out and rescued one dog
from a log. A second dog was still out
there but had exhibited "scary"
behavior - and they didn't get that
one.
The boat used by the Shafers turned
out to be a canoe - not the most
stable vessel to conduct a rescue from,
but it was the only float available and
Miller gladly accepted the offer to use
it.
The Shafers described the dog
remaining in the river as "fractious"
- so Miller proceeded with caution.
"We didn't know where to look,
dodging and weaving on a flood plain:'
he said, describing the search as it
prolonged without result. He began to
feel like he'd not be able to locate the
creature.
"And then there - 10 feet in front of
me - was a red dog on a red log:'
Miller said.
Miller pulled out his catch pole and
placed it on the dog, pulling the animal
into the canoe. "I took her in and
looked at her. She was thin, so I fed her
something. Later I noticed that she
was pregnant:'
Taking her back to Animal Control,
Miller phoned the SPCA (Society for
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
See DOGS, page 3
Bonded by rescue
"Water Lily" and Animal Control Director Tom Miller pause for a moment
together before the dog returns to her litter of nine puppies.
Commercial-News/Rick Cordes
'DOGS
Continued from page I
rescue center which had
provided foster care for other
local animals.
I An arrangement was made to
I place the pregnant dog - which
I was a pit bull - with a local
SPCA foster home. A week later
a litter of nine healthy puppies
was born, all of which survived.
The mother "never had a
misstep:' Miller indicated. The
dog was good with her offspring
fmm the start.
Last Saturday the matriarch of
the dog troop went to the SPCA
I
for spaying, and she will be put
up for adoption this week. The
puppies will also go to the SPCA
to have their shots and they will
be spayed/neutered before
adoption as well.
Miller noted the names he's
given to the two dogs he rescued:
the female is "Water Lily:' and
the male (who went to the Kent
County Humane Society) is
"River Phoenix~'
Rick Cordes can be reached at
279-7488 ext. 23 or rick@
threeriversnews. com.