Jesse (RIP)
Posted on 10/17/2006 6:00:01 AM PDT by presidio9
After a disabled woman's cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue, then died trying to help the cat still in the house. Jamie Hanson said the 13-year-old dog named Jesse brought the phone so she could call 911 and also brought her artificial leg.
"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 burns to an arm in the fire Sunday night at her home in the town of Rhine south of Elkhart Lake, the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department said, adding that both pets died in the fire.
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."
She said she tried to put the prosthetic leg on, but it was too hot, and the dog, a golden retriever-German shepherd mix, came to her aid again before going back inside for the cat.
When rescuers arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames, the sheriff's department said. Hanson was in the doorway and was assisted by a deputy.
She was no longer being treated at the hospital when The Associated Press called Monday evening for further comment.
Poor puppy.
But the cat isn't responsible. The stupid owner burning unstable candles where her animals could reach it is.
If called by a panther
Don't anther.
--Ogden Nash
I had a really cool circa 70s candle that was made of multi-colored ribbons of wax hand-formed into a tall, spiralled open sculpture.
I never got to use it...it melted during a summer heatwave into a multi-colored blob.....LOL!
The story is true. Here is a link to the Sheboygan Press article with a picture of the owner and her dog, Jesse, may God give him a place in heaven.
http://www.sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061017/SHE0101/610170444/1973
Dogs are just as self-relient as cats when left to fend for themselves.
I have never seen a dog that you could leave inside a house for a week with just food and water. Dogs always need to be walked, etc. Too high maintenance.
Long-haired cats and dogs don't de-matt themselves.. They need constant grooming.
Most cats are not long-haired. Also, many long-haired cats have much nicer fur (read less mats) if they are fed decent food (not Purina or Friskies).
Both cats and dogs have to be housebroken, given attention, food and water.
I have never known a cat that needed to be housebroken unless it was an unneutered male and then there's not much to be done aside from neutering. Many cats do not desire attention or at least get a significant amount from each other.
Dogs are genuinely affectionate, loyal, obedient and don't beg when properly trained.
My cats are genuinely affectionate, loyal, obedient. They do beg, but that's my husband's fault. Just like dogs, cats have many many different personalities. Are there cats that are mean? Yes, but there are dogs that are just mean. Are there cats that are shy? Yes, but there are dogs that are shy. There are also outgoing "dog-like" cats that would surprise you with their affection and loyalty. And when I say "Get Down" in a firm voice, my girls listen.
Cats do have a purpose though.. They make tasty treats for large dogs.. LOL! J/K! ;)
I'd like to see your dogs try and get a treat of one of my cats. Somehow I think my girls would get the upper hand, even at 10 pounds each! :)
Seriously, however, most people who hate cats just don't understand them very well. For me, I don't dislike dogs, I just don't want that much work and mess in my house. Plus, being away from the home 12 hours a day is really unfair on a dog. I do enjoy dogs at other people's homes.
Cats are more like humans, and dogs are more like pets!
Sad story. Lit candles don't belong in houses with kids, cats & drunks.
Jesse (RIP)
I'm not the first poster here to state the obvious! :o)
I'll grant you that the only thing predictable about a cat, is that the cat will do the unpredictable. Every cat owner knows this. Jamie Hanson should have never left a candle burning beyond her reach. I'm very sorry that both of her pets lost their lives because she wasn't using good judgement.
That was some dog. He really loved that cat.
Aww. Good doggie. Poor cat and dog.
What on earth was that woman thinking?
See photo of poor Jesse in post 70.
Kitty-haters just don't know what they're missing.
There are also outgoing "dog-like" cats that would surprise you with their affection and loyalty.
That would've been my beloved gentleman Ashley. He'd follow me around up and down the driveway to the mail, down the street, etc. Extremely affectionate, tail straight up and everything.
Using the stereotypes, I always say the best dogs are cat-like and the best cats are dog-like!
But don't forget that Annette O'Toole was in that too!
Mark
"I have never known a cat that needed to be housebroken"
Actually, I don't agree with this! Every animal to live in a home needs to be "housebroken". Whether it's to use the litter or to go outside or both, they all need it.
That's nice.
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