Dog rescued from L.A. River is reclaimed by owner [Helicopter, 50 firefighters deployed to rescue]

latimes ^ | January 28, 2010

[JoeProBono]

Vernon the mystery dog is mysterious no longer: The German shepherd mix, whose dramatic rescue last week from the flooded L.A. River was carried live on many TV news stations, has been reclaimed by his owner.

The dog had been taken to the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey after his rescue, and animal control officers had been unable to locate his owner because he wasn't wearing ID tags and hadn't been microchipped. Officers called him Vernon after the city in which he was rescued.

Turns out, Vernon's name is really Spikey, and he's owned by an elderly woman who lives in Maywood. According to the family friend who went to claim him Tuesday, the dog's owner speaks only Spanish and, since the rescue didn't receive as much attention on Spanish-language TV, she wasn't aware that her dog had become a media sensation until a friend alerted her several days later.....

[fortheDeclaration]

I think that's the goal of all rescue teams... no matter if it's a human, or animal. For those who make a big deal about them using the fire fighters, helicopter resources, think about all the dogs that have been used in the past to rescue humans... this is our way of saying to the doggie kingdom ... Thank you for your loyal service.

All of God's creatures, great and small should be treated with kindness.

[AuntB]

” animal control officers had been unable to locate his owner because he wasn’t wearing ID tags..... and he’s owned by an elderly woman who lives in Maywood. According to the family friend who went to claim him Tuesday, the dog’s owner speaks only Spanish and”

I saw the ‘reunion’ of the ‘family’ and the dog on CBS last night. There was half a dozen kids and they own another big dog. Typical....why get a license for your dog when you came into the country illegally. How much did this rescue cost taxpayers...just more of the unnecessary costs we pay for the invasion.

Does welfare pay for dog food too??? And the ‘elderly woman’....in California she gets CASH especially if she’s an illegal alien.