Free Republic

When a thief unhooked her dog’s leash from outside a Manhattan shop and took off with him on the day before Christmas, little Mia Bendray was devastated. But on Christmas Day, her wish came true, and she was reunited with her beloved cavalier King Charles spaniel, Marley — thanks to a Good Samaritan. Tina Cohen, a high school teacher, saw a man in a park trying to sell a dog on Christmas Day. "I said that's not right,” she said.

A plucky dog called Molly spearheaded a five-day blitz by Scottish soldiers on the Taliban's tribal heartland. The five-year-old spaniel led the strike by troops of 4 Scots, The Highlanders, into one of the deadliest parts of Helmand province in Afghanistan. Molly was drafted in to sniff out booby trap bombs - the biggest killer of coalition troops - ahead of soldiers as they moved into the infamous Loy Check region of Helmand. Loy Check is notorious for heroin production and Taliban activity. Dog handler Private Charlotte Cook, 21, said: "As you can imagine, Molly, like the rest of us,...

An army dog handler and his record-breaking sniffer dog are being flown home after being killed on operation in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, of the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was killed by small arms fire on patrol with his dog in Helmand Province on Tuesday of last week.

Sam will tell on Joy in a heartbeat. It’s his job — and often it’s potentially life-saving. Sam, a 3-year-old Labrador/spaniel, likes to romp with the kids, but when his vest and balance harness go on, he becomes 11-year-old Joy Cahill’s service dog and official lookout. No one is then allowed to touch him because Sam is busy, keeping alert and ready to warn someone should this Wilmington girl have a health emergency. “He’s gotten to know her norm,” said Denise Cahill, Joy’s mother. “So when something is not normal, he reacts. He also doesn’t let Joy do anything she’s...

WILLIAMSBURG Karen Martin was having a bad year. She had broken up with her boyfriend, money was tight, and then her dog went missing. Willis, a 6-year-old clumber spaniel, disappeared from her Portsmouth backyard Dec. 21, 2009. "Last Christmas was terrible," said Martin, an operating systems programmer for the city of Chesapeake. "I was so distraught." It took almost a year, but Willis came home - thanks to the kindness of strangers and the extensive networking among humane societies and rescue groups. "It's amazing," said Martin, who now lives in Williamsburg. "My chances of getting my dog back after so...

The discovery of hateful photos on the personal web page of the president of the College Republicans was met with outrage by students, faculty, and staff in the Penn State community. University leaders condemned this behavior and spoke out against acts that foster racism, sexism, homophobia and incivility. Penn State is committed to a campus climate where the humanity and dignity of each individual is respected. The recently updated and published plan, "A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State, 2004-09," outlines the promotion of diversity through institutional leadership, financial support for programs, and strategies and approaches that encourage...