Rescue Dogs of the Oso, WA Landslide – Part 2

In the past few days Seattle’s KUOW 94.9 and KCTS 9 have featured interviews with those most affected by the Oso, WA landslide, which just six months ago (March 29, 2014) devastated an entire community 60 miles northeast of Seattle. I remember hearing descriptions on the news of rescue workers searching for victims in the huge debris field–conditions were extremely dangerous and the going was rough.

FEMA search dog onsite to help find victims of the Oso, WA Landslide.

Highly trained search dogs from across WA and the country were flown in to help guide the search for victims.

WA Governor Jay Inslee acknowledges a tired search dog with a scratch behind the ears.

Soon news reports about the dogs and their skill began to pour out of the area. Not only were the search dogs helping in the disaster zone, but “trauma dogs” were onsite in shelters to provide support to worried, grieving survivors as well as exhausted workers.

 

 

 

Fire fighters were critically important to the search and recovery mission.

I collected photos of the dogs featured in news stories and saved them on my desktop. I found comfort in knowing they were in Oso helping on so many levels. I post them now with respect for their meaningful contributions and to acknowledge their key role in the recovery mission.

Spending a moment with an understanding friend.

Helping to keep spirits up at the command center.

Rescue Dogs of the Oso Landslide – Part 1

Just six months ago, bucolic Steelhead Drive in Oso, WA was destroyed in a matter of seconds by a landslide of mud, trees, rock, and water. A cliffy area above the town liquified and roared like a freight train toward the river below taking everything in its path, including forty three souls. In the past few days KUOW 94.9 and KCTS 9 have featured interviews with those most affected by the disaster, including “a woman rescued from the mud, a couple who lost their home, a first responder struggling with post-traumatic stress, and leaders, municipal and spiritual, still working tirelessly for their community.”

I remember hearing the first reports on the radio about the slide, which occurred 60 miles northeast of Seattle. People at the scene plunged into the jumble of rock, downed power lines, pulverized houses and broken trees hoping to reach victims calling out for help. The muck was dangerous and the going slow. Some of the voices faded and disappeared.

Returning from the search, a four-legged rescue worker at the Oso landslide.

Then reports emerged of sniffer dogs arriving on the scene. Four-legged trained searchers were soon guiding the rescue teams to the living and the dead. And, comfort dogs were brought in to nurture the worried survivors staying in shelters and also the workers, who searched and searched despite exhaustion and terrible danger.

A rescuer doing the work. Sincere. Determined. Undaunted.

I found myself collecting screenshots of the dogs that appeared in the news accounts that I read over the days and weeks. The dogs seemed to be a bright light of hope shining through the fog of loss. It comforted me to know they were on the ground in Oso.

Rescue team at the Oso landslide. Trained sniffer dogs helped speed-up the search.

Helping out at the shelter: comfort and care delivered to worried souls.

On the job — tracking scents undetectable to humans. Dogs were key to Oso Landslide rescue efforts.

I did not save information about the dogs’ names or owners, the photographers who took the pictures, or the news channels that published the photos. Because this is my blog that few read and from which I earn nothing, I am taking the liberty of posting some of these photos now.

I do this in memory of those who lost their lives and those still in the process of recovering.

And, I do this in honor of the dogs who did so much to help.

Our canine friends make the world a better place simply by their being in it.

“I am here to help. How you are doing? You can tell me everything and you don’t have to use words.”

Finding one’s voice & being a voice for animals — the incredible journey of wildlife biologist Alan Rabinowitz

Listen here: http://www.onbeing.org/program/voice-animals/60

Listening to this podcast I felt myself in the presence of greatness: Alan Rabinowitz, wildlife biologist, overcame stuttering and the devastating emotional trauma it caused to become an advocate for the downtrodden, pursuing life with openness, compassion, and wisdom.

When Mr. Rabinowitz was growing up he discovered that, amazingly, he could talk to animals easily, clearly, and without stuttering. He sought refuge in their company. Now he is “paying it forward” by working to help the world’s endangered cats survive the encroaching march of habitat destruction. This is a great listen.

Have you seen the bumper sticker that has a paw print and these words “Who Rescued Who?” That image came to mind as I listened to The Gift of Stuttering and Animals, a moving excerpt from the original interview with Mr. Rabinowitz. (See link below.) This story affirms that being in the presence of animals can lead to life-changing transformation and healing.

Thank you, Mr. Rabinowitz for sharing your deep and universal story with the world.

Listen here: http://www.onbeing.org/blog/gift-stuttering-and-animals/4311

A Voice for the Animals with Dr. Alan Rabinowitz (October 13, 2011) [encore] by On Being is licensed under a  Creative Commons Licence.

Lucy the Chimpanzee: A “haunting epic” tale from Radiolab that you will never forget

When I heard the life story of Lucy the chimpanzee on Radiolab I felt as if I had taken a spear through the heart. I connected with her innocence, her suffering, and her abandonment as if I were touching a downed live electrical wire.

Lucy was adopted at two days of age by a couple who raised her as their child. Later, after having been raised as a human, she was taken to Gambia and released on an island to live with a group of wild chimpanzees.

Lucy encountered one beautiful bit of good luck in her life: Janis Carter, who studied chimpanzees in Gambia, worked to help Lucy adjust to her new life. With great compassion and persistence she did what she could to ease Lucy’s sense of profound abandonment and loss.

Listen to this story. Once heard, you will never forget it. It haunts me now, almost a year since I first heard it, and I know it will stay with me for the duration.

May it inspire us all to protect the lives of animals everywhere. Click the photo for the link to the audio.

Lucy, wherever you are, may you be at peace now. May you live on in the heart of limitless grace. http://www.radiolab.org/story/91705-lucy/

Lucy the chimpanzee was raised as a human in the 1970s and 80s by Dr. Maurice and Jane Temerlin. Black and white images of Lucy with the Temerlins from Dr. Temerlin’s now out-of-print book, “Growing up Human,’ courtesy of Science and Behavior Books, Inc. Photos of Lucy in Gambia courtesy of Janis Carter. Slideshow produced by Sharon Shattuck.

Lucy clings to Janis Carter in their last meeting. Then, resigned, drifts away into the forest.

Picture of the Day: Perfectly Timed Dogbird

Photo by Megan Whiteley: https://www.facebook.com/meganwhiteleyphotography23

Twisted Sifter’s Picture of the Day for November 7, 2013!

Imagine what it would be like if dogs could fly…

We Have A Secret — Coping when a dog passes away

And only I can see you pause
at every brook I pass…

We Have A Secret

We have a secret, you and I,
that no one else shall know,
for who but I can see you lie
each night in fire glow?
And who but I can reach my hand
before we go to bed
and feel the living warmth of you
and touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths
and see ahead of me,
your sweet form racing with the wind
so young again, and free.
And only I can see you pause
at every brook I pass
and when I call, no one but I
can see the bending grass.

—Author Unknown

 

Fantastic Documentary: The Animal Communicator — Speaking in a language older than words.

Click the baboon to watch!

Do you remember a time when you communicated with an animal? Do you remember understanding each other completely, experiencing each other’s being?

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/11936/The-Animal-Communicator?goback=.gde_164999_member_5802345555992526848

“Anna Breytenbach has dedicated her life to what she calls interspecies communication. She sends detailed messages to animals through pictures and thoughts. She then receives messages of remarkable clarity back from the animals.”

I felt bathed in wonder and awe as I watched this story unfold. This film gives me hope that one day, before it’s too late, humans can re-establish a mutually respectful interbeing with animals. We will recognize our interconnectedness and communicate across perceived boundaries, just as our ancestors did millennia ago.

Tyger Tyger burning bright / in the forests of the night

Since hearing in July about five Indonesian men trapped in a tree by four Sumatran tigers, Blake’s poem, “The Tyger” has haunted me. According to a BBC News article, the Sumatran tigers were drawn to the site because the men inadvertently killed one of their cubs. As few as 350 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild, according to the article.

I can imagine their fierce eyes afire as they circled the tree for days in grief and fury, perhaps building up a righteous appetite in the process. The men were eventually rescued after being treed for five days.

Sumatran tiger eyes burning bright.

The Tyger
by William Blake

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Four swimming deer seek refuge on a fishing boat…and find it.

In an earlier post I embedded a YouTube video of a mother sea otter escaping killer whales in Alaska by jumping on the stern of a small fishing boat. (Sadly, her calf was not as fortunate as she and was eaten by the whales.) Today a friend in Alaska sent me this story via email. It, too, features animals desperately swimming for an Alaskan fishing boat in search of safety.

My question from my earlier post remains: Do you think the animals sense the boat and the people on it are safe and will be helpful, or are they strictly “in a panic” and seeking any way out of the water?

Here follows the email I received. (I’ve added captions to the photos. Otherwise, I present it “as is”, complete with the original closing quote.)

A once in the history of mankind kind of thing: The Best Day Of Fishing Ever! Some fishing stories are a little hard to believe, but this guy has pictures to prove his story…

I’ve heard of salmon jumping into boats, but never anything quite like this… Tom Satre told the Sitka Gazette that he was out with a charter group on his 62-foot fishing vessel when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat.

Away from what are the four deer swimming? Do they believe they can get on the 62 foot fishing boat?

How fortunate that the captain was kind and understanding and helped the deer aboard.

“Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us. We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed. I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Once onboard, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering.”

“This is a picture I  took of  the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the  Alaska Quest.  We headed for Taku Harbor (near Juneau, Alaska). Once we reached the dock, the first buck that had been pulled from the water hopped onto the dock,  looked back as if to say ‘thank you’ and  disappeared into the forest.  After a bit of prodding  and assistance, two more followed, but the  smallest deer needed a little more help.

This is me carrying the little guy. (See below)

Too tired to walk and perhaps too cold, this deer gets a ride to safety in a wheel barrow.

My daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn’t know how long they had been in the icy waters or if there had been others who did not survive.

What a memorable day for all. As John Wooden said, “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

My daughter later told me that the experience was something that she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the same way as well!”

“Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.” – Mark Twain             *          *         *         *          *         *         *          *         *         *        *          *         *

So, what do you think? Do you think the desperate deer had a “sixth sense” that these people were helpful and kind? Why or why not?

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity” –Simone Weil

Luna has an uncanny ability to “read” people, other animals, and the environment. Good dog!

Luna, the first and only dog I have owned, has proved to be an extraordinary friend and teacher. She was middle-aged when I adopted her, but I have come to believe that she was already “an old soul” long before we met.

One of her distinguishing characteristics is the quality of her attention–she observes the world with calm, clear eyes. When something seems amiss or “out of context”, she will investigate. Her senses are almost other-worldly. For example, how does she know, from the comfort of her bed in my dining room, that a raccoon is on the roof of the neighbor’s porch? Somehow she senses this, jumps up to savagely bark at the back door and, when released, roars at the raccoon through the fence until it moves along.

To be the focus of Luna’s open, accepting attention and her exquisite awareness is a gift for which I am grateful every day. Through knowing Luna, I have grown to believe: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” —Simone Weil

I wonder if the quality of attention we receive from the animals in our lives is one of the reasons humans derive so many health benefits from their presence.

What do you think?