Tarazet

Another Dog to the Rescue

It's that secret, mysterious bond thing. From the Kansas City Star:

Shannon, a 6-year-old border collie and golden retriever mix, is a heroine.

She may never achieve the acclaim of TV's Lassie.

But in the eyes of Ted Mandry, whose life she recently saved, she's the most special dog in the world.

Mandry was working in a field and was pinned by his tractor. What happened next is pure dog instinct:

Back at the farmhouse, Peggy returned home and figured her husband was late for lunch, not unusual at all.

But what was unusual was Shannon's behavior. Typically restrained and quiet, she began howling and scratching at the door. The house was closed up and the air conditioner was on, so whether she heard her master's whistle or just instinctively knew he was in trouble, they'll never know.

“I figured she just wanted to run with the tractor, so I ignored her,” Peggy said, looking embarrassed, in retrospect, by her decision.

Not getting her way, Shannon's “bad” behavior escalated. She started scratching wildly at the door, digging deep grooves in the door and the floor.

“I decided to put her outside and tie her to a tree,” Peggy said. She tied one end of a rope to Shannon's collar and wrapped the other end around her arm. As soon as the door opened, Shannon bolted, and Peggy had no choice but to run with her.

When they got to the gully and she saw what had happened, Peggy ran back and called 911.

I love reporting stories like this. For those (fortunately few) people who claim dogs are too much trouble, or the food and vet bills are too high, how much would you say Shannon is worth to Ted Mandry? For everything else, there's Mastercard...

Posted by Jeff Soyer at August 1, 2004 10:17 PM