Happiest Dog Ever Welcomes Home Soldier Dad by Rose Martelli (Subscribe to Rose Martelli’s posts) Nov 17th 2009 @ 6:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Loss of a Pet, Funny Animal Videos An American soldier’s return from Afghanistan, taped in 2005 by his wife, has suddenly become a viral-video sensation — thanks to the welcome-home yelps his elated dog, Gracie, gave upon seeing him again for the first time. The video only recently became a YouTube sensation after it was included in a Veterans Day video montage. In the home video, then-Lieutenant Andrew Schmidt of the West Virginia Air National Guard, dressed in fatigues, is coming back from a five-month tour in Afghanistan. But he can’t get past the sidewalk in front of his Springfield, Virginia house before Gracie, then a two-year-old golden retriever, bolts forth from the front door. Earlier this week, Andrew Schmidt told The Today Show, “We’re really close. You know, dogs get to be like your kids. The truth is, I missed all my family, and when I got off that plane I was home — a little bit. And then when I drove down the street and looked out the window, I was home a little bit more. But I knew when that door opened and she came running out, I felt like I was finally at home.” Six-year-old Gracie, a golden retriever, is seen jumping into the lap of her beloved master Lieutenant Andrew Schmidt, rolling over and wriggling in joy after he returned safely to his home .. Read The Full Story on link
Dot is our top lead Border Collie at the Border Collie Rescue Assessment centre. She lives to herd and loves every minute of it. Dot came to us during Foot and Mouth from a farm in Wales and decided she wanted to stay. She has been a great help controlling sheep during assessments and recently has helped train Gael who will be taking over from her when she (reluctantly) retires. Dot is aged 14. The Border Collie is designed to be a sheepdog and was originally used for herding livestock in the English and Scottish Borders. Border Collie Rescue assesses all dogs coming into our care for herding ability and will rehome them as stockdogs if that is what they need to do but we also assess and rehome for scent discrimination skills to the Police, Prison Service and Excise to detect drugs, explosives and firearms — to SARDA and other rescue organisations for mountain rescue and search and rescue work — to help deaf, blind or otherwise disabled people as well as for working trials, flyball, agility, obedience and other interactive sporting disciplines and many of our dogs have qualified for Crufts in these disciplines. Those that show us they do not need or want to work are rehomed as PAT dogs, pets and companions.
