Man has seizure; dog places 911 call
“Man’s best friend” doesn’t go far enough for Buddy – a German shepherd who remembered his training and saved his owner’s life by calling 911 when the man had a seizure.
And it’s not the first time Buddy has been there for owner Joe Stalnaker, a police officer said Sunday.
On a recording of the 911 call Wednesday, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the dispatcher answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.
Police were sent to Stalnaker’s home, and after about three minutes Buddy is heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Clark said. “Even the veteran dispatchers – they haven’t heard of anything like this.”
Clark said police are dispatched whenever 911 is called, but that Stalnaker’s address was flagged with a notification that a trained assistance dog could call 911 when the owner was incapacitated.
Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Stalnaker was having seizures.
EAST MACHIAS, Maine
Mechanical gorilla returned home
An 8-foot-tall mechanical gorilla is back home at an eastern Maine flea market-style store two weeks after it was stolen and later dumped in a cornfield in Vermont.
A pickup carrying the somewhat battered gorilla arrived Saturday afternoon at Sandy’s Sales a day after being picked up at a Vermont police barracks.
Owners Sandy and Lowell Miller were delighted to see the gorilla, dubbed “Seemore,” which was stolen from outside their store over Labor Day weekend. But the gorilla needs some care for its injuries: a head severed from its body, holes and rips in its face and a broken arm.
“After people see her battle wounds, we are going to have her have a face lift,” Sandy Miller said. “A new rubber face.”
After the gorilla was stolen, the owner of the factory where the gorilla was created produced a YouTube video offering a $500 reward for its return.
The thief then appeared in disguise in his own YouTube video, saying he was sorry and jokingly offering to return the beast for $1 million. Seemore then showed up in a cornfield.