Honouring Canada’s Pet Heroes

Toronto – What makes a hero? If it’s bravery, determination, selflessness and devotion, then all four of the 2010 Purina Animal Hall of Fame Inductees – Chance, Patty, Gepetto and Bingo – have shown that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Honoured this morning at PawsWay Pet Discovery Centre in Toronto, each of these four-legged heroes exemplify the powerful bond that exists between animals and people and the important role pets play in our lives.

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“The Purina Animal Hall of Fame is a unique opportunity to celebrate the family pets and service animals that love and protect us every day – and specifically recognize those whose incredible feats have saved a human life,” said Mary Siemiesz, Executive Director of the Purina PetCare Legacy. “2009 marked an extraordinary year for animal bravery and we’re very excited to unveil this year’s Inductees at PawsWay, the permanent home of the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, where pet-lovers can enjoy the heroes and their stories, and be inspired year-round.” One of the longest running pet recognition programs in Canada, the Purina Animal Hall of Fame has recognized the life-saving feats of pets and service animals for more than four decades. Since its creation in 1968, more than 140 animals have been inducted – 120 dogs, 25 cats and one horse. Canadians across the country can visit [url=http://www.purina.ca/about/halloffame]http://www.purina.ca/about/halloffame[/url] to read past honoured stories and learn how to nominate a heroic pet or service dog. The 2010 honourees were carefully selected from hundreds of nominations based on their keen instinct, loyalty and intelligence in saving the lives of their owners and family members. “This year’s Inductees have shown us that a hero is a hero no matter how big or small – all that matters is the size of their hearts,” said Siemiesz. “They remind us why we adopt, rescue and welcome pets into our lives, and why it is so essential they are responsibly cared for and cherished.” “Patty is definitely our hero for the part she played in saving my father’s life,” said Karen Jensen, owner of the three-year old Border Collie mix from Westlock, Alberta, and 2010 Inductee. “She is truly an amazing animal that is so deserving of this honour, and our entire family is so happy that she’s being inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.”

The 2010 Purina Animal Hall of Fame Inductees:

Gepetto (Wetaskiwin, AB) In early December 2009, Gepetto – a normally quiet, mellow orange cat – caught Phyllis Sjogren’s attention with some uncharacteristic and very loud behaviour. Nothing, not even her earplugs, could block out what Phyllis calls, “the terrible sequence of yowls” coming from the basement at six-thirty a.m. As she rose, Phyllis realized she had an extremely painful headache, but she was determined to check first on the safety of her cat. After she quieted Gepetto down, Phyllis called her husband to ask about her strange symptoms. Alerted, Martin Sjogren implored his wife to leave the house immediately and call a close friend employed by the gas company for help. Emergency crews revealed the Sjogren’s home had filled to a level of 70 per cent with carbon monoxide and Phyllis was suffering from stage two carbon monoxide poisoning. Phyllis credits Gepetto’s plaintive cries with saving her life – her mellow fellow knew exactly when to use his voice. Patty (Westlock, AB) In May 2009, Patty joined her owner, Kai “Grandpa” Jensen, and his son Allan, as they prepared to plant their yearly crop. Before Allan closed the cab door to his air seeder to start work, Patty – a 5-year-old Border Collie mix – began uncharacteristically jumping beside the six foot high door, barking furiously and running in anxious circles. Feeling something was wrong; Allan jumped out of the cab and followed Patty as she raced to reveal his father Kai lying crushed behind the 6,000 lb air seeder. In a scenario where every second counted, Patty didn’t waste a moment getting help. In a heart-stopping second Allan pulled his cell phone from his pocket to call 911 and was able to get paramedics on the scene in time to save his father. To this day no one, including Kai, knows exactly how the accident happened. But one thing is known – Patty is, without a doubt, Kai Jensen’s hero. Chance (South Bar, NS) Last December, Veronica Fraser and her seven-year-old autistic son, James Delorey, were playing in their backyard with Chance – the family’s mixed-breed dog. Distracted momentarily by a problem with the family’s motor home, Veronica returned to the backyard to find her son and Chance missing. After frantically searching the area, Veronica ran home to alert her family and local police that James was missing. A full blown police and community search ensued. Four-wheelers drove deep into the forest, night-vision goggles and helicopters aided in the search. A snowstorm hit the region, which terrified Veronica as James did not have a jacket. Two days after James’ disappearance, Chance emerged from the marshy woods. Search and rescue teams followed his footprints in the snow leading them straight to James. He was unconscious and suffering from extreme hypothermia but, amazingly, still alive. He was rushed to the hospital where medical teams worked tirelessly to stabilize him. They attributed his survival to Chance staying by his side, keeping him warm. Sadly, in hospital James succumbed to the hypothermia and passed away later that day. Although James is no longer with them, his family considers Chance his guardian angel. Chance not only kept James alive until he could be found, but thanks to him, James was reunited with his family – something for which Veronica is eternally grateful. Service Dog of the Year: Bingo (Shilo, MB) Bingo is an intelligent, ten-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, with a truly keen set of ears, who cares for eight-year-old Cole Hein. Cole suffers from a life-threatening and undiagnosed condition that causes him to retch and stop breathing with little to no warning. Before Bingo arrived, Cole had to be under supervision 24-hours-a-day. This was extraordinarily hard on Mandi Hein, Cole’s mother, and Dwayne Hein, Cole’s father, a military infanteer for the Canadian Forces. Bingo is trained to bark whenever she hears Cole retch, which alerts Cole’s family to the fact that he may have stopped breathing. With this unique skill set, Bingo has proven herself to be Cole’s saviour time and time again, barking and alerting Mandi in time to either get help or administer artificial respiration. Mandi cannot count how many times Bingo has saved Cole’s life. And while every day Cole’s condition becomes more manageable, the Hein family still calls Bingo “the answer to their prayers” and credits her as the reason Cole has been able to grow up to be the boy he is today.