TUCKER GOES HOME 'FOR KEEPS'

A special eight year old sheltie finds his very special forever family.
WISN TheMilwaukeeChannel, May, 2001

After two months of recovering, a severely abused sheltie has a new home. Tucker, an 8-year-old Sheltie, was dumped over the gates of the Kenosha County Humane Society with a gaping hole in his face, cysts, fleas and leg wounds. Tucker needed a total of four surgeries and lots of care before he could be adopted.

Saturday that finally happened. Mike and Heidi saw Tucker's story on 12 News and immediately fell in love with him. They had spent the last several weeks visiting him until they could take him home....forever.

It was a hard good-bye though, for Tucker's foster mom. The group that nursed him back to good health says that Tucker helped bring awareness to the plight of abused dogs everywhere.

SOLDIERS AND THEIR BRAVE DOGS HONORED
CHICAGO, Chicago Tribune 5/28/01

Chicago-- The nation's veterans, along with the dogs that served alongside many of them, received a rousing thank you Sunday, as nearly 1,000 people braved the rain to dedicate the Midwest's only War Dog Memorial in Streamwood.

The 90-minute ceremony stepped off with a grand march, led by bagpipers and representatives from each of the military branches, and culminated with the dedication of War Dog Memorial. The unveiling of a bronze sculpture of a dog and his handler from the Vietnam War, drew many dignitaries. Sculptor Anthony Quickle of St. Simons Island, Ga., was on hand for the dedication. An Air Force veteran, he wanted to capture the special bond that existed between dogs and their handlers, when he sculpted the soldier pointing to what the dog had alerted him to. "It was a true teamwork concept, the dog was an equal partner," Quickle said. "The dog was his eyes and ears, and by extension that of the entire unit's."

Dog handlers from 40 police canine units in the suburbs filed solemnly pass the monument, acknowledging the critical role dogs play in police work today. Jose Palacios and Carolyn Pentecost, both of Streamwood, spearheaded the fundraising effort to build the memorial, with help from the Vietnam Dog Handlers' Association. Handlers said dogs were trained to sniff out booby traps, land mines, tunnels, enemy ambushes, and even underwater mines. "Most people had no idea what we did, of a dog's role in Vietnam," said Chip Burnhart of Chicago. "But I'm alive because of my dog, thousands of men are alive because of my dog." Through the course of history dogs have aided during military conflicts, dating back to the Revolutionary War through Operation Desert Storm. They played their greatest role during the Vietnam War, when 4,700 dogs are credited with saving 10,000 lives.

"Although they served with valor, no special medal exists for canines and their handlers," said Streamwood Village President Billie Roth. "As a reminder of these brave canines and their handlers, I can truly think of no better designation than heroes."