Thursday, April 2, 2009

Belated Celebration of Earp

This is in praise of Earp. Not Wyatt Earp, the celebrated lawman of the 19th Century, but one of his namesakes--a police dog in San Diego, which was where Wyatt operated saloons and gambling halls.

Earp the dog recently did his cop duty by confronting a knife-wielding murder suspect. He was given the “bite and hold” command and attempted to subdue the suspect. Earp was stabbed. The suspect also lunged at the human police and was shot dead. His dead wife was found inside his house.

And Earp? His injuries were serious. He lost a lot of blood. But, fortunately, he is going to survive. He was already near doggy retirement age, and it appears he’ll be able to return to active patrol duty for a little while first.

His story appeared in the news about a week ago. I’d seen it in the paper, saved it, but put it away. Then my older son (not the one who lives in San Diego, though) called it to my attention, said it would make a good topic for my blog.

I agreed, so here it is.

Many thanks to Earp and all smart animals who try hard to take care of their people! What’s your favorite story of animals helping humans?

--Linda

3 comments:

Betty Hechtman said...

I saw the story about Earp, too. It must be hard on their handlers when their dog gets injured. I'm glad he's going to be okay.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Despite the professional relationship, K-9s spend a lot of time with their handlers, including at home. I'm sure it's like having a family member hurt. And I'm really happy, too, Betty, that Earp will be okay.
--Linda

Janie Emaus said...

Hi Linda,
I can't think of a story off hand, but this one sure had a nice ending.