Train-Track Dog, Disabled Boy's Reunion Warmed Hearts
 

FRIDAY, DEC. 20, 2013 – Wildfires and evacuations. A monkey in a house where he should not belong. A dog tied to the train tracks and left to die. A frantic search for a disabled boy's beloved companion. Assisting livestock while the hills crackled with fire. These are some of the crazy and riveting stories Riverside County Animal Services' employees will remember and cherish as we close out another year. 

Banjo the Train-Track Dog was one of most powerful stories we have experienced in a long time. And Banjo's adoption in May to a Huntington Beach couple warmed our hearts. We didn't think a story could top Banjo's back story and heartwarming adoption, but the frantic search and rescue – and eventual reunion – for a service dog, Kipper, owned by 9-year-old Dominic Cumo, is our No. 1 story in 2013.

Kipper, a 4-year-old Shih Tzu, went missing on May 6 when Dominic's parents were visiting a property they own in Cathedral City. Dominic deals with Lou Gehrig's disease every day and his dog is not just a companion but a special service dog too. The dog, his parents said, had already saved Dominic's life three times by alerting the family when Dominic is having trouble breathing.

Dominic's parents contacted a local television station in the hopes a story might quickly reunite Dominic with Kipper. Did anyone know where Kipper was? Did someone find him? Was he stolen? It was so odd that Kipper would have disappeared in such a manner. On that day, though, there were many distractions. The neighborhood children were saying hello to Dominic and Kipper and, in the hustle and bustle, Kipper had vanished.

After learning of the story from media reports, a team of Riverside County employees from the Coachella Valley Animal Campus stepped up its efforts. Animal control officers were joined with animal care technicians and clerical staff members in an all-out push in the neighborhood where Kipper went missing. They canvassed streets and businesses and handed out fliers and asked everyone they met, "Have you seen this dog?"

The effort paid off big time. A business owner said they had been approached by a man trying to sell a dog that looked just like Kipper. The shelter employees knew they were getting warmer. And, sure enough, they discovered a man sitting outside a supermarket with a small, white dog, trying to hawk him. The man relinquished the dog to the shelter employees, who then rushed Kipper back to Dominic and his parents.

"You guys were like mad dogs out there," Dominic's mother, Shawnee Cumo, said that day. "I kept seeing your officers drive past. I just felt great support from you guys."

One month prior to the Kipper story, another strange and exciting tale also happened in the Coachella Valley. A county animal control officer responded to a call from a Union Pacific employee that had reported he had a dog for us. The special agent had just pulled the dog from the train tracks just after a train engineer managed to stop his train in time. The engineer avoided smashing a gray-and-white terrier mix that had been tied to the tracks.

Other stories this year that made the Top 10 included a monkey impound by our Coachella Valley-based officers, capturing second place in the ASPCA's $100,000 Rachael Ray Challenge adoption competition this past summer, and the grand opening of the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

Riverside County Animal Services staff members also experienced stories that are now becoming more commonplace at the shelter: pet reunions, thanks to microchip implants. But the employees never tire of the reunions when they learn that the pet has been missing more than a year, or two years.

Here are the Top 10 stories for Riverside County Animal Services (NOTE: Listed chronologically; we bolded the stories and provided some story and video links to help you enjoy walking down memory lane with us):

1. See Ya Later! – Officer retrieves alligator from Desert Hot Springs (March 4, 2013): Here is the Los Angeles Times story link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/alligator-found-desert-hot-springs-1.html

2. Foxy Gets Reunited –Family Reunited With Microchipped Dog, Two Years Later! (March 6, 2013) Here is our raw video we posted on YouTube:
3. Dominic Gets Kipper Back – Special-needs Boy Gets Reunited With Service Dog (May 6, 2013) Here is a link to the KMIR story about Kipper and Dominic: http://www.jrn.com/kmir6/news/206686641.html
4. Banjo the Train-Track Dog – Dog Tied To Tracks Left to Die (April 9). If not for the riveting and happy- ending story about Dominic and Kipper, the terrible tale of Banjo – with an equally happy ending – would have topped our list of best stories in 2013. The story generated international news and the headlines led to hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from people that wanted to be Banjo's new family. After reviewing the many requests, the shelter employees decided that Louisa and Jeff Moore of Huntington Beach would make for the perfect adoption. Here are some of the stories connected with Banjo and some video footage on the day the lovely Louise and Jeff Moore adopted Banjo from our Coachella Valley Animal Campus:
   1. KABC story about the cruel act: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?id=9059047
   2. Here is one of the stories KESQ did about Banjo: http://www.kesq.com/news/Dog-left-tied-to-train-tracks-rescued/-/233092/19681366/-/fih5j3/-/index.html
   3. KESQ also touched on the criticism we received when we didn't seek prosecution for the man that left the dog on the tracks: http://www.kesq.com/kesq/Animal-shelter-responds-to-criticisms-involving-puppy-tied-to- railroad-tracks/-/232254/19708056/-/lsfnjn/-/index.html
   4. KABC story about adoption: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?id=9107129
   5. KESQ story about the Banjo adoption: http://www.kesq.com/Banjo-finds-a-home/-/233230/20199506/-/8ai60lz/- /index.html
   6. The Orange County Register story about Banjo adoption: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/banjo-509138-dog- moore.html

   7. BANJO ADOPTED! Our raw footage:
5. Second Place! – Riverside County Captures Second Place in ASPCA Rachael Ray Challenge (Note: We adopted and transferred to rescue groups 4,332 pets during the summer months of June, July and August 2013) Here is the ASPCA's news release: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/riverside-county-department-animal-services-finishes-second-place-division
6. Bucky Perishes – Acclaimed Horse Euthanized After Accident; Horse Had Been in 26 Rose Parades. Our news release link about this tragic story involving our Blythe Animal Shelter team (July 3, 2013):
7. The Long Beach Press-Telegram did a follow-up piece about Bucky because the owner represented the Long Beach Mounted Posse in all the Rose Parade appearances: http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20130704/accident-claims-life-of-bucky-long-beach-mounted-police-horse
8. Uh, is That a Monkey in Your House? – Monkey Impounded After Sheriff's Investigation (Aug. 2, 2013)
9. FIRES! – Wildfires Force Evacuations of Mountain Residents. The summer months proved challenging for residents of several communities in Riverside County when the Mountain Fire ripped through in July and the Silver Fire followed suit with its own devastation one month later. Here are some short clips, links below, we put together about our assistance with pet evacuations and assistance in the mountain communities.
10. Rescue Woman Retires (Sort of) – Rescue Coordinator Sue Zucker Saved Thousands of Pets (Aug. 28) Here was the story (link below) featured in The Press-Enterprise about this wonderful woman who worked for Riverside County Animal Services for many years until her official retirement Aug. 28. (But she still continues helping load animals during large transports – and even helps go on the tuck too as a co-pilot, so to speak.) https://www.pressenterprise.com/2013/09/03/riverside-county-shelter-rescue-group-coordinator-retires/
11. Open Up the Doors – San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus Finally Has its Grand Opening (October 2013) Our San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus had been built a couple years back, but the county's budget woes delayed the opening of this state-of-the-art shelter. The wait ended this fall and now Riverside County Animal Services has one more beautiful shelter to serve the community's pet fans.
    1. Our news release: https://rcdas.org/san-jacinto-valley-animal-campus-clinic
    2. And here was The Record Gazette story: https://www.recordgazette.net/news/schools/san-jacinto-valley-animal-campus-re-opens-to-the-public/article_80827f6a-7fe9-11ee-9285-cfb92a46327d.html

Here is an easy list to read to help you remember our top stories of 2013:

• No. 1: Dominic & Kipper Reunion (May)
• No. 2: Banjo the Train-Track Dog (April)

Rounding out the Top 10 (chronologically)

• Officer Impounds Alligator in Desert Hot Springs (March)
• Foxy Gets Reunited With Whittier Family (March)
• Second Place in the ASPCA Rachael Ray Challenge (June-August; Results Announced Oct. 1) Long-time Rose Parade Participant Bucky the Palomino Perishes (July)
• Uh, is That a Monkey in Your House (August)
• Wildfires Force Evacuations (July and August)
• Rescue Woman Retires (August)
• Open Up the Doors: San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus Finally Opens (October)

Contact:
John Welsh
Public Information Chief
OFFICE: 951-358-7045
MEDIA CALLS: 951-565-7934
[email protected]
TWITTER: @helpinRIVcoPETS