Canidae Symbiosis

This story was on CNN.com today. In case the link expires, here it is :

Dog dodges traffic to help fellow canine

BRONX (WABC) -- In the dog eat dog world of New York City rush hour driving, throw in an actual dog, two, really, and you have quite a tie-up.

Just before 6:30 a.m., a 9-year-old female yellow lab chow mix ran onto the Major Deegan Expressway and was hit by a car at exit 3. That's when another dog, her son, ran to the rescue, right there on the busy highway. The dog wouldn't let anyone near, barking at traffic and police officers, even as they tried to help.

At one point, police tried to coax the dog into a cruiser, and they got an earful.

The Deegan, normally buzzing at that hour, was slowed to a trickle. Drivers tried to maneuver around the scene, and the dog let them have it.

Finally, officers got close enough to lift the injured dog onto a sheet and place her gently inside a cruiser.

When police tried to get to the other dog, that's when the great pooch protector took off.

There was a slow-speed chase, then a high-speed chase. The dog dodged vehicles, changed direction and ran head-on into traffic.

Police backed up the highway, not sure which way the dog was going to break next.

Finally, after about 45-minutes, the dog was given a police escort onto an exit ramp, and traffic flowed again.

Meantime, the injured dog was on her way to help.

The dog was brought to animal care and control in East Harlem, where they gave her pain medication and made her comfortable. Then, a vet looked her over.

"She was alert," Lisa Ortiz said. "She picked up her head, she knew she was getting help."

She suffered a broken leg and is expected to recover. She also wore no ID, but her owner saw the drama on TV, went to the vet center and whisked her away to an animal hospital.

The owner told animal control that the other dog, who he also owns, is home now.

Ortiz says the relationship between the dogs explains a lot.

"It was heartwarming, they look out for each other," she said.

*

I adopted my dog Patch almost a year before I adopted Lotus. Patch is a highly sensitive dog who had lived in a violent home before finally running away. Outwardly he was social and affectionate. But after spending just a few hours with him, anyone could list his many fears. He was a real puzzle. He didn't have the typical slinking look of fear, but he'd sit there and just come unglued inside. It took me months to figure him out. He's tenderhearted and has the quiet, hard-won courage of a survivor.

Even as Patch shed countless fears, over time it became clear that as a submissive dog he'd never be happy without an alpha buddy. I prayed to find the perfect friend for him-- a leader, but not a dictator.

Within a couple weeks, Lotus appeared in a local shelter where I was volunteering. As is typical, most of the dogs were either barking, cowering or engaged in neurotic behavior. But there sat Lotus, perfectly still and perfectly calm. From the moment I brought Patch to the fence to meet her, they became inseparable.

As far as I can tell, Lotus has never known hard times. She's the least traumatized dog I've ever seen. Right out of the pound she was deeply affectionate and cuddly, and yet she had no idea humans were communicating when they made noise. She took 3 months to learn her name. The first time she came when I called her, she was as shocked as I was.

For a long time I believed Patch needed Lotus more than Lotus needed Patch. As the years go by and I watch her curl up into his belly or look for him when it's time to eat or go outside, I see that it's mutual. They have never once squabbled. They share everything--beds, bowls, me. She leads and he happily follows. She never abuses her power, and he always retains his dignity.

My kinda people.