Humane Society of Forsyth County

Here's a story about one of the Humane Society's own adoptee dogs...

Cody the rescuer

We have a wonderful dog, Cody, that we were fortunate to get from the Humane Society of Forsyth Co. 2 yrs. ago & we love her more every day. "Cody" is a 90 lb. flat coated retriever mix with perhaps, as one vet. suggested, some Newfoundland in her. She is big & gentle & loyal. Everywhere she goes, people remark on how pleasant she is, getting along with people & other animals alike.

On May 9, 2006, my husband's seventy-third birthday, he & Cody went for a walk in the hilly (or mountainous) region around our home. In the hr. between 12:30 & 1:30 in the afternoon, my daughter & I both talked to
Bob, so we knew that at that time he was home. I also tried calling around 2:30 & was surprised when I couldn't reach him. I mention this to establish a time-continuum for what happened that day. I arrived home early, around 3:30, as we had decided to dine out for his birthday, and I was mildly concerned to find him not at home. Since his car was still there, but Cody & he were both gone, I surmised that they were walking, and I set about completing a few chores. When I had been home for close to an hr., around 4:15, and still no Bob, I got into my car & drove on all the back roads around our home in Persimmon, outside of Clayton. By 5:15, I was thoroughly alarmed & decided that I would have to call 911.

The people at 911 were wonderful, and I soon had a search & rescue crew as well as many neighbors looking for Bob. People searched by car, by four-tracker, and on foot, but no Bob, nor Cody to be found.

The thing that puzzled me the most was that although Bob is in the middle stages of Alzheimer's and has a very poor memory, I knew that if he would give her the lead, Cody could bring them both home. Of course, I was more than puzzled, especially by 7:45, when he still had not been found & night was coming on fast. Then the wonderful thing happened. The men monitoring the situation from our house received a call from up on the mt. that Bob & Cody had been found. Cody was fine, but Bob had fallen & had a cut on the back of his head that was bleeding badly enough to warrant some first aid before he was brought down from the mountain.

When Bob was finally brought back to our house, I heard the whole story of how he was finally found. A young man on a four tracker, riding at the top of the mountain on a path that had been searched earlier was met by Cody barking. He followed her down a trail to where Bob was, disoriented & without his glasses which he had lost in his fall. Apparently, when he realized that he was lost, Bob was afraid to let go of Cody, but of course when he fell straight down an embankment, he released her unintentionally. Bob later told me that she stayed with him without his holding on to her: he kept telling her that she had to stay there until they were found. We figured that he had been there where he fell for several hrs. & throughout the ordeal, Cody never left his side until she heard the four-tracker & ran to meet it & bring help to Bob.

Although his wound required a few stitches, Bob is doing well & continues to enjoy the company of our wonderful Cody-

written by Sally Bartmes-Clayton, Ga.

Does this story inspire you? Please visit the HSFC or see the animals available for adoption here on the website.