Saving Valentina: A Whale of a Tale

By Kim Clune

AN UNEXPECTED WHALE SIGHTING

The deep blue waters of the Sea of Cortez lap at the sides of the small boat off Baja, California. Sunlight dances off the water. Two friends, their wives, 2 small children, and a boat captain have high hopes for whale sightings, but not like this.

A young humpback floats motionless just under the surface of the sea. As the boat draws close and flanks the whale’s side, the whale remains deathly still. Minutes pass. Nothing. Then, just as the boaters lose hope, a jarring gust of a labored breath…

EYE TO EYE: A CLOSER LOOK

Michael Fishbach, a whale conservationist, dons his snorkel gear and slowly eases into the frigid waters. Trepidation tingles through every nerve. A single, sudden move from this panicked whale has the power end Michael’s life.

Michael moves narry a muscle as he orients alongside the animal. He now sees the nylon shark net binding the whale’s fins to her side, dragging her fluke toward the sea floor. Their eyes meet. The whale’s pupil dilates and follows Michael’s every move. They are merely a foot apart. Michael, wracked with emotion, focuses on somehow communicating “I am here to help.”

THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

Michael, his friend George Brasington and Alberto, the boat captain, pull up many feet of nylon shark netting illegally placed in the National Marine Park. They cut away one strand at a time with George’s grossly inadequate pocket knife. One whale fin comes free.

The men scramble to keep hold of the net and struggle to stay aboard as the whale, swimming with relief, tows the boat behind her for a half hour. When exhaustion consumes her once more, the men continue cutting. Another hour passes. The boat lifts from the water with another of the whale’s labored breaths. Will these efforts be enough?

A DANCE OF CELEBRATION

The whale’s fluke is finally freed. Twirling and breaching high into the air, Valentina – so named for her rescue date on February 14th, 2011 – springs from the water in celebration.  Her fins slap, her tail fluke waves, and she breaches no less than 40 times over the next hour. Michael’s 5-year-old son, Gaelan, says to mother Heather Fishbach, “Mommy, I know what she’s doing. She’s showing us that she’s all free.”

ABC’s 20/20 COVERAGE
AUGUST 19, 2011

DEAR RESCUERS, WITH GRATITUDE

We thank Michael, Heather, and Gaelen Fishbach; George, Whitney, and Alayada Brasington; and Alberto, the boat captain for taking a risk and saving Valentina.

Frankie, the Walk ‘n Roll Dog

By Peggy Frezon

The day an injury left Barbara Techel’s adorable miniature dachshund Frankie paralyzed was one of the worst days in her life. But through understanding her dog’s needs, and reaching out to others, that tragedy has turned into a blessing for herself and many others.

THE LITTLE DOG WITH WHEELS

Frankie now gets around with the aid of a custom wheelchair, and there’s practically nothing she can’t do. What she does best, however, is to inspire others. As a certified therapy dog, she visits schools, libraries, hospital, hospice & senior assisted living centers. She brings awareness to Intervertebral Disc Disease, and most importantly helps people:

• see their challenges in a positive light.
• see challenges as a way to grow and learn.
• see that blessings are often found in our challenges.
• understand that we always have a choice when facing our challenges.
• understand that animals do not want pity when they have special needs- they just want to be loved.

FRANKIE HELPS CHILDREN

Five-year-old Jackson, who has a form of cerebral palsy, has a special bond with Frankie. Adapting to his special needs has been a challenge, but Frankie helps him in his physical therapy to understand he needs to learn how to do things differently than others, but that is ok. She has also helped him to accept that to be the best he can be that he must wear his leg brace, which he calls his “Frankie brace.”

Photo: Frankie with Jackson at his 5^th birthday party.

FRANKIE HELPS SENIORS

Frankie often visits a senior residence, Libby’s House. Recently, a new resident has been having a difficult time adjusting without her dog (who is being taken care of by someone else). When she sees Frankie, she starts to cry because she misses her dog so much. But when Barb picks up Frankie and puts her on the woman’s lap, she smiles with tears running down her face, hugs and kisses Frankie, telling her how much she loves her. Then she thanks Barb for bringing Frankie to visit and asks, “How much is she?” She wants to buy her. Barb always smiles and says, “Frankie is priceless.”

photo: Frankie with Sally, 97, of Libby’s House.

Barb, an award-winning author, educator and therapy dog team volunteer, couldn’t imagine her life with Frankie any other way. “Watching Frankie have a positive impact on children, seniors, or those that are dying always puts my life into perspective. I can sometimes get so caught up in the how’s and why’s of life that I forget what is truly important. Watching Frankie make a difference in the life of a struggling child, lonely senior, or hospice patient brings it all home for me. In those moments seeing the human/animal connection makes me realize that love is all that matters… and making a difference in the lives of others is truly a privilege and honor.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dogs with Disabilities
Resources and products for help with your disabled dog, plus a forum for advice and help.

Dodgers List
Support and education on intervertebral disc disease.

Therapy Dogs Inc. Sharing smiles and joy
This is the organization Frankie and Barb trained with to becomea registered therapy dog team to visit hospitals and nursing homes.

Barb on Facebook

Frankie on Facebook

Joyful Paws, Barb’s blog

Frankie the Walk n Roll Dog, Frankie’s blog

Eye 4Wildlife

by Kim Clune

Have you ever seen dogs like this?  These species aren’t your typical Labradors, Poodles or hounds. In fact, one isn’t even a dog! Click each photo to learn interesting facts about these species, watch videos of them in motion, determine why they’re threatened, and how you can help them at ARKive.org.

The African wild dog, closest of the species listed here to dogs were are familiar with, is one of the world’s most social and distinctive canids. It’s scientific name, Lycaon pictus, is Greek for “painted wolf-like animal” and, unlike the other canid species, there are only four, rather than five, toes on the front feet.	The bush dog is a rare and little known canid that looks more like something from the family of badgers and otters than a member of the dog family. Something about this dog seems kind of fishy too, as it is adapted to a semi-aquatic forest life and has webbed feet.
This dog actually is a dog, a little known and notoriously elusive wild dog from South America called the small-eared zorro. This guy’s name and appearance are less doggy and more foxy (zorro is Spanish for fox). If you’re more of a cat person, you’ll be interested to know that its movements are more graceful than those of most dogs, being more cat-like than canine.	This is a Utah prairie dog and it is not, as its name suggests, a dog. This ground-dwelling rodent is actually of the squirrel family and is hamster or marmot-like appearance. And, above each eye is a prominent brown or black line, adding a bit of a human eyebrow element as well.