ADELE FERGUSON - Animal tales top favorites for news features in 2009

Another year end offering, some of my favorite stories of 2009. I know they always seem to be about animals, but I happen to love animals so that’s the way it is.

SYDNEY–A bomb sniffing black Labrador that disappeared during a fierce battle in Afghanistan has been found and returned to her unit after going missing for more than a year.

Sabi received a celebrity welcome back at her base in Uruzgan province in November.

She was with a joint Australian-Afghan army patrol ambushed by Taliban insurgents in September, 2008.

There was no sign of Sabi after the battle and months of searching failed to find any trace of the retriever.

An American soldier recently recovered Sabi at an isolated patrol base elsewhere in Uruzgan province.

Exactly where she had been or what happened to her during 14 months she was gone will probably never be known.

She was in good condition, indicating somebody had been looking out for her.

She was returned to her base just in time for a visit by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen.

Stanley McChrystal, who were photographed petting her and declared her “a genuinely nice pooch.”

DENVER–Willie, a Quaker parrot, whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl began choking, has been honored as a hero by the Denver chapter of the Red Cross. In November, Willie’s owner, baby sitter Megan Howard. briefly left the toddler alone before she started to choke on her breakfast. Willie repeatedly yelled, “Mama, baby,” and flapped his wings, alerting Howard in time to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

SNOWVILLE, UTAH–Volunteer dog lovers tracked down a Siberian husky that was missing for two weeks after surviving a car accident that killed his owner from Washington state.

Neo had been wandering the ranch land of northern Utah since the car wreck when his owner, 47-year old Joyce Moore of Kelso, was killed after her vehicle rolled over on Interstate 84.

The Utah Highway Patrol said the dog stood nearby as rescue crews attended to Moore, but fled when someone tried to catch him.

Volunteers went door to door telling ranchers and farm workers about Neo until finally one man said a dog was in his shed.

It was Neo, a bit thin and dehydrated but overall in “fantastic condition.” Mrs. Moore’s sister, Deborah, also of Kelso, was notified and said she would be happy to come and get him, that he “was a piece of Joyce coming home.”

LaGRANDE. ORE.–An employee at the Gem Stop Chevron in LaGrande got the surprise of her life when she opened up the automated teller machine and found a mouse inside a nest lined with $20 bills. The ATM continued to work just fine, despite the mouse. It had chewed up two bills and damaged another 14 to make its nest. The mouse got a reprieve. It was evicted from its nest but set free outside.

PLAIN, CHELAN COUNTY — Blewett, a dog rescued at Blewett Pass, has become a rescue dog.

Dozens of people tried to rescue the black Lab after he was seen huddling in the snow at the top of Blewett Pass for a a week.

He finally accepted food and was captured and adopted by the Jay Smiths of Plain.

Mrs. Smith was walking Blewett on a trail high above the Wenatchee River when he barked and raced down the steep bank to sniff out another animal close to the river’s edge.

Mrs. Smith called him back and went home for binoculars with which she saw a large black dog.

Chelan County firefighters climbed down on ropes and saved the dog.

Blewett stayed with the dog until it was rescued.

The dog was old, weak and arthritic but his owner’s name was on his collar who called it a miracle.

“One big, black lost dog found the other big, black lost dog,” said Carol Hurt. “it’s pretty heartwarming.”

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, WA 98340.)