(Reuters) - The mother of a 2-year-old boy who died after falling into a pit of African wild dogs at the Pittsburgh Zoo stood him up on a railing before he fell and was immediately attacked by 11 dogs, police said.
The boy was visiting the zoo with his 34-year-old mother, who had put him on the railing for a better view of the animals, known as African painted dogs, police said.
The zoo was closed immediately after the incident on Sunday and remained shut on Monday.
Authorities are trying to determine if the boy died from the fall or the attack, Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard said on Monday.
Eleven dogs swarmed the boy after he fell. Zookeepers rushed to the exhibit area housing the animals, firing darts to frighten them away from the child before police arrived.
Zoo staff secured 10 of the dogs but police entered the pit and fired multiple gunshots to kill the last dog, which was particularly aggressive toward the child and the officers, authorities said.
African painted dogs are endangered and native to sub-Saharan Africa, according to the National Geographic website.
The animals have an average size of just over 2 feet to 3.5 feet (0.6 meters to 1 meter). They are also known as Cape hunting dogs or painted dogs because of their mottled coats with patches of red, black, brown, white and yellow fur. (Reporting by Kevin Gray in Miami; Editing by Bill Trott)
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Boy Dead After Mauling at Pittsburgh Zoo
The 2-year-old boy mauled by African painted dogs Sunday fell over the railing on which his mother put him to view the wild animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo, police said.
The boy, who has not been identified, died after falling 14 feet into the exhibit, said Barbara Baker, director of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Barker said it's unclear whether the boy died from the fall or from the attack.
Zoo officials tried firing darts to scare the dogs away from the child, but the animals, which are pack hunters, did not immediately respond.
The dogs were eventually moved from the exhibit, with the exception of one, which had to be shot after it continued to 'be aggressive' to the boy, Baker told a news conference Sunday.
'Unfortunately, by the time EMTs were able to get to him, the boy had passed away,' Baker said.
The boy and his mother were visiting the zoo just before noon when police say the toddler's mother stood the boy on a wooden railing outside the exhibit. Witnesses say the boy lost his balance and fell into the exhibit.
'There is a railing with a graphic sign. And the child flipped over the top of that railing, and there is also a catch basin to catch things that fall into the exhibit. But apparently the child flipped over that as well,' Barker said.
That's when all 11 dogs pounced on the toddler and began to maul him. Witnesses said the scene lasted five minutes, but felt like an eternity.
'We heard screams pretty loudly, and maybe like five minutes had passed by before we heard of what sounded like gunshots,' eyewitness Carey Lenz said.
Zookeepers ran into the enclosure, luring seven of the dogs away. Other zoo officials tried to beat the remaining dogs back. The most aggressive dog was shot and killed by a Pittsburgh police officer.
'From what I have heard, this was a pretty horrific scene,' police Lt. Kevin Kraus said .. The zoo has been closed until further notice.
African painted dogs are an endangered species and are about the size of a medium-sized domestic dog, according to the zoo. African wild dogs are also known as cape hunting dogs, spotted dogs and painted wolves. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes.
'They are one of the most aggressive predatory animals in the wild. A zookeeper, a tranquilizer gun could not have helped,' said Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo director emeritus.
The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble. The dogs caused a brief lockdown of the zoo in May after they crawled under a fence to another part of the exhibit. But they never left the exhibit and no one was harmed.
Baker said the Pittsburgh Zoo has never had a visitor death. She said no decision has been made yet about the future of the exhibit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The boy, who has not been identified, died after falling 14 feet into the exhibit, said Barbara Baker, director of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Barker said it's unclear whether the boy died from the fall or from the attack.
Zoo officials tried firing darts to scare the dogs away from the child, but the animals, which are pack hunters, did not immediately respond.
The dogs were eventually moved from the exhibit, with the exception of one, which had to be shot after it continued to 'be aggressive' to the boy, Baker told a news conference Sunday.
'Unfortunately, by the time EMTs were able to get to him, the boy had passed away,' Baker said.
The boy and his mother were visiting the zoo just before noon when police say the toddler's mother stood the boy on a wooden railing outside the exhibit. Witnesses say the boy lost his balance and fell into the exhibit.
'There is a railing with a graphic sign. And the child flipped over the top of that railing, and there is also a catch basin to catch things that fall into the exhibit. But apparently the child flipped over that as well,' Barker said.
That's when all 11 dogs pounced on the toddler and began to maul him. Witnesses said the scene lasted five minutes, but felt like an eternity.
'We heard screams pretty loudly, and maybe like five minutes had passed by before we heard of what sounded like gunshots,' eyewitness Carey Lenz said.
Zookeepers ran into the enclosure, luring seven of the dogs away. Other zoo officials tried to beat the remaining dogs back. The most aggressive dog was shot and killed by a Pittsburgh police officer.
'From what I have heard, this was a pretty horrific scene,' police Lt. Kevin Kraus said .. The zoo has been closed until further notice.
African painted dogs are an endangered species and are about the size of a medium-sized domestic dog, according to the zoo. African wild dogs are also known as cape hunting dogs, spotted dogs and painted wolves. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes.
'They are one of the most aggressive predatory animals in the wild. A zookeeper, a tranquilizer gun could not have helped,' said Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo director emeritus.
The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble. The dogs caused a brief lockdown of the zoo in May after they crawled under a fence to another part of the exhibit. But they never left the exhibit and no one was harmed.
Baker said the Pittsburgh Zoo has never had a visitor death. She said no decision has been made yet about the future of the exhibit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Child Mauled to Death by Dogs at Pittsburgh Zoo
A toddler was mauled to death today after falling into the African painted dog exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
The boy, who was around 3 years old, fell 14 feet over a railing and into the exhibit, said Barbara Baker, director of the Pittsburgh Zoo.
'Visitors alerted the staff immediately and they went into emergency response mode,' she said.
Zoo officials tried firing darts to scare the dogs away from the child, but the animals, which are pack hunters, did not immediately respond.
The dogs were eventually moved from the exhibit, with the exception of one, which had to be shot by a police officer after it continued to 'be aggressive' to the boy, Baker said.
'Unfortunately by the time EMTs were able to get to him, the boy had passed away,' Baker said.
The zoo has been closed until further notice.
The identity of the boy, who Baker said was visiting the zoo with his mother and family friends, has not yet been released.
'We've had the exhibit up since 2006 and we have not had any issues with the dogs,' Baker said. 'This is a tragic accident.'
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Alan Murray to leave the WSJ for Pew Research Center
(Reuters) - Alan Murray, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, will leave in January to assume the role of president of the Pew Research Center, the center announced on Friday.
Murray, 57, is also the Journal's online executive editor. In his new role he will oversee the Pew Research Center's seven projects covering topics ranging from journalism to religion to social trends.
'I have watched in the last 30 years as trusted facts have become an endangered species,' Murray told Reuters in an interview.
As part of the Washington-based Pew Charitable Trusts, the non-partisan Pew Research Center's mission is to inform the press, public and policy makers. Murray, in the statement announcing his appointment, described the Center as a 'rock of reliable information amidst a sea of supposition and spin.'
Murray was considered a candidate to succeed Managing Editor Robert Thomson, who is widely considered to be the front-runner to lead News Corp's publishing company after the company splits next year. Murray's departure paves the way for Deputy Editor Gerard Baker, whose name has surfaced as a successor to Thomson.
News Corp plans to split into two separate companies in 2013, with its publishing assets in one company and its television and film properties in the other.
The Wall Street Journal and News Corp declined to comment. Murray declined to comment about a successor to his Journal position. Baker and Thomson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Murray started with the Journal in 1983 and served in various positions, including Washington bureau chief. During his tenure the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Known as a thought leader in the industry for digital news, Murray helped grow and expand the Journal's online operations, considered to be one of the industry's most successful.
In a memo to employees, Thomson said of Murray that 'no words can capture the gratitude I have for his enduring contribution to the Journal and to journalism.'
Raju Narisetti will succeed Murray, a Wall Street Journal spokeswoman said. Narisetti was named managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network in January.
Murray said he had been talking with the Pew Center since the summer but that his decision had nothing to do with the Journal's change of ownership from the Bancroft family to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
'I think Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson have saved this paper,' Murray told Reuters.
News Corp acquired Dow Jones and Co, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, in 2007.
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Dan Grebler and Carol Bishopric)
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Murray, 57, is also the Journal's online executive editor. In his new role he will oversee the Pew Research Center's seven projects covering topics ranging from journalism to religion to social trends.
'I have watched in the last 30 years as trusted facts have become an endangered species,' Murray told Reuters in an interview.
As part of the Washington-based Pew Charitable Trusts, the non-partisan Pew Research Center's mission is to inform the press, public and policy makers. Murray, in the statement announcing his appointment, described the Center as a 'rock of reliable information amidst a sea of supposition and spin.'
Murray was considered a candidate to succeed Managing Editor Robert Thomson, who is widely considered to be the front-runner to lead News Corp's publishing company after the company splits next year. Murray's departure paves the way for Deputy Editor Gerard Baker, whose name has surfaced as a successor to Thomson.
News Corp plans to split into two separate companies in 2013, with its publishing assets in one company and its television and film properties in the other.
The Wall Street Journal and News Corp declined to comment. Murray declined to comment about a successor to his Journal position. Baker and Thomson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Murray started with the Journal in 1983 and served in various positions, including Washington bureau chief. During his tenure the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Known as a thought leader in the industry for digital news, Murray helped grow and expand the Journal's online operations, considered to be one of the industry's most successful.
In a memo to employees, Thomson said of Murray that 'no words can capture the gratitude I have for his enduring contribution to the Journal and to journalism.'
Raju Narisetti will succeed Murray, a Wall Street Journal spokeswoman said. Narisetti was named managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network in January.
Murray said he had been talking with the Pew Center since the summer but that his decision had nothing to do with the Journal's change of ownership from the Bancroft family to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
'I think Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson have saved this paper,' Murray told Reuters.
News Corp acquired Dow Jones and Co, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, in 2007.
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Dan Grebler and Carol Bishopric)
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Alan Murray to leave Wall Street Journal for Pew Research Center
(Reuters) - Alan Murray is leaving the Wall Street Journal to assume the role of president of the Pew Research Center, effective in January, the center announced on Friday.
Murray, 57, is currently the Journal's deputy managing editor and online executive editor. In his new role he will oversee the Pew Research Center's seven projects covering topics ranging from journalism to religion to social trends.
'I have watched in the last 30 years as trusted facts have become an endangered species,' Murray told Reuters in an interview.
As part of the Washington-based Pew Charitable Trusts, the non-partisan Pew Research Center's mission is to inform the press, public and policy makers. Murray, in the statement announcing his appointment, described the Center as a 'rock of reliable information amidst a sea of supposition and spin.'
Before the taking the position at the Pew Research Center, Murray was considered a potential candidate to take the top job at the Journal, media observers said. His move paves the way for Deputy Editor Gerard Baker, whose name has also surfaced as a successor to Managing Editor Robert Thomson.
Thomson is widely considered the front-runner to lead News Corp's publishing company, which will consist of the Journal and its sister newspapers such as the Times of London and The Australian.
Dow Jones and News Corp declined to comment. Murray declined to comment about a successor to his Journal position. Baker and Thomson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Murray started with the Journal in 1983 and served in various positions, including Washington bureau chief. During his tenure the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Known as a thought leader in the industry for digital news, Murray helped grow and expand the Journal's online operations, considered to be one of the industry's most successful.
In a note to employees, Thomson said of Murray that 'no words can capture the gratitude I have for his enduring contribution to the Journal and to journalism.'
Murray said he had been talking with the Pew Center since the summer but that his decision had nothing to do with the Journal's change of ownership from the Bancroft family to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
'I think Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson have saved this paper,' Murray told Reuters.
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Dan Grebler)
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Murray, 57, is currently the Journal's deputy managing editor and online executive editor. In his new role he will oversee the Pew Research Center's seven projects covering topics ranging from journalism to religion to social trends.
'I have watched in the last 30 years as trusted facts have become an endangered species,' Murray told Reuters in an interview.
As part of the Washington-based Pew Charitable Trusts, the non-partisan Pew Research Center's mission is to inform the press, public and policy makers. Murray, in the statement announcing his appointment, described the Center as a 'rock of reliable information amidst a sea of supposition and spin.'
Before the taking the position at the Pew Research Center, Murray was considered a potential candidate to take the top job at the Journal, media observers said. His move paves the way for Deputy Editor Gerard Baker, whose name has also surfaced as a successor to Managing Editor Robert Thomson.
Thomson is widely considered the front-runner to lead News Corp's publishing company, which will consist of the Journal and its sister newspapers such as the Times of London and The Australian.
Dow Jones and News Corp declined to comment. Murray declined to comment about a successor to his Journal position. Baker and Thomson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Murray started with the Journal in 1983 and served in various positions, including Washington bureau chief. During his tenure the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Known as a thought leader in the industry for digital news, Murray helped grow and expand the Journal's online operations, considered to be one of the industry's most successful.
In a note to employees, Thomson said of Murray that 'no words can capture the gratitude I have for his enduring contribution to the Journal and to journalism.'
Murray said he had been talking with the Pew Center since the summer but that his decision had nothing to do with the Journal's change of ownership from the Bancroft family to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
'I think Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson have saved this paper,' Murray told Reuters.
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Dan Grebler)
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Elephant in South Korean zoo imitates human speech
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - An elephant in a South Korean zoo is using his trunk to pick up not only food, but also human vocabulary.
An international team of scientists confirmed Friday what the Everland Zoo has been saying for years: Their 5.5-ton tusker Koshik has an unusual and possibly unprecedented talent.
The 22-year-old Asian elephant can reproduce five Korean words by tucking his trunk inside his mouth to modulate sound, the scientists said in a joint paper published online in Current Biology. They said he may have started imitating human speech because he was lonely.
Koshik can reproduce 'annyeong' (hello), 'anja' (sit down), 'aniya' (no), 'nuwo' (lie down) and 'joa' (good), the paper says.
One of the researchers said there is no conclusive evidence that Koshik understands the sounds he makes, although the elephant does respond to words like 'anja' and 'nuwo.'
Everland Zoo officials in the city of Yongin said Koshik also can imitate 'ajik' (not yet), but the researchers haven't confirmed the accomplishment.
Koshik is particularly good with vowels, with a rate of similarity of 67 percent, the researchers said. For consonants he scores only 21 percent.
Researchers said the clearest scientific evidence that Koshik is deliberately imitating human speech is that the sound frequency of his words matches that of his trainers.
Vocal imitation of other species has been found in mockingbirds, parrots and mynahs. But the paper says Koshik's case represents 'a wholly novel method of vocal production' because he uses his trunk to reproduce human speech.
In 1983, zoo officials in Kazakhstan reportedly claimed that a teenage elephant named Batyr could reproduce Russian to utter 20 phrases, including 'Batyr is good.' But there was no scientific study on the claim.
Researchers believe Koshik learned to reproduce words out of a desire to bond with his trainers after he was separated from two other elephants at age 5.
Koshik emerged as a star among animal enthusiasts and children in South Korea after Everland Zoo claimed in 2006 that he could imitate words, two years after his trainers noticed the phenomenon. His growing reputation prompted Austrian biologist Angela Stoeger-Horwath and German biophysicist Daniel Mietchen to study him in 2010, zoo officials said.
Oh Suk-hun, a South Korean veterinarian who co-authored the research paper with Stoeger-Horwath and Mietchen, said the elephant apparently started imitating human speech to win the trust of his trainers.
In April, a children's science book called 'Joa Joa, Speaking Elephant' was published. The cover photo showed Koshik opening his mouth wide while raising a trunk over his trainer's head.
Researchers said Koshik was trained to obey several commands and 'exposed to human speech intensively' by trainers, veterinarians and zoo visitors.
Shin Nam-sik, a veterinary professor at Seoul National University who has seen Koshik, agreed with researchers' finding that the elephant was able to mimic human speech.
'In Koshik's case, the level of intimacy between him and his trainer was the key factor that made the elephant want to sound like a human,' Shin said.
Kim Jong-gab, Koshik's chief trainer, said the elephant was timid for a male when he first came to Everland Zoo, so trainers often slept in the same area with him. Kim thinks that contact helped Koshik feel closer to humans.
Kim said he has another phrase he wants to teach Koshik: 'Saranghae,' or 'I love you.'
An international team of scientists confirmed Friday what the Everland Zoo has been saying for years: Their 5.5-ton tusker Koshik has an unusual and possibly unprecedented talent.
The 22-year-old Asian elephant can reproduce five Korean words by tucking his trunk inside his mouth to modulate sound, the scientists said in a joint paper published online in Current Biology. They said he may have started imitating human speech because he was lonely.
Koshik can reproduce 'annyeong' (hello), 'anja' (sit down), 'aniya' (no), 'nuwo' (lie down) and 'joa' (good), the paper says.
One of the researchers said there is no conclusive evidence that Koshik understands the sounds he makes, although the elephant does respond to words like 'anja' and 'nuwo.'
Everland Zoo officials in the city of Yongin said Koshik also can imitate 'ajik' (not yet), but the researchers haven't confirmed the accomplishment.
Koshik is particularly good with vowels, with a rate of similarity of 67 percent, the researchers said. For consonants he scores only 21 percent.
Researchers said the clearest scientific evidence that Koshik is deliberately imitating human speech is that the sound frequency of his words matches that of his trainers.
Vocal imitation of other species has been found in mockingbirds, parrots and mynahs. But the paper says Koshik's case represents 'a wholly novel method of vocal production' because he uses his trunk to reproduce human speech.
In 1983, zoo officials in Kazakhstan reportedly claimed that a teenage elephant named Batyr could reproduce Russian to utter 20 phrases, including 'Batyr is good.' But there was no scientific study on the claim.
Researchers believe Koshik learned to reproduce words out of a desire to bond with his trainers after he was separated from two other elephants at age 5.
Koshik emerged as a star among animal enthusiasts and children in South Korea after Everland Zoo claimed in 2006 that he could imitate words, two years after his trainers noticed the phenomenon. His growing reputation prompted Austrian biologist Angela Stoeger-Horwath and German biophysicist Daniel Mietchen to study him in 2010, zoo officials said.
Oh Suk-hun, a South Korean veterinarian who co-authored the research paper with Stoeger-Horwath and Mietchen, said the elephant apparently started imitating human speech to win the trust of his trainers.
In April, a children's science book called 'Joa Joa, Speaking Elephant' was published. The cover photo showed Koshik opening his mouth wide while raising a trunk over his trainer's head.
Researchers said Koshik was trained to obey several commands and 'exposed to human speech intensively' by trainers, veterinarians and zoo visitors.
Shin Nam-sik, a veterinary professor at Seoul National University who has seen Koshik, agreed with researchers' finding that the elephant was able to mimic human speech.
'In Koshik's case, the level of intimacy between him and his trainer was the key factor that made the elephant want to sound like a human,' Shin said.
Kim Jong-gab, Koshik's chief trainer, said the elephant was timid for a male when he first came to Everland Zoo, so trainers often slept in the same area with him. Kim thinks that contact helped Koshik feel closer to humans.
Kim said he has another phrase he wants to teach Koshik: 'Saranghae,' or 'I love you.'
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Pets Lost and Found in Sandy's Wake
Superstorm Sandy's destructive path took lives, forced people from their homes and shut down cities. Its powerful winds and rains also spooked and swept hundreds of pets away from their homes.
As people struggle to rebuild their lives in Sandy's wake, many have been left searching for beloved family members--dogs, cats, birds and other pets.
While some people look for pets, other people are looking for the owners of stray animals who have wandered into their neighborhoods.
Both groups have taken to social media to try to reunite pets with owners. A Facebook page called 'Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets' has over 7,000 supporters, a number that is growing by the hour. The page has dozens of photos of pets that have been lost and found. Others are using Craigslist and the hashtag #SandyPets on Twitter.
'People are being very proactive and number one is being aware that after a storm of this magnitude there's going to be a lot of misplaced people and animals,' Pennye Jones-Napier told ABCNews.com. 'The animals can be very scared and have just gotten away through fences or losing their collars because they got frightened.'
Jones-Napier is a Red Rover responder for disasters in Hyattsville, Md. Red Rover is a national team of volunteers that helps with the sheltering component of disaster relief. She has already gotten several calls from people this week who have found lost animals after the storm and one even turned up at the shop where she works, The Big Bad Woof pet store.
'He showed up on Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m. and it was still raining here,' Jones-Napier told ABCNews.com. 'He was scared to come in at first, but we got him in with some treats.'
The people who brought him told the store that they had found the dog outside of a Chipotle and had taken him to a veterinarian's office to see if he had a microchip implanted, but he did not.
The people who found him said they'd be back in an hour-and-a-half for the dog, but they never came back. An employee of the store is sheltering the dog.
'We're calling him Taz because we don't know what else to call him,' Jones-Napier said. 'He's adorable. He's such a nice dog. Everyone here is in love with him.'
She said that Taz greets everyone and is especially intrigued by children.
'I have a feeling he was with a family or someone who has kids around,' Jones-Napier said. His body mass index was good and he was not injured. His photo is on Facebook and the store is trying to find his family.
Jones-Napier said that there are some basic steps people can take if they come across a lost dog.
'If they don't have a collar, take them to a local vet or shelter to see if they have a chip,' she said. The microchip implanted in many dogs now can be a quick way to identify them and reunite them with their families.
Second, Jones-Napier suggested sheltering the animal yourself if possible, as shelters are currently overwhelmed. Otherwise, they can be taken to area shelters.
She also noted that if the animals have rabies collars, that can be a way to track down their owners through veterinary clinics.
In New Haven, Conn., another family is desperately searching for their beloved dog Sophie, a 7-pound terrier.
Mallory Diedrich and her family -- including a 2-year-old, two other dogs and two cats -- survived the worst of Sandy relatively unscathed. They lost power at their home and are surrounded by debris from trees and fences.
Diedrich believes the 'nervous' dog may have slipped out of the yard through a broken portion of the fence and tearfully described how the indoor dog does not even have a collar.
'We've barely noticed the fact that we don't have power because we've spent since Tuesday looking for her,' Diedrich said. 'I can't do anything else but look for her.'
For some, using social media to search for lost pets is already working.
Two basset hounds, Mango and Finn, escaped from their Ridgewood, N.J., backyard after owner Jeanne Johnson had let them out for a little bit when the worst of the storm was over. In the dark, Johnson had not realized that the storm had wiped out the yard's fence.
'I panicked because the wind had picked up,' she said. 'I went out in my bare feet and was screaming at the top of my lungs...My kids were hysterical and I was trying to keep it together.'
'I could hear them barking,' Johnson recalled emotionally. 'I could hear my dogs, but I couldn't get across the street. There were downed power lines and I was scared.'
Her home lost power but at a friend's recommendation, she was able to use her phone send her story to a hyperlocal news blog with a photo of her dogs. Soon after, she realized her phone battery was faltering, but wanted to make sure she kept the phone alive in case anyone called with news of the dogs.
Johnson was in her car, which was swaying from the forceful winds, charging her phone when she saw a small light in the dark.
'Some random man that I've never met in my life was standing there soaking wet with shorts on yelling, 'I'm not going to leave until I find [the dogs],'' Johnson recalled, still in disbelief. The dogs were eventually found, amidst tears and hugs.
The good samaritan, named Dave, had heard the sound of dogs wailing from his house. He thought it was coyotes, but shortly after got on Facebook and saw the post about the dogs. He jumped out of bed and went to search.
'What do you do to repay a man like that?' Johnson said. 'Half of me was thinking he was crazy, the other half was thinking, what a hero. What a brave man.'
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As people struggle to rebuild their lives in Sandy's wake, many have been left searching for beloved family members--dogs, cats, birds and other pets.
While some people look for pets, other people are looking for the owners of stray animals who have wandered into their neighborhoods.
Both groups have taken to social media to try to reunite pets with owners. A Facebook page called 'Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets' has over 7,000 supporters, a number that is growing by the hour. The page has dozens of photos of pets that have been lost and found. Others are using Craigslist and the hashtag #SandyPets on Twitter.
'People are being very proactive and number one is being aware that after a storm of this magnitude there's going to be a lot of misplaced people and animals,' Pennye Jones-Napier told ABCNews.com. 'The animals can be very scared and have just gotten away through fences or losing their collars because they got frightened.'
Jones-Napier is a Red Rover responder for disasters in Hyattsville, Md. Red Rover is a national team of volunteers that helps with the sheltering component of disaster relief. She has already gotten several calls from people this week who have found lost animals after the storm and one even turned up at the shop where she works, The Big Bad Woof pet store.
'He showed up on Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m. and it was still raining here,' Jones-Napier told ABCNews.com. 'He was scared to come in at first, but we got him in with some treats.'
The people who brought him told the store that they had found the dog outside of a Chipotle and had taken him to a veterinarian's office to see if he had a microchip implanted, but he did not.
The people who found him said they'd be back in an hour-and-a-half for the dog, but they never came back. An employee of the store is sheltering the dog.
'We're calling him Taz because we don't know what else to call him,' Jones-Napier said. 'He's adorable. He's such a nice dog. Everyone here is in love with him.'
She said that Taz greets everyone and is especially intrigued by children.
'I have a feeling he was with a family or someone who has kids around,' Jones-Napier said. His body mass index was good and he was not injured. His photo is on Facebook and the store is trying to find his family.
Jones-Napier said that there are some basic steps people can take if they come across a lost dog.
'If they don't have a collar, take them to a local vet or shelter to see if they have a chip,' she said. The microchip implanted in many dogs now can be a quick way to identify them and reunite them with their families.
Second, Jones-Napier suggested sheltering the animal yourself if possible, as shelters are currently overwhelmed. Otherwise, they can be taken to area shelters.
She also noted that if the animals have rabies collars, that can be a way to track down their owners through veterinary clinics.
In New Haven, Conn., another family is desperately searching for their beloved dog Sophie, a 7-pound terrier.
Mallory Diedrich and her family -- including a 2-year-old, two other dogs and two cats -- survived the worst of Sandy relatively unscathed. They lost power at their home and are surrounded by debris from trees and fences.
Pets Lost and Others Found in Sandy's Havoc
The morning after the storm, they were in their backyard cleaning up some tree limbs and pieces of fences. They decided to go for a walk, but discovered something was wrong shortly after they returned -- Sophie was gone.Diedrich believes the 'nervous' dog may have slipped out of the yard through a broken portion of the fence and tearfully described how the indoor dog does not even have a collar.
'We've barely noticed the fact that we don't have power because we've spent since Tuesday looking for her,' Diedrich said. 'I can't do anything else but look for her.'
For some, using social media to search for lost pets is already working.
Two basset hounds, Mango and Finn, escaped from their Ridgewood, N.J., backyard after owner Jeanne Johnson had let them out for a little bit when the worst of the storm was over. In the dark, Johnson had not realized that the storm had wiped out the yard's fence.
'I panicked because the wind had picked up,' she said. 'I went out in my bare feet and was screaming at the top of my lungs...My kids were hysterical and I was trying to keep it together.'
'I could hear them barking,' Johnson recalled emotionally. 'I could hear my dogs, but I couldn't get across the street. There were downed power lines and I was scared.'
Her home lost power but at a friend's recommendation, she was able to use her phone send her story to a hyperlocal news blog with a photo of her dogs. Soon after, she realized her phone battery was faltering, but wanted to make sure she kept the phone alive in case anyone called with news of the dogs.
Johnson was in her car, which was swaying from the forceful winds, charging her phone when she saw a small light in the dark.
'Some random man that I've never met in my life was standing there soaking wet with shorts on yelling, 'I'm not going to leave until I find [the dogs],'' Johnson recalled, still in disbelief. The dogs were eventually found, amidst tears and hugs.
The good samaritan, named Dave, had heard the sound of dogs wailing from his house. He thought it was coyotes, but shortly after got on Facebook and saw the post about the dogs. He jumped out of bed and went to search.
'What do you do to repay a man like that?' Johnson said. 'Half of me was thinking he was crazy, the other half was thinking, what a hero. What a brave man.'
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