WiredKids > K9Angels - The Rescue Dogs > "Servous The Rescue Dog", By Parry Aftab

Servous The Rescue Dog

By Parry Aftab

Once upon a time, a puppy was born in Holland. This was a very special puppy, but he didn't know it yet. Many people were waiting for him to be born-people from far away… from across the ocean… in a country called the United States of America.

One of those people was a kind man who knew everything about this puppy. He even knew everything about the puppy's parents & about his brothers & sisters, many of whom lived in different parts of the United States already.

There was someone else who was waiting for the puppy too-Officer Chris, a police officer who lived in a faraway place called Illinois, & worked in a faraway place called St. Louis.

But the puppy didn't know any of this yet. He thought that his kennel was the whole world. All he did was eat, play & snuggle with his family. Sometimes he would also tease his brother & sisters, or grab the edge of the puppy food dish & turn it over. He loved watching the puppy food roll across the floor.

One night, while everyone else was asleep, he heard a little scratching noise. It came from a hole in the wall. Without warning, out popped a tiny mouse. The tiny mouse froze when he saw the puppy. He was afraid of the puppy. But the puppy didn't know that, he just wanted to make friends. And the puppy & the tiny mouse became good friends.

They played every night. The mouse helped the puppy learn to run fast & be brave. The mouse taught him how to use his nose to find little pieces of puppy food that were hidden in small cracks in the floor. He helped him use his eyes to find the little ants who were trying to steal the puppy food, too. The puppy would play with the mouse until his mother made him go to sleep.

Every day was the same. The puppy would play with his bothers & sisters during the day, & his friend the tiny mouse at night. Then one day the kind man came to visit the puppy for the first time. The kind man picked him up & scratched his ears. (The puppy's favorite thing in the whole world was having his ears scratched!) The puppy liked the man right away, but didn't know that this kind man would change his life forever.

All the puppy knew was that the kind man spoke in a strange language called "English," & was really good at scratching ears. That, & he had a kind & gentle voice the puppy liked. The puppy began to look forward to the kind man's visits.

One morning, the kind man arrived at the kennel earlier than usual. After scratching the puppy's ears the kind man picked him up. He cuddled into the kind man's strong arms & felt safe. The puppy's mother reached up gently & licked the kind man's hand & her puppy's face. (The puppy loved when she did that!) The kind man petted the puppy's mother & each of the puppy's brothers & sisters, too. The puppy was very happy. He wanted every day to be just like this one!

Out of the corner of his eye the puppy saw his friend the tiny mouse, with a big chunk of puppy food in his paws. The puppy smiled at his friend. Everyone he knew & loved was here. As he fell asleep in the kind man's arms, the puppy didn't know that he would never see any of them again.

When the kind man left the kennel a few minutes later, he had the puppy in one arm, sleeping, & the puppy's ripped & worn blanket in the other. This puppy had a long journey ahead of him, & the blanket would be the only thing he had to remind him of home.

The kind man looked back at the kennel. He had been here many times before, & would return many times more. This kennel breeds very special dogs - search & rescue dogs. The kind man smiled at the puppy sleeping in his arms. And this was going to be the most special one of all! He could feel it.

The kind man put the puppy in his car & drove him to a big airport. When they arrived, the kind man scratched the puppy's ears for the last time & handed him to a woman behind the counter. The woman talked to the puppy gently. Then she tucked him & his worn blanket into a puppy crate. She gave it to a baggage handler who lifted it into the cargo-hold of a jumbo jet. It was the last time the puppy would see the kind man & his native country.

The plane trip was long & lonely. It was dark in the part of the cargo-hold where the puppy's crate was placed. He was cold & he was scared. The puppy hoped his friend the tiny mouse would visit, & listened very hard for his familiar scratching noise. But all the puppy could hear was the roar of the engines, the whoosh of the air & his heart beating faster than it had ever beaten before.

At first the puppy tried barking, hoping the kind man would hear him & comfort him by scratching his ears. But when his barking didn't bring anyone to help, he gave up. Instead, miserable & lonely, he curled into a tight ball, dug his nose into the torn blanket that smelled of his home, & slept.

The puppy awoke as the plane landed. He was sore & stiff. He began to bark again, this time hoping anyone would come & save him. He worried that he was being punished for something he did wrong. If they would only come & get him he wouldn't chase the mouse anymore, or overturn the food bowl or tease his brothers & sisters. He would even go to sleep when he was supposed to. If someone would only find him & rescue him, he would promise to be a much better puppy.

Then, the cargo hold opened. But instead of the kind man, a baggage handler picked up the puppy's crate. He lifted the little crate, along with another one filled with two cats & loaded them onto a cart. The puppy could hear the cats scratching at their crate door and, remembering his friend the tiny mouse, felt even more alone.

With each bump of the cart, the puppy became more lonely & afraid. Even his worn blanket didn't comfort him. Would he always be alone? Would he always be hungry & thirsty & scared?

Just then, as the cart turned the corner, he heard a shout.

"There he is!" shouted a man as he ran towards the cart. "He's here! Finally!"

The puppy didn't know who the excited man was, but he liked his voice & stood up, feeling hopeful again. The man who had shouted lifted the crate off the cart, threw open the crate door & wrapped his arms around the puppy.

"Welcome, Servous! Welcome to St. Louis!" he chuckled, as the puppy licked his face. When he reached down & scratched the puppy's ears, the puppy knew it would be okay.

He had met Officer Chris. He was home. He even had a name. And he would never be lonely again. He had been rescued!

What little Servous didn't know then was that for the rest of his life he would help rescue others. He wasn't yet "Servous, the hero rescue dog," He was just a tired & grateful puppy, snuggling with his new friend, Officer Chris, safe & sound.

Officer Chris carried the puppy back to his truck. The puppy put his head on Officer Chris's lap & fell sound asleep. He slept the whole ride home. Officer Chris looked down at the sleeping puppy, & knew that he had chosen the right name. He could tell that Servous would devote his life to serving others. Officer Chris smiled & didn't stop scratching the puppy's ears for even a second.

An hour later they arrived at the dog training center Officer Chris owned with Aunt Pam. As Aunt Pam ran over to welcome the new puppy, little Servous stood up & growled at her. He even bared his teeth.

Aunt Pam was shocked! No dog had ever done that before. They all loved Aunt Pam. It hurt her feelings that he had growled at her. She had never seen a puppy this young acting this brave. But she understood that it meant that Servous was just trying to protect his new & best friend, Officer Chris. And that made Aunt Pam very proud of the puppy. Servous would protect Officer Chris many times in his life, especially when he was trying to catch dangerous criminals. But that would all come later. First, Servous needed to be trained.

Officer Chris didn't waste a minute before starting to train Servous. He made training a game. That is why his dogs learned so quickly. A few days after he arrived, Servous had already learned to "sit" & "stay." But Officer Chris needed to teach him the most important lesson of all; how to find someone who is lost. Officer Chris had a special way of teaching that.

For this lesson he needed two people, so he asked Aunt Pam to help. (After Servous got to know her, he loved her almost as much as he loved Officer Chris.) Officer Chris snapped the long lead onto Servous' collar & walked out to the large field. Aunt Pam already knew what to do. She walked about 50 feet away from them with a tennis ball in her hand. Then, where Servous could see her, she laid down on the ground, placed the ball on the ground next to her & covered her eyes with her hands. Servous watched everything she did. He was curious. He had never seen Aunt Pam lying on the ground with her eyes covered before. He wanted to run over & see what was going on. And, she had a tennis ball, his favorite toy! That meant they would play!

But Officer Chris instructed him to "sit" & "stay." So he waited.

After a few minutes, Officer Chris said "Find!" Servous didn't know what that meant, but since Officer Chris didn't tell him to "stay" anymore, he ran over to Aunt Pam to investigate & play. In typical puppy fashion, he stepped on her head while he was trying to kiss her & get the ball. Everyone was very excited. Aunt Pam was Servous' first "find."

Soon Servous knew that "find" meant running to Aunt Pam wherever she was hiding. Officer Chris had Aunt Pam hide behind a building, so Servous had to use his nose, not his eyes, to find her. Then he had her hide in the woods. Sometimes Officer Chris would ask others to hide & let Servous find them. He would find them all. He was very good at finding people, even when they were hiding in secret places. (It's a good thing his friend the tiny mouse had taught him to find things by using his sense of smell.)

Servous loved finding people. He thought finding people was a game & he loved games. He never liked losing. That's why he was so good!

After Servous had trained so hard, Officer Chris knew that Servous was finally ready to find people who were really lost, & searching wouldn't be a game anymore. It wasn't long before Servous has his first chance to conduct a real search. When Servous heard Officer Chris call his name, he knew they would be going to work. Officer Chris used a special voice when they were going on a search. And he was using that voice now.

This time, they would be looking for a little seven-year-old boy who was reported missing. Servous loved children & hoped that the little boy would be found safe & sound. "Hurry up!" he wanted to say to Officer Chris. "We have a little boy to find!"

When Officer Chris & Servous arrived at the little boy's house, police officers came over to talk to them. They explained that the house had been searched already, & the little boy wasn't there. They suggested that Officer Chris & Servous search the woods for the little boy.

When Officer Chris told Servous to search the woods, Servous looked back at the little boy's house. He didn't think the little boy was in the woods. He thought he was still in the house. But Officer Chris commanded him to search the woods, so he obeyed.

Even while he was searching the woods, he kept looking back at the house. Officer Chris watched Servous. He knew Servous wanted to search the house. He also knew that Servous never insisted unless he was right. So they turned back to the house.

Officer Chris used his cell phone to call the police officers who were still near to house. "Please check the house again." Officer Chris asked them, "Servous thinks the boy is still in the house." The police officers trusted Servous too. So they started searching the house all over again.

Minutes later Servous was back at the house helping them search. And there, hiding behind a sofa in the basement, was the little boy. Servous was so happy to find him, safe & sound, he licked him over & over, until the little boy collapsed in a combination of laughter & dog kisses. Although everyone was very happy the little boy was safe, his mother was very sorry he had made the police officers, Officer Chris & Servous waste so much time searching for him. But Servous didn't mind at all. He was happy to help.

Officer Chris hugged Servous, scratched his ears & took him home. They both slept well that night, knowing they had done their job, & done it well.

A long time passed before Officer Chris & Servous had to search for a missing person again. During this time, Servous worked with Officer Chris when he needed help finding criminals. As good as he was in police work, Servous missed finding people. He enjoyed that part of his work the most.

So, he was excited to be able to help when Officer Chris told him that a little girl's grandfather was lost & needed his help. The grandfather had been missing for more than a whole day before Officer Chris was called. Servous knew they had no time to lose. "Hurry!" he barked. Officer Chris was worried too. Other teams had searched yesterday, but couldn't find the grandfather.

Officer Chris drove the old police cruiser to a spot that had been searched already. He wanted to search it again. This time, they were luckier than the searchers who had been there before. A few minutes after Servous started to search he found a scent. He knew it was the grandfather. Servous ran straight to a place where the grass & brush were very high & waited for Officer Chris to catch up. There, lying on the ground, hidden by the tall grass, was the little girl's grandfather. He sat up when he saw Servous & wrapped his arms around Servous' neck.

Officer Chris was very happy to find the grandfather & see that he was okay. Servous was extra happy he had saved someone from being cold, & scared. He remembered how lonely he felt in the plane. He never wanted anyone else to feel that way. As they drove the grandfather back to his family, Servous let the grandfather pet him. When they got there, the little girl thanked Servous over & over, & when she scratched his ears, Servous was in heaven!

After they left, both Officer Chris & Servous were hungry. On the ride home, Officer Chris stopped at McDonald's, to buy cheeseburgers & a soda. He never fed Servous "people food." But Officer Chris decided to make an exception this time because he knew Servous was hungry too. He unwrapped the cheeseburger & handed it to Servous. Servous gobbled it up in one bite. He loved it! McDonald's cheeseburgers were a special treat that Officer Chris would give Servous when he deserved a special reward.

Over the next few years Officer Chris & Servous worked together on many cases. But none of them was as important as the one that would come on September 11, 2001.

On that morning, Officer Chris was in his kitchen listening to the radio. It was a quiet morning. Servous was napping at his feet. Then Officer Chris heard a news flash that would be heard around the world. The radio announcer said that some people had attacked two big buildings in New York City, called the World Trade Center. The buildings had collapsed, & many people were hurt & missing. Officer Chris had never been to New York City, & had never seen these famous buildings. He didn't even know anyone in New York. But he knew that they would need search & rescue dogs to help-lots of them.

Servous could tell something was wrong, very wrong. He didn't understand what had happened in New York, but if there were people missing, Servous wanted to help. But neither Officer Chris nor Servous knew that this search would change their lives forever. They only knew that their job was to help others, & they were ready.

Officer Chris packed the police cruiser with their rescue gear, & started the thousand-mile drive to New York. Every time they stopped, people prayed for them & wouldn't let Officer Chris pay for food or gasoline. Everybody wanted to help in their own way.

When they arrived at the site where the World Trade Centers used to be, Officer Chris couldn't believe what he saw. Metal & broken glass were everywhere. The air was filled with dust & smoke. Rescue workers wore masks to help them breathe. The rescue dogs couldn't. The dogs all had problems breathing the smoky air. But they kept working anyway.

Officer Chris was worried about Servous. He was afraid he would get hurt. So, Officer Chris put special search & rescue booties on Servous to protect his feet from the glass & hot metal began to search. (Servous always wore these booties to protect his feet when on a search.)

Then, without wasting any time, they walked into one of the smaller buildings at the site. It was partly destroyed when the larger buildings collapsed on it. Broken concrete & rubble were everywhere, making it very hard to walk. It was also dark & the smoke made it even harder to see. That's when Officer Chris fell into a deep hole where the floor used to be. But, luckily, he landed on a ledge halfway down & wasn't seriously hurt.

Servous was not as lucky. He fell to the bottom of the hole, & was buried in dust & muck from the site. Officer Chris immediately jumped down to the bottom of the hole to rescue Servous. He was suffocating from the dust he had inhaled. But, even as hurt as he was, Servous tried to get up when he saw Officer Chris. But he couldn't.

Officer Chris gently lifted him into his arms, promising Servous that everything would be all right. He climbed up the side of the hole inch by inch, with Servous in his arms. Servous was heavy, but Officer Chris didn't even notice. He had to get Servous out of there-he had to get him oxygen! Finally, he lifted Servous up over his head with the last ounce of his strength to a caring firefighter standing at the top of the hole. Officer Chris climbed out of the hole & knelt over Servous. He wasn't breathing. The emergency workers & firefighters waiting at the top watched them both. They were very sad.

Officer Chris fitted an oxygen mask on Servous' nose & prayed. Servous took a deep breath of the oxygen after a few seconds. He began coughing, trying to clear his lungs of all the dust & smoke. Once he was breathing, Officer Chris carried him to a waiting police car & rushed him to the Animal Medical Center.

During the ride, the worried police officers kept the police car's sirens & lights going the whole way. Officer Chris stroked Servous' head gently & started to cry. "Please save my dog," he prayed. Servous just looked trustingly into Officer Chris's eyes & struggled to breathe.

The doctors at the Animal Medical Center began working on Servous right away. He was very weak. Officer Chris watched these incredible people work with his dog. They were the best animal doctors in the world. Finally, after working on Servous for hours, the doctors were able to help clear his lungs & help him breath more easily. He was resting quietly but looked so helpless. They had shaved his leg & he had tubes running into him. His paws were bandaged, & he had stitches where he had been cut in the fall.

While Servous was resting, Officer Chris didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave Servous here at the animal hospital alone, but knew there was work to do back at the site-important work that Officer Chris could do while he waited for Servous to be well enough to leave the hospital. He knew that Servous would want him to get back to work. So, even though he didn't want to leave Servous, he whispered good-bye to him & scratched his ears. Servous wagged his tail weakly as Officer Chris left & got a ride back to the site.

But Officer Chris couldn't stop thinking about Servous. Even when he was busy working with the firefighters & other rescue workers, many people asked about Servous, & worried, hoping that he would be all right. Officer Chris kept calling the Animal Medical Center to check on him. Everyone there told Officer Chris that Servous was resting, & was okay. They told him not to worry. But he did anyway.

Hours later, Officer Chris went to pick up Servous from the Animal Medical Center. The animal doctors warned him that Servous has been seriously hurt. "He has to rest & his lungs are very weak." They told him. "He will need oxygen & a long time to heal before he can ever work again." In fact, they weren't sure that Servous would ever be able to work again. But they didn't tell that to Officer Chris. He was too worried already.

Officer Chris put Servous into the back seat of his police cruiser. He didn't know what they should do next. There lying asleep on the back seat, with his shaved leg & bandaged paws, was his best friend. His bravest friend. They had come such a long way & had to stop so soon. He knew that their rescue team work was over, at least for now. It was very sad.

Servous & Officer Chris were both exhausted. Officer Chris hadn't slept in two days. They hadn't had real food since they left home. But Officer Chris was too tired to care. He parked the car on a street near the site & they both slept.

When they woke up a few hours later, Officer Chris took Servous for a walk. Servous didn't seem to know how seriously he was hurt. He had time for every rescue worker & firefighter & police officer he met. All of them wanted to touch Servous, to pet him & to talk. Even as weak as he was, he sat still for each of them, wagging his tail. He licked the hands of the heroes working to help rescue people. It was the only time these brave people had something to smile over.

After Servous had made the rounds of the people working at the site, they walked back to their police cruiser & Servous climbed into the back seat Officer Chris wanted Servous to rest, while he went back out to help alone. But when he opened the back door to get his pack, Servous jumped back out.

Officer Chris ordered him back into the car.

For the first time in his life Servous refused to listen. "Servous," he was told a second time, "Get in the car!" Servous refused again. Officer Chris never raised his voice with Servous, but Officer Chris was tempted to raise his voice now. He issued his final command. "Servous, get in the car!" But Servous just looked trustingly into his eyes & refused to budge. He didn't wag his tail, or move a muscle. He just stood there, looking at Officer Chris.

Officer Chris finally gave up. He knew Servous had come here with a job to do & he planned to do it, no matter what. Servous knew others needed his help, & wouldn't rest when he thought he should be working. So, they went back to work… together.

To get to the place for Servous to search they had to climb over piles of broken pieces of the buildings & onto long steel beams. The steel beams were slippery from the dust & water from the firehoses. There was a long drop from the slippery beams to the ground. Servous was afraid. So was Officer Chris. But they kept going. Officer Chris went first & Servous followed. They worked for seven hours without stopping, helping the rescue workers look for people from the buildings.

Officer Chris & Servous were tired, thirsty & hungry, but weren't ready to stop. Just then, Servous slipped. Before he could catch himself, he fell off the beam to the broken rubble below. Servous looked up at Officer Chris sadly, & then closed his eyes.

For the second time in less than a day, Officer Chris jumped down to be by Servous' side. He shouted for oxygen. Many people ran to help. Servous was choking & unconscious. The oxygen seemed to help, but Officer Chris was afraid that Servous would die.

They rushed back to the Animal Medical Center. The doctors ran to help one more time. The already loved this brave dog & his friend, Officer Chris. They even let Officer Chris stay with Servous while they treated him. The animal doctors worried that Servous wouldn't make it this time. But Servous was very brave & determined to stay alive to be with his friend Officer Chris. And Officer Chris had acted quickly in getting him oxygen. One of the doctors told Officer Chris that the oxygen had saved Servous' life. They also told him that Servous would live. It was a miracle.

Officer Chris was very relieved & happy. But, Officer Chris didn't know that Servous had seriously hurt his neck & back & could never work again. The next day, Officer Chris put Servous into his police cruiser. The doctors said he was allowed to go home, as long as he rested. Other rescue workers & firefighters from the site waved good-bye to the brave team. They both left New York & the others sadly, knowing there was so much work left to do.

To cheer Servous up, & as the reward Servous had grown to expect for a job well done, Officer Chris stopped for McDonald's cheeseburgers. Servous, although weak & hurt, gobbled them up happily.

On the drive home people were even kinder than they had been on the ride to New York. A Middle Eastern man who owned a gas station & convenience store along the way apologized for what the terrorists had done. He told Officer Chris that people from his part of the world were not all terrorists. He also told Officer Chris he was proud to be an American, & refused to let Officer Chris pay for anything. The Middle Eastern man cried softly when Officer Chris allowed him to pet Servous. Officer Chris thanked the man for his kindness. The man thanked Officer Chris & Servous for their bravery.

People everywhere just wanted to touch Servous. And Servous was patient with them all. It was as though he knew this was part of his job, to give hope to others.

Aunt Pam, Mayor Herb & everyone at Shiloh, Illinois were waiting to welcome them home. But Aunt Pam was very worried when she saw how weak Servous looked. She ordered Officer Chris & Servous to bed, together.

A big welcome home party was held a few days later to thank them for risking their lives to help. Everyone said they were both heroes. The town was very proud of them. Officer Chris was embarrassed. He didn't think he was a hero. He hated when people told him he was. He knew that the real hero was Servous & the other rescue dogs like him.

When Servous walked into the party, the entire crowd stood up & clapped & cheered. But the excitement was too much for Servous & his injured lungs. He couldn't breathe & started choking. Officer Chris had to take him outside & give him oxygen. Officer Chris decided that Servous had done enough, & took him home to rest.

In the morning, Officer Chris took Servous to his veterinarian's office. Dr. Lashley confirmed what Officer Chris has feared, & the doctors at the Animal Medical Center knew - Servous' lungs were too weak. His neck & back were injured too. Every step Servous took brought him pain. His days as a rescue dog were over-forever.

Officer Chris drove his brave partner home, sadly. Aunt Pam walked out of the office to meet them. One look at Officer Chris told Aunt Pam how seriously Servous was hurt. She looked at Servous, with tears in her eyes. "You were the best," she said sadly. We'll never find another like you."

She didn't say anything else, but scratched Servous' ears & waited while Officer Chris hugged Servous for a long time. Officer Chris has tears in his eyes, too. Servous reached up & licked him. It all seemed over. It was all so sad.

Then one night, after work, Aunt Pam handed Officer Chris a piece of paper with a telephone number on it. "We need to get a new puppy for Servous to start to train," she said. "We need to make sure there will be enough search & rescue dogs to help children everywhere!" she said. Officer Chris smiled as he turned to Aunt Pam "Are you up to training another search & rescue dog?" he asked. She answered him by walking over & picking up the phone. She dialed & handed it to him. "Let's go," she said. "We have lots of work to do."

Officer Chris agreed. "Good thinking!" he replied. When the kind man who had found Servous for Officer Chris nine years before answered the phone, Officer Chris explained what had happened. The kind man was very sad to hear that Servous had been seriously hurt at the World Trade Center. Then Officer Chris asked the kind man to go back to the kennels in Holland & find another special puppy. The kind man agreed, happily.

Together, Officer Chris & Servous had lots of work to do. They would always be a team, even if Servous couldn't go out on a search & rescue call anymore. They had rescue dogs to train!

Two months earlier, a puppy had been born in Holland. It was born on the same day Servous fell down the hole at the World Trade Center. This was a very special puppy, but she didn't know it yet. Many people were waiting for her to be born-people from far away… from across the ocean… in a country called the United States of America.

One of those people was a kind man who knew everything about this puppy. He even knew everything about the puppy's parents & about her brothers & sisters, many of whom lived in different parts of the United States already.

There was someone else who was waiting for the puppy too - Officer Chris, a police officer who lived in a faraway place called Illinois, & worked in a faraway place called St. Louis, & his heroic search & rescue dog named Servous.

THE END

Officer Chris's dedication to Servous:

Guardians of the Night

Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade.
I will protect you with my last breath.
When all others have left you & the loneliness of the night closes in,
I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all obstacles

& search out those who might wish harm to others.

All I ask of you is compassion, the caring touch of your hands.

It is for you that I will selflessly give my life & spend my nights unrested.

Although our days together may be marked by the passing seasons,

Know that each day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by the coming & going of your footsteps.

I anticipate them at the opening of the door.

You are the voice of caring when I am Ill.

The voice of authority over me when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly for I am your right arm, the sword at your side.

I attempt to do only what you bid of me.

I seek only to please you & remain in your favor.

Together you & I shall experience a bond only others like you will understand.

When outsiders see us together, their envy will be measured by their disdain.

I will quietly listen to you & pass no judgment.

Nor will your spoken words be repeated.

I will remain ever silent, ever vigilant, ever loyal.

And when our time together is done & you move on in the world,

Remember me with kind thoughts & tales.

For a time we were unbeatable, nothing passed among us undetected.

If we should ever meet again on another field I will gladly take up your fight.

I am a Police Working Dog & together

We are Guardians of the Night.

Author unknown

For "Servous" my partner & friend…World Trade Center…09/11/01