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New dog quickly becomes family's best friend
Hero elkhound's howls alert owners to house fire
Monday, March 06, 2006
BY JULIA M. SCOTT
Star-Ledger Staff

A South Brunswick family escaped their burning home yesterday thanks to their new dog that woke them up by barking "like crazy," police said.

The howls of the Norwegian elkhound, a hunting dog that the family had adopted just two weeks ago, stirred John Cramer at about 6:30 a.m., said police Detective Jim Ryan.

Cramer, 54, went downstairs to calm the pooch, a young male named Toby, who was in a crate on the first floor, Ryan said. Cramer saw the fire creeping up the walls from the basement and the flames were a few feet from Toby.

"He heard the dog barking like crazy," Ryan said. "He discovered the fire had already spread to the first floor."

Elkhounds are loyal dogs known for alarm barking, according to Sally Spear, president of the Garden State Norwegian Elkhound Club. They have a bushy gray-and-white coat and a bear-like face.

"They will bark when something is not right so they were just following their instincts," said Spear, who said she knows the Cramers because the wife is active in the club.

John Cramer opened Toby's crate and ran upstairs to rouse his wife, Cheryl, 44, and their 9-year-old daughter, Lee, who were still sleeping. A second elkhound, a champion named Casey, also was asleep upstairs.

As the smoke thickened, the family and the dogs made it to safety. Three cats were not so lucky and died in the fire on Old New Road, Ryan said.

The Cramer family was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, treated for smoke inhalation and released within hours, Ryan said. The elkhounds are being kept in a nearby kennel.

The fire started in the basement near an electrical outlet and investigators are trying to determine if a faulty circuit sparked the flames, Ryan said. The preliminary assessment of the fire is that it was accidental.

It had been burning for 30 minutes before the dog woke the Cramers, Ryan said.

Firefighters arrived at 6:39 a.m. and had the blaze under control in 25 minutes.

The outside of the house does not appear badly damaged, Ryan said. But the walls are badly charred on the first floor and basement and the second floor is soggy and smells of smoke.

"As far as living in it, I don't think that's going to be possible," Ryan said.

Investigators are determining whether the house will have to be demolished.

Orphaned Piglets Feed Off Street Dog
Dog Witnesses Death Of Mother Pig

GODHRA, India -- A street dog in western India is feeding three orphaned piglets along with her puppies.

The dog apparently witnessed the death of the mother pig almost two weeks ago and has since allowed the piglets, then just days old, to feed.

The piglets are often seen scrambling for the best place to feed on their foster mother, along with their adopted brothers and sisters.

Some locals think the piglets must have been puppies in a previous life.