A Small Miracle (Part II)

March 30, 2001 Rome, New York, USA

This story and photography was originally printed in the Rome Sentinel Online earlier this month.  Our thanks go to Scott Gwilt of the Sentinel for sharing it with us, as well as Scoop reader John D. for the tip!

Abandoned, deaf and virtually blind, 'Tess' found a home and a way out.

By KATHLEEN M. HALEY

To Annette Dow's family, "Tess" is a "little miracle."

The nine-pound Yorkshire Terrier is doing well today after stepping out of its owner's fire-ruined apartment Monday, eight hours after the blaze broke out.

"She's eating. She's drinking. She's our little miracle," said Peggy Smith, sister of one of the residents, Annette Dow, who thought she had lost her pet to the fire.

The blaze at 408 N. George St.—which claimed the life of a disabled man and left several others homeless—swept quickly through the building early Monday morning.

Dow woke to find smoke in her kitchen and was confused. A neighbor, Tyrone Heburn, pounded on her door and alerted her to the fire, Smith said. She could see the flames coming through the wall connecting to the other apartment.

Dow escaped with her cockatiels and another pet dog but could not find Tess before the blaze forced her out of her front first-floor apartment. She met with the Red Cross workers and then was provided with a room at a local motel.

About 2:30 p.m., just before crews were to tear down the building, the bedraggled dog walked out of the front door. A police officer radioed for Animal Control Officer Jeanne Waite who brought the animal to Dow.

"We thought we lost her," Smith said. And when Waite brought them the dog, they were all in tears, she said. "Missy," Dow's Pomerian , was also excited to see her canine pal.

"She's our miracle," Smith said.

Dow who is "still shaken" by the fire, is being assisted by Catholic Charities and the Red Cross in finding a new home and family members are helping out as much as they can, Smith said.

Dow and her family found Tess in October off 1999 on the streets. Its eye was ulcerated and a veterinarian told them it was blind in the one eye and could not see very well out of the other eye. The dog which they think is about 15 years old, was also deaf, Smith said. The dog has learned hand signals.

After not being able to find anyone who would claim the critter, the family took her in. The dog was a special find since their grandmother had just died and they considered her a "little angel" their grandmother had sent to look over them, Smith said.

Their mother, Gale Selnow, had thought up the name "Tess" from the television show Touched by an Angel. One of the angels' name is Tess.

Since Monday's reunion, Tess has had a bath and they discovered she has some minor burns that they will treat with salve, Smith said.

The little dog has also started limping but otherwise appears to be fine. Smith thanked the firemen, police, veterinarian who treated Tess, and the animal control officer for their efforts and the agencies working to help find her sister a home.

"Everybody was a godsend," Smith said.

©2001 Rome Sentinel Inc., Rome, NY, USA.

Back to Part I
or
Visit the Tess Photo Gallery

§§§

^Articles