Family who lost dog during Sandy finds it at pound

EATONTOWN: A New Jersey family whose terrier-pit bull mix escaped from their backyard during Superstorm Sandy went to an animal shelter this week to adopt a new pet and came home with their old dog.

Chuck James tells The Associated Press that his family searched for the brown-and-white dog named Reckless for months after the October 2012 storm before finally giving up hope.

"We reported him missing and called the shelters periodically, just hoping they had him," James said Saturday. "We always kept our hopes up, but eventually it's time to move on."

James said the family had planned in recent weeks to get a new dog as a 10th birthday surprise for their eldest daughter, Ally.

But when the family of five went to the Monmouth County SPCA on Thursday to adopt a new animal, James and his wife approached the first cage and saw a familiar face inside.

"He was a little bigger than I remembered because they had fed him well," James joked. "But then he was laying on my wife's feet, and I knew it was him. ... I was in disbelief. I know this dog is meant to be with our family."

When SPCA officials asked if they could prove the animal was their dog, a friend sent over a picture showing the family with their dog before Sandy hit the Jersey shore.

"We're all so happy to have him back," James said. "Thank God for no-kill shelters because every time they kill an animal, it's somebody's friend who might be lost. Thank God they didn't put him down because this would have been a different story."

SPCA officials say Reckless was picked up as a stray and has now been microchipped.

The family is living in a hotel while their storm-damaged Keansburg home is repaired. This weekend, the Jameses went on a camping trip with Reckless to celebrate the dog's return.

Oscar-nominated director of sled dog film dies

ANCHORAGE: An Oscar-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced a documentary detailing a 1925 sled dog run in Alaska to deliver life-saving serum has died.

Daniel Anker died Monday at age 50. His wife, Donna Santman, says her husband died of pneumonia, a complication of his lymphoma.

Anker´s film, "Icebound," details the five-day run to Nome following a deadly diphtheria breakout. The film opened the Anchorage International Film Festival in December.

Santman says her husband most recently was working on a documentary about late director Sidney Lumet.

Anker was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001 for another documentary, "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy."

The New York filmmaker is survived by his wife of 12 years and their two children. (AP)

2-legged Washington dog charms millions with video

VANCOUVER: A dog in Washington state has no rear legs, but he can balance enough to run on only his front legs, as millions of people have seen in a YouTube video.

Duncan was born with deformed rear legs that were amputated to remove the dead weight.

The 9-month-old boxer belongs to Amanda Giese and Gary Walters, who run a nonprofit animal rescue called Panda Paws Rescue out of their home in the Clark County community of Felida.

The Columbian reports the couple took Duncan to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast in March and took the video of Duncan racing across the sand and chasing sticks.

Giese says they initially tried to fit Duncan in a special wheelchair, but he hated it and can do without it.

Dismayed by men, UK woman ‘marries’ pet dog

Puptial knot! A 47-year-old divorced woman in the UK has ‘married’ her pet dog because the canine had all the qualities she needed in a life partner. Apparently dismayed by men, Amanda Rodgers, from south London, married her loyal pet terrier called Sheba. The wedding ceremony took place in front of 200 people in Split, Croatia in August 2012, ‘Metro’ reported.
“Sheba had been in my life for years, making me laugh and comforting me when I was feeling low,” Rodgers said. “I couldn’t think of anything more I’d need from a life partner,” she said.
Rodgers had married a man 20 years ago but the relationship ended within a few months, the report said. “I got down on one knee and proposed. I could tell by her tail wagging that she said ‘yes’,” Rodgers said, adding she wanted things to be just right this time.
“I’d dreamed of a perfect wedding dress since I was small, I made it myself for the ceremony. The day was wonderful, more fun than the marriage. I gave her a kiss to seal the deal and then everyone threw confetti. It was a wonderful moment,” Rodgers added.
Rodgers said the wedding to Sheba may not have been real in the legal sense “but it was a nice way to mark what Sheba means to me”.