Cody’s Corner: Speaking of heroes, villains and loving dogs, regardless

BY Sarah smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com Journalists tend to get a bit cynical and we don’t have many heroes after we get done tearing them all down. But Angie Walther comes close. This is a woman who found her niche in life and followed it. She is absolutely crazy about dogs. She had a hug and a smile for every one of the 120 dogs her grooming business pampered over the weekend, and some weren’t that huggable when they came in. Even though the schedule was full, she still offered to take walk-ins. The staff breathed in fur that they’re still trying to get out of their eyeballs, ears and noses. The noise level of the dryers going was deafening and some groomers put on earphones to shut it out. Surprisingly, there was little barking. Dogs know when they come to Angie’s they are in good hands. They all deserve a big thank you. n There have been some amazing animal stories in the news lately. A dog in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, escaped her home and walked nearly 20 blocks to see her owner, who was recovering from cancer surgery. A puppy intentionally set on fire with an accelerant is now getting care in the Twin Cities. Someone found the puppy barking for help while on fire inside a dumpster at the Red Lake Indian Reservation. He was quickly brought to Act V Rescue, which is treating his burns.  A dog was either set on fire and tossed in a dumpster or was tossed into an already burning dumpster, but either way, Clayton Van Wert had quite the surprise when he went to dump his garbage on Friday night in Redby. Van Wert found a small dog aflame in the dumpster and pulled him out. The dog, now named Phoenix, was eventually sent to a Bloomington animal clinic, where he is expected to make a full recovery. Local animal shelter on Red Lake reservation is planning on a reward for any info that leads to finding the responsible party. Local kids there have raised $1,000 for the shelter.
n Check out the Enterprise Facebook page to see some cute footage of red pandas frolicking in the snow, posted by the Washington Post. Please remember to bring your pets indoors during these cold spells. If you have a pet story, or issue, or even a question, email ssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com.    BY Sarah smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.comJournalists tend to get a bit cynical and we don’t have many heroes after we get done tearing them all down.But Angie Walther comes close. This is a woman who found her niche in life and followed it.She is absolutely crazy about dogs. She had a hug and a smile for every one of the 120 dogs her grooming business pampered over the weekend, and some weren’t that huggable when they came in.Even though the schedule was full, she still offered to take walk-ins. The staff breathed in fur that they’re still trying to get out of their eyeballs, ears and noses.The noise level of the dryers going was deafening and some groomers put on earphones to shut it out.Surprisingly, there was little barking. Dogs know when they come to Angie’s they are in good hands.They all deserve a big thank you.nThere have been some amazing animal stories in the news lately. A dog in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, escaped her home and walked nearly 20 blocks to see her owner, who was recovering from cancer surgery.A puppy intentionally set on fire with an accelerant is now getting care in the Twin Cities.Someone found the puppy barking for help while on fire inside a dumpster at the Red Lake Indian Reservation. He was quickly brought to Act V Rescue, which is treating his burns. A dog was either set on fire and tossed in a dumpster or was tossed into an already burning dumpster, but either way, Clayton Van Wert had quite the surprise when he went to dump his garbage on Friday night in Redby.Van Wert found a small dog aflame in the dumpster and pulled him out. The dog, now named Phoenix, was eventually sent to a Bloomington animal clinic, where he is expected to make a full recovery.Local animal shelter on Red Lake reservation is planning on a reward for any info that leads to finding the responsible party. Local kids there have raised $1,000 for the shelter.
nCheck out the Enterprise Facebook page to see some cute footage of red pandas frolicking in the snow, posted by the Washington Post.Please remember to bring your pets indoors during these cold spells. If you have a pet story, or issue, or even a question, email ssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com.