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Hero pup saves the day
By MICHELLE LOTTER – Tuesday, 02 December 2008
TO THE RESCUE: Hearing dog Milu has made owner Gia Hoblyn proud with his rescue of an elderly woman trapped in a lift.
Cries for help coming from an elevator isn’t the usual sound hearing dog Milu responds to.
But luckily for an elderly woman stuck inside, Milu the miniature poodle came to the rescue.
On hearing the woman’s cries for help, Milu pawed Ms Hoblyn, which is the signal trained hearing dogs give when they hear a sound that they want their owner to respond to.
His profoundly deaf owner Gia Hoblyn who volunteers at the Hearing Dog office in Takapuna, was alerted to the situation by her dog.
But giving into Milu’s persistence, she opened the lift to find a woman who was upset after not being able to get out.
Thinking Milu wanted to go toilet, Ms Hoblyn was frustrated when Milu stopped at the lifts rather than follow their usual route downstairs, she says.
Ms Hoblyn cannot get over her admiration for 11-year-old Milu who has not been trained to respond to others’ cries for help."
Ms Hoblyn and her "super doggie" have been a team for almost seven years.
"Because of his smart, quick thinking and brilliant training he was a star and rescued the lady.
Hearing Dogs are trained to respond to sounds like smoke alarms, door knocks or door bells, fax and telephone rings, alarm clocks, baby monitors and oven timers.
Milu’s help allows the Takapuna resident to "feel safe and more independent".hearingdogs.
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Duck causes flap and crash
By MICHELLE DUFF – Manawatu Standard Wednesday, 26 November 2008
MURRAY WILSON/Manawatu Standard
DUCK SWERVER: A two-vehicle smash on Palmerston North’s Centennial Drive was thought to have been caused when a car swerved to avoid squashing a duck and her ducklings. .
A mallard duck that led her ducklings into the path of an oncoming car is thought to have been the cause of a two-car smash on Centennial Drive in Palmerston North yesterday. Inset: file picture of ducks.15am, causing a car to swerve into an oncoming Honda Odyssey van.
The duck crossed the road about 9.
Both drivers were unhurt.
The impact rolled the van and sent it spinning sideways down the road, with the male driver escaping out of the driver's side window.
Constable Brendon Ross said the woman car driver had lost control after trying to avoid the duck. The duck is also believed to have been unscathed.
"As you can see it's a people mover but no kids, thankfully.
The van took the full brunt of the crash, so it was lucky there were no kids in the back seat, he said."
Speed was not a factor, and it was too early to say if charges would be laid. He popped straight out the window with just a grazed arm, which is pretty amazing, but I guess that's what happens when you have your seatbelt on.
"I got out of the way, then jumped out and ran over to him – I thought it was going to be pretty bad.
A student on his way to Massey University got a shock when the van flipped and began careening down the road towards him. I was like 'are you all right, are you all right,' and he was like 'yeah, yeah'. He just popped his head up through the door.
"Don't swerve, slow down if you can, but if it's too dangerous run over them."
Detective Sergeant Tim Moffatt said care should be taken to avoid animals on the road, but if you couldn't stop safely, hitting them was better than hitting another person. Don't swerve to hit them, either. I'm not advocating killing them, I'm saying don't swerve to avoid them."