Dog rescues owner

Local owner survives kidney failure thanks to pet’s care and attention

Sarah Kehoe - kehoesm@plu.edu

mast news reporter

Faith Beasley is ready for her close-up.

The seven and a half-year-old rottweiler will receive an award on the new Fox Network show, “2008 Hero Awards” airing June 6.

Named after Hebrews 11:1 which reads, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,” Faith turned out to be more than just man’s best friend when she saved her owner’s life.

On the night of Sept. 7, 2004, 49-year-old University Place resident Leanna Beasley blacked out due to liver failure.

While Faith had been trained by Beasley to respond and detect seizures by noticing changes in body chemistry, Faith had not been trained to respond to liver failure.

But she did.

“She was jumping on my bed and running around in circles,”Beasley said. “You’re supposed to listen to your service dogs, so I got up and began to make myself some hot chocolate. I was reaching for the mug and then it was like someone turned the lights off on me.”

Faith immediately ran for the telephone made specifically for service dogs when she couldn’t wake Beasley up and pressed the black speed dial button for 911 with her nose.

The tape from the 911 call reveals Faith barking right after dispatcher Jenny Buchanan speaks, almost as if they are conversing.

Buchanan: “911, this is Jenny, Please state your emergency.”
“Hello?”
Faith lets out one direct bark into the receiver.
Buchanan: “If you can hear me, I am sending someone over for help.”

“I sensed there was a problem on the other end of the 911 call,” said Buchanan to the Associated Press Oct. 29, 2004. “The dog was too persistent in barking directly into the phone receiver. I knew she was trying to tell me something.”

Faith rolled Leanna onto her stomach, ran to the window when help arrived, and opened the door to let the police in upon recognizing their uniform, recalls Beasley.

Opening doors and dialing the telephone are just two examples of more than 200 commands Beasley has taught Faith.

Faith can also open and shut the refrigerator door, unload the laundry, pick up any object from a human being to a coin and dress and undress Beasley.

Although Faith can only speak with a “woof,” she uses her eyes and body language to communicate, said her owner.

“She’s intuitive, with a real wicked sense of humor,” said Faith’s godmother, 62- year-old Key Peninsula resident, Theresa Knots. “Faith is very loyal and devoted, calm when she needs to be and full of beans when she needs to be.”

Beasley knew that Faith was special the day she went to see her with retired service dog Bronson and her son Michael Beasley, following a friend’s suggestion.

Choosing a service dog is not easy.

The dog must have a special quality that enables him or her to read body chemistry in order to detect the illness before it gets out of hand, Beasley said.

A dog is considered a service animal if it has been “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability,” according to The Americans with Disabilities Act.

Leanna Beasley had searched high and low for a replacement for then 6-year-old Bronson, who had become too sick with arthritis to function as a service dog.

“Faith stood out from the others,” said Leanna Beasley. “She was inquisitive while all the others were easily distracted. She climbed into my lap as if to say, ‘I’m going home with you, you’re taking me home.’”

Bronson also fell in love with Faith, immediately warming up to her and curling up next to her for a nap, Leanna Beasley said.

Beyond a service dog, Faith is a loyal, loving and caring pet.

With the same dog smell and desire for treats and attention, the dog identified by her family as a people dog, nuzzles her head on her mother’s lap when off duty, rubbing her wet nose against Beasley’s skin until Faith is given the proper attention she desires.

“She is sweet, caring and laidback,” said 23-year-old Michael Beasley who lives with Faith and his mom so he can look after Leanna.

Yet Faith’s relationship with her mother is deeper than simply owner and pet, Knots said.

“One of the reasons why Leanna and Faith are so tight is that they are dependent on one another to meet certain needs,” Knots said.

Faith needs Beasley for love, food and care while Beasley relies on Faith to guide her safely throughout her day.

Faith goes with Beasley everywhere, from the swimming pool where Beasley receives physical therapy to Tacoma Community College where Beasleyattends school.

“She’s my partner, but at the same time she’s an extension of myself,” Beasley said. “It is similar to when I think something and my left hand does it. That’s how she and I are.”

Although Faith is well-received at the college and most other places, she has run into some people who do not understand the duties of a service dog and are not very receptive to having her at their establishment.

Beasley has been told that she couldn’t bring Faith with her into some stores and business offices.

“Are you blind? Well then this dog can’t be in here.”

“You don’t look disabled to me.”

These comments not only offend Leanna, but have forced her to leave certain places that demand for her to keep Faith outside.

“According to the law, Faith is a piece of medical equipment,” Leanna Beasley said. “It’s like saying, ‘No, you can’t come in here with your crutches.’”

The ADA requires business and places of public accommodation to admit people with disabilities with service dogs to their premises.

“People with service dogs have access to nearly every place where the general public is welcomed. For example, service dogs are permitted to ride in taxicabs, buses and trains. They may enter restaurants, theatres, hotels and public schools,” explained representative of Delta Society, a non-profit organization located in Bellevue that is specialized in offering information regarding service dogs.

One place where Faith doesn’t have to worry about any laws is out on the open water, fishing with her mom.

“She allows me to go fishing and I love fishing,” Beasley said. “The doctors told me I shouldn’t take baths or be in the water because of my grand mal seizures. Never one to follow rules of elders, I found a way around it by training my dogs to respond.”

Faith alerts her mom to get out of the water if she senses Beasley about to have a seizure and can pull Beasley’s body out of the water if needed.

Michael Beasley is grateful for Faith’s training, and that there is someone else who looks after his mom.

“Faith gave me my life back,” Michael said. “After Bronson was retired, I was really high-strung and always worried about my mom, but now I can relax a little bit and go have fun with my friends.”

Faith also makes time for her own fun, such as when she filmed a reenactment of her 911 call this Saturday afternoon for the “2008 Hero Awards.”.

“Faith is an amazing dog and Leanna and Faith’s story is just as amazing,” said producer Josh Martorana of Los Angeles, Calif., who took part in filming Faith’s reenactment.

Faith’s godmother was also impressed at Faith and her ability to do tricks repeatedly for the cameras.

“I loved how they would be like, can she do this? And then she would do it, just like an actress,” Knots said.

This isn’t the first time Faith is receiving an award or appearing on a show.

She was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004, appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper shortly afterwards, and received the Service Dog ACE award from Animal Planet.

It seems that Hebrews 11:1 has shown itself in Faith’s life after all, as she has been everything the Beasley family could hope for and more.

The only difference is that now the whole world gets to see.

Photo by Sarah Kehoe

Leanna Beasley of University Place in Seattle shows off some of her dog Faith’s tricks in her home. Faith is trained in more than 200 commands.

Photo by Sarah Kehoe

Seven-year-old Rottweiler service dog, Faith, saved her owner Leanna Beasley by warning Beasley and dialing 911 September 7. Faith is trained to respond to seizures.