"Ranger:" An extraordinary search and rescue dog, owned by Captain Kerry W. Foster of Shreveport.*

Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Louisiana serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.

Louisiana recognizes the value of dogs, and in 1979 designated the Catahoula Leopard Dog as its official state dog.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human dog bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in significantly lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

*Ranger, a Labrador Retriever, began his search and rescue work for the Shreveport Fire Department in 2001. Ranger participates in approximately 40 search operations each year in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. Perhaps Ranger and Captain Foster's most memorable accomplishment was their service to the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Between March and July of 2006, Ranger searched for victims' remains in 2,800 collapsed homes, making more than a dozen important recoveries.

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Official State Dog of Louisiana: Catahoula Leopard Dog

The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the only dog breed native to Louisiana.

In 1979, Governor Edwin Edwards signed a bill making the Catahoula the official state dog in recognition of their importance in the history of the state.

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Dollie the rescue dog

Family credits pet with saving two children from fire

July 2009: Heather Hastings always knew their family dog was special.

The Easter Bunny dropped off the mixed breed dog in 2001, and immediately she became a second set of eyes on the family's children. Hastings even compared Dollie to the dog "Nana" in "Peter Pan."

So one morning, when Dollie started frantically barking and running between the kitchen where Hastings was and the bedroom where her two young sons were sleeping, Hastings knew something was up.

"I saw smoke coming from under the bed and grabbed the boys and Dollie and put them in the Suburban," Hastings said. "By the time I went back inside to check, the bed and everything was on fire."

Hastings' 11-year-old daughter, Hadley, wasn't home at the time of the fire. But she realizes how bad things could have turned out.

"I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I cannot believe this happened,'" Hadley said, cradling Dollie close to her chest. "I can't believe my little baby puppy saved my mommy and my two little brothers. She's like a super hero."

The whole family -- Justin and Heather and their three children Hadley, 4-year-old Juluin and 2-year-old Joel -- had gone camping that weekend at Cotile Lake, but Juluin was ready to go home Saturday night. He needed to watch "Captain Jack" in "Pirates of the Caribbean, Heather Hastings joked of her son who is obsessed with all things pirate. So she and the two boys came home that night to their house on Belgard Bend Road, off La. Highway 28 west of Alexandria.

About 9 a.m. the next day, Heather was making breakfast while the boys continued to sleep in her bed. She said all of a sudden Dollie started barking a high-pitched bark, almost like she was scared, and was running between the bedroom and the kitchen. That's when Heather checked in the room, saw the fire and got the children out.

"It all just went so fast," Heather said. "The fire spread so quickly. It almost sounded like microwave popcorn under the bed -- pop, pop, pop."

Damage from the fire was mostly contained to the inside of the house, but nearly everything inside was destroyed -- family pictures, mementos, the children's clothes and toys, and everything the Hastings family had worked for all these years.

The Hastings family members have been staying with relatives, but Dollie -- who has always been an inside dog and even trained herself to use a litterbox -- is having to stay outside.

Hadley hopes things get back to normal for Dollie and the rest of the family.

"I hope we can get my house fixed, and I can get back in my room soon, very soon," Hadley said. "I always used to be in my room and play with my stuff. But now I don't have a room or stuff to play with so it is kind of scary."

While walking around the house -- covered in soot and smelling of smoke and mildew from all the water put on the fire -- Heather choked up when talking about the pictures and other irreplaceable memories lost in the fire.

"I keep thinking, 'I can't believe I lost this. I can't believe I lost that,'" she said. "But I'm so grateful for Dollie and that everyone was OK. You hear stories all the time about this kind of thing, and now I've seen it. She did a good job."

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough, the answer is often not what we imagine.

Over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965 - present) there have been seven (7) dog bite-related fatalities in Louisiana, an average of about one (1) fatality every six (6) years.

NCRC's 2010 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least five (5) different breeds/types of dogs were reported to be involved in these incidents.*

The victims were 3 adults and 4 children.

In 1989: A 3-week-old infant was killed after being left alone with a dog in Caddo Parish.

In 1999: A 10-year-old boy was killed.

In 2001: An adult owner trying to capture his loose dog. The dog bit him in the thigh, severing his femoral artery. The man bled out before assistance could arrive. (Jefferson Parish)

In 2004: A 3-year-old boy wandered out into his parent's backyard and was attacked and killed by the resident dog. The family only owned the dog for a month prior to the attack. (St. Helena Parish)

In 2008: Kelli Chapman, 24, was killed by two of her dogs inside her home. It is unknown what prompted this attack. However, two years prior, in October 2006, the Beauregard Deridder Narcotics Task Force and the swat team raided the Chapman house. The search revealed methamphetamine and other drug items, and Kelli and her husband, John Chapman, were arrested. During the raid, one of Chapman's dogs bit an officer and was shot and killed. (Longville)

In 2008: Theo Doucet barricaded his three dogs in a shed on August 23rd, and went away for the weekend. The next day, the dogs escaped from the shed and into the street where they attacked Luna McDaniel. McDaniel, 83, died from her injuries on September 4th. Doucet was charged with negligent homicide and received 5 years hard labor, suspended to five years probation. (Ville Platte)

In 2009: Michael "Blaise" Landry, 4, was killed by three dogs belonging to a neighbor. The dogs had escaped from the yard after they were released from the outside kennel in which they resided. The dogs attacked the boy while he was playing in his own yard. (Morganza)

For information on this case and other dog bite-related fatalities that occurred in 2009, please see 2009 NCRC Final Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities. 

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*Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.

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In spite of the negligent ownership practices of some dog owners, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, twenty-seven (27) Louisiana children died as the result of maltreatment (abuse, neglect).

In the single year of 2007, more than 5 times as many Louisiana children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 45 years.

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Fact is, people in Louisiana routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs, bicycles and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council