Cat Watches Over Man While Dog Brings Help

March 20, 2001 Harrison, Arkansas, USA

An entire county had joined in the search for 74-year-old Thurman Cunningham, reported missing last Saturday.  Fire departments, churches, rescue teams, a helicopter and busloads of volunteers (including the Mayor himself) were all part of the organized efforts to locate Mr. Cunningham, a man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

In the end, it was an exceptional bloodhound named Duke who, going on the scent of Mr. Cunningham's house shoes, led rescuers to an obscure, brush-laden area behind a storage shed on Bogle Avenue.  There they found the man, incapacitated but awake and able to speak.

Harrison Police Chief Lyle Smith said that Mr. Cunningham had apparently fallen, gotten tangled in some bushes on the steep bank and wasn't able to get back on his feet.

Mr. Cunningham's body temperature was registered at about 96 degrees at the scene.  He was taken to the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, where he is currently listed in stable condition.

Police Chief Smith said that Duke had probably saved Mr. Cunningham's life.

Kenneth and Hazel Wells who live in a house near the spot reported that their indoor cat, who normally dislikes the outside, repeatedly wanted out Saturday night.  It is believed that the cat had been going out to check on Mr. Cunningham.

"It wasn't just the dog," said Duke's owner Dennis Rains, a member of the Capps-Batavia Fire Department.  This happy ending was really due to the efforts of an entire community—bipeds and quadrupeds alike.

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