'Miracle Dog' Survives Gas Chamber, Finds New Home In New Jersey

NUTLEY, N.J. -- The dog that survived an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber has found a permanent home in New Jersey.

Daniel, a beagle mix named by animal control workers in Alabama after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den, joined four other rescued dogs last Thursday at the home of Joe Dwyer and his family in Nutley, about 10 miles west of New York City.

"He's in extremely good shape, especially in light of what he went through," Dwyer said Wednesday after returning from a trip to the veterinarian. "His attitude is just incredible."

Daniel surprised workers at the Animal Control facility in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3, the day he was supposed to be put down with several other animals in a stainless-steel box roughly the size of a pickup truck bed that was filled with carbon monoxide.

The dog emerged frightened but unscathed, and was eventually flown to New Jersey by Eleventh Hour Rescue, a nonprofit that saves dogs slated for euthanasia.

The organization received more than 100 requests to adopt Daniel, its president said last month. Dwyer said he and his family had two "meet-and-greets" with Daniel before being approved for adoption.

Dwyer said Daniel has become fast friends with the Nutley family's other four pooches – two dachshunds, a beagle mix and a pit bull mix.

"By Thursday evening they were all lying down together," he said. "It was wonderful to see."

Comments

[Retnan]

01:17 AM on 04/26/2012

Killing healthy pets should not be allowed. Eliminate Congressional pensions to pay to feed them.

[Apollo Radians]

03:07 AM on 12/23/2011

Seriously, what is wrong with Alabama? They put their dogs in gas chambers? Not shocking they also rank in the bottom 5 in education. Alabama literally sounds like hell. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go there, much less live there. I imagine it being like finding yourself in the middle of the movie Deliverance.

[classygirlkq1]

12:55 AM on 12/16/2011

Cookies, milkbones, cuddles, and tummy rubs to you, Daniel! I know you will be so, so happy in your new home. To the Dwyers: Thank you so much for opening your home and hearts to this beautiful little life.There is not a doubt in my mind that the love you showed him will come back to you tenfold. To the world at large: Let's all put our heads together and figure out how to put a stop to the euthanazia of healthy, adoptable pets once and for all!

[evecaren]

06:02 AM on 11/18/2011

Finally an animal story with a happy ending. Way to go, Daniel. He looks like such a lively
gentle dog on the video. I'm so glad that a family finally adopted this very sweet dog.

[Rick Kilgore]

09:50 PM on 11/17/2011

way to go Joe, good job.

[gingermae333]

09:47 PM on 11/17/2011

There is no greater loyalty than that given by a rescued pet. They are loving, grateful, intelligent, obedient, house-broken, trained, well-mannered, beautiful, etc. I could go on and on ... I would NEVER purchase an animal. Only adopt. So many need love and shelter, companionship and human and animal contact. Why not consider older ones. They are so well worth it.

[evecaren]

05:59 AM on 11/18/2011

I couldn't agree with you more, gingermae333. I've rescued two cats from an animal shelter and
I would do it again. My husband and I adopted a beautiful calico cat who was 5 1/2 years old
when we adopted her from a humane society almost six years ago now. We lost our darling cat
to cancer earlier this year. She was a lovely little soul and we miss her a lot. Recently we have
rescued a lovely healthy male ginger cat who was going to be euthanized because a member of his
family had become allergic to him. Through a total fluke of circumstances, my husband and I
saw a picture of him on a website, read about his circumstances, contacted the cat rescue
organization and adopted him. He's a wonderful six years old cat and he's quite a character.

[gingermae333]

10:23 AM on 11/18/2011

Bless you and your husband, dear lady. I hope and pray we continue with the strength to take care of them, and the courage to face the too-early loss of our precious rescues.

[mclkarim]

05:12 PM on 11/17/2011

God bless his little heart and the Dwyer family who adopted him!

[dgoldish]

04:01 PM on 11/17/2011

They should put the dog pound attendant in the gas chamber!

[Summer4Progress]

04:54 PM on 11/17/2011

In all fairness, I'm sure that most of the attendant's don't like what they have to do. They are probably mostly angry at the people who don't get their pets fixed.

[dgoldish]

05:20 PM on 11/17/2011

Thanks, Summer. I respect your response, but nonetheless there is no excuse to gas a homeless dog. Eventually someone would adopt the poor creature and luckily someone did in this case.

[aviandonn]

05:11 PM on 11/17/2011

No. The employee turnover at kill pounds is pretty high because the job really takes it's toll on people, who get the job to begin with usually because they love animals. But they have to do what they have to do. What can you do when your shelter can only hold twenty animals but more are coming in every day, budgets are being cut, and you can't find enough people to adopt fast enough. All most pound workers can do is try to make the animals last days as pleasant as possible. "gas chambers' are terrible. But I used to do some trainings at shelters, and I know where animals were euthanized individually, employees would be the last ones with them, petting and holding them as they died. It really isn't their fault.

[dgoldish]

05:30 PM on 11/17/2011

Thanks, Aviandonn, and I respect your viewpoint too. I would only suggest that when the shelter is full, to simply relocate the animal to a larger shelter somewhere else, where efforts can still be made to adopt. Regardless of circumstances, you just don't put a good healthy loving dog or cat to sleep.

[jaredswilliams]

12:28 PM on 11/17/2011

Yay it's a miracle us humans couldn't kill him. Jesus. So NOW he is adopted of course.

[nonsense4one]

11:43 AM on 11/17/2011

I have repeatedly attempted to view "Michael Vick speaks out against Dog Wars app" but it appears to be blocked - why is that? Bias?

[auntbush]

11:13 AM on 11/17/2011

This is a good reason NOT to do this to animals. We need to control their numbers, take care of them, and treat them with kindness. They are in a word God's gift to us.

[kimbalyah513]

11:35 AM on 11/17/2011

Nicely said!

[Joe Lanzafame]

12:46 PM on 11/17/2011

Except what do you do with the million dogs EVERY YEAR for whom homes cannot be found? You're right about controlling numbers, but when people fail to control the reproduction of their pets there is little choice but to put to sleep all those dogs. Don't get me wrong, it is a horrible failing of human beings but when you look at irresponsible breeding by humans, no surprise that they are no more responsible with their dogs and cats.

[Summer4Progress]

04:51 PM on 11/17/2011

And that's exactly why we need tougher laws for animal owners. If you can't even be bothered to get your pet fixed, then you shouldn't be allowed to own a pet. At least IMO.

[fifiwereking]

04:54 PM on 11/17/2011

state laws could be enacted so that no animal can be bought or adopted until it is spayed or neutered, no dog licenses can be issued, no insurance can be purchased, etc., with exceptions made for licensed, responsible breeders...

[peeowedaboutit2]

11:12 AM on 11/17/2011

Yaaaaaaaayyyyyy!

[enigma2]

05:04 PM on 11/17/2011

Second that!!

[Susan Then]

11:10 AM on 11/17/2011

At last, a wonderful, uplifting story!

[mmvernes]

11:03 AM on 11/17/2011

Yeah Daniel! Be happy in your forever home! Remember everybody go to your local animal shelter & adopt your next "best friend" (whether dog/cat, furry/feathered) It's a win-win situation!!!!!!!!!

[emmaoco]

10:19 AM on 11/17/2011

This is old news. Why do they keep repeating this story?

[Anne Stivacti]

10:40 AM on 11/17/2011

Why do you care? What business is it of those who don't give a fig about animal suffering? Stories like Daniel's should be repeated ad nauseam until the thick-headed among us finally get it.

[lagomarsinop]

11:10 AM on 11/17/2011

I did not know Daniel was adopted. The last I heard, he was in foster care. Soooo, for some of us, it's not old news.