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Wendy Manning and her dog Trance. Photo by Victor Maccharoli.

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Rescued dog returns the favor

By ERIC LINDBERG — Feb. 4, 2010

Local couple Wendy Manning and Bill Ball rescued their pet Boston terrier, Trance, two and a half years ago.

A week and a half ago, he returned the favor.

A puppy mill pup adopted from a rescue organization in Los Angeles, Trance alerted the couple with frantic barking in the middle of the night.

Manning, used to hearing the terrier barking at raccoons, noticed something different about his yelps and rose to take a look from the upstairs window.

“I didn’t see anything at first, but I thought, something is wrong,” she said. “Then I saw sparks by the side of the house.”

She raced downstairs and found flames licking at the home from a timer box outlet loaded with cords from holiday lights and a water fountain pump. Using a garden hose, she managed to douse the small fire, which had already blackened the wall of the house.

“He sensed it or heard it right away,” Manning said. “I was able to put it out without much trouble.”

The path that brought Trance to live with the local couple was anything but trouble-free.

Reportedly bred in an Arkansas puppy mill, he was put up for sale in a Beverly Hills pet store, Manning said. A young girl bought him and spent $15,000 trying to repair his deformed rear legs, likely a result of inbreeding or overbreeding.

The girl eventually gave up and donated Trance to a rescue organization, Boston Buddies, that operates throughout Southern California.

“He was like a little skeleton when we got him,” Manning said. “He couldn’t use one of his rear legs.”

After trying physical therapy, acupuncture and other treatment efforts, the couple took Trance to a local pet hospital, where doctors found a metal pin rubbing against a bone in his leg.

The couple raised money for his surgery by holding a yard sale and collecting donations from friends. Once the pin was removed, the terrier made a quick recovery.

“Trance was just running around and all happy,” Manning said.

Since then, he has become a star of sorts, taking glamour shots for magazines and posters. Despite his crinkled tail and the cross-eyed look that spawned his name, Manning said the pup can pose.

“He’s been a poster child,” she said. “He’s just something else.”

His legs still give him some trouble climbing stairs, so Trance usually spends the night downstairs, which proved serendipitous on the night of the fire.

“I just think, if he wouldn’t have been downstairs, he probably wouldn’t have heard it at soon,” Manning said.

Along with plenty of hugs, she rewarded the terrier for his watchdog work with bison bones and other treats from a local pet store.

“He had such a hard beginning,” she said, “but he’s just a sweet character.”

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Great Story : 2/4/2010

What a great story (not the fire, though) and a happy ending. I wish you all well

SV

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Trance, the wonder dog : 2/4/2010

Trance's sad beginning is a reminder to consumers not to buy puppies from pet stores -- they are almost always bred at "puppy mills," large breeding facilities that pay little regard to the health or well-being of the puppies or the breeder dogs. Trance's story is heartwarming and I wish he and his family many happy years together!

Karen Lee Stevens

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Electrical Fire : 2/4/2010

Wendy put our the fire with a garden hose? She's lucky things didn't turn out worse than they did!

Mr. Me

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:-)) : 2/4/2010

Way to go Trance!!! You're a hero!! Steak for dinner!!
Rescue pups are always the best dogs.
Give a rescue pup a chance- he may save your life in return.

ZG

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Trance - what a cutie! : 2/4/2010

Trance is so very fortunate to have such wonderful owners! I know you must love him so very much. I am glad that he was able to alert you to the fire and that everything turned out well.

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Rescued dog returns the favor : 2/4/2010

Wendy and Bill have been doing so much for rescue dogs, Trance is such a great dog, he blossomed after Wendy and Bill took him in. So glad that Trance was there to alert them. There is another lesson in this I suppose, watch out for electrical overload!!!
MT

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Rescued Dog returns favor : 2/4/2010

Thank you Karen, Eric and Victor for putting this story all together and it was so gret to see it on the front page.
Love The Daily Sound!

WM

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