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CNN Live Today

Interview With Caretakers of Dog Found in Iraq

Aired May 08, 2003 - 11:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A German shepherd named Yoge is on the mend in the Detroit area. Now, a soldier rescued this abused animal in Baghdad and then somehow, some way, managed to get the dog to the U.S. for treatment. Now, you are going to meet Yoge and his caretakers in just a moment, but first here is his story, and we get it from WJBK reporter Melanie Brooks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So welcome to America, Yoge.

MELANIE BROOKS, WJBK CORRESPONDENT: It's an amazing story of rescue and risk. Yoge was able to make it all the way from Iraq, where he was tortured and beaten, to metro Detroit, where this German shepherd has captured hearts in the motor city, a canine connection, so to speak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not a whole lot of time for these guys to do anything, so for him to do what he did -- it is not like it is just an easy thing. He has got all his other obligations, all his other duties, and then he's doing this on top of it.

BROOKS: A U.S. Special Forces expert rescued Yoge when he saw him hanging by a wire, being beaten with a pipe by Iraqis in a border town. And the man who rescued him, animal lover Bill Gillette (ph), who is still stationed in Iraq. He saved Yoge and took him back to the Special Forces camp. He had to have a buddy in Detroit pick up the German shepherd in New York after the dog weathered a 14-hour flight from the Middle East.

DR. JAMES WRIGHT, VETERINARIAN: If two soldiers are willing to put themselves in harm's way for America, like all our soldiers are, the least I can do is take care of their dog.

BROOKS: And the cost was phenomenal: $1500 for Yoge's airline ticket, massive red tape at the embassy, but it was all worth it. Yoge is in good, caring hands.

And amazingly enough, after all the abuse, Yoge has a great disposition and loves people, especially the doctors at the Gasow (ph) Medical Clinic. Bill's best friend is taking care of Yoge for now, and it seems in battle, man's best friend was found for a soldier who risked his life to save another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And our thanks to Melanie Brooks for setting the story up for us. And there you see the three stars of the day for us this morning. Yoge and his caretakers joining us now from Detroit. Chris Cornelius (ph), who is there on the left. Chris Cornelius (ph) is the friend of Bill Gillette who is the soldier who rescued Yoge, and Dr. James Wright, he is the man in the white coat, as you probably have guessed, and he's the vet who is treating Yoge.

Good morning to all of you guys. Got to thank you for coming in and talking to us about it. First of all, doc, let's get to you and your assessment of Yoge. When you got a hold of him, what was his diagnosis?

WRIGHT: Well, when they called me -- from the phone when Chris (ph) and Todd (ph) called, I envisioned this poor, pathetic, beat up crippled dog. And of course I was pleasantly surprised that his coat and overall appearance was pretty good, but he does have major arthritic problems. He's pretty limpy and he is struggling getting around, so -- but we didn't know before we started whether those were from the beatings and some old fractures that never healed right, until we began to work him up and took some X-rays and figured out what the problems were.

HARRIS: Old fractures -- can you tell how long this dog has been abused?

WRIGHT: Well, it is hard to say. The good news is radiographically pretty well proved that there didn't seem to be any major injuries that had healed improperly. His main problem is a little bit more hereditary. He has some severe arthritic hips with degeneration, and a severe arthritic elbow. And if you watch him walk, it will be obvious that he struggles with those rear legs and left front leg. But mostly it's arthritic, and degeneration, and we think we can help him.

HARRIS: As I understand it, that kind of happens rather commonly with German shepherds and big dogs like that.

WRIGHT: Yes. That is correct.

HARRIS: Well, Chris (ph), tell us about how -- what were you thinking when you got that phone call to do this -- and come out here and go through all this trouble to bring this dog here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I just wanted to help out any way I could. You know, I get a call in the middle of the night, and Bill said he needed somebody to go pick up the dog. It is real important. The dog can't wait there. He said be there at 5:00 on Saturday, and I said, OK. I did my best to get there, and I got there on time and just taking care of the dog since.

HARRIS: Yes, but he told you this dog was abused. Weren't you worried that you'd be some strange white guy who would walk into this room with this abused dog, and this dog has never seen you before, and weren't you kind of worried this dog would actually freak out on you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was a little cautious, you know. I brought some treats for him, and so I just started off with a few treats and let him smell my hand, get used to me a little bit, and managed to talk them into letting me -- letting me take the dog out of the cage and take it for a quick walk. So after that, when I took him for the walk, saw what kind of a friendly dog it is. It's been great ever since.

HARRIS: Now, here's another question that first jumps to mind when you hear about a dog coming from Iraq, where they speak Arabic. Does the dog understand English?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, from what the doctor was saying is the dog understands tones. So when you call it a certain way, it will come.

HARRIS: No problems at all with that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no problems at all.

HARRIS: So what is going to happen in the meantime. How soon does Bill come back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should be home in the next two, three weeks maybe.

HARRIS: Oh, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not quite sure. Everything changes day to day over there.

HARRIS: All right. So, doc, what do you do for the dog in the next couple of weeks, then?

WRIGHT: Well, first we are going to try, since we assume he has not ever been medicated for his problems, we're going to try a medical approach with anti-inflammatories, and something for the discomfort, and then, of course, if that doesn't work, we'll talk to Bill when he gets back about some surgical possibilities.

HARRIS: All right. Now, we've been watching stories about how some of these Iraqi officials can't get out of Iraq.

How is it that this dog was able to -- what is it about people and animals that make it possible for people to jump through so many hoops to get this dog over here for help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. This dog -- I guess the dog got real lucky that Bill found him because it was quite a process getting the dog out. They had to clear all kinds of customs and get it to a friendly embassy to get its shots. So it probably took two, three weeks, maybe even a month to get the dog to where it needed to be to get out of the country there.

HARRIS: Too bad the dog can't speak English. I'd love to hear the dog tell us his own story.

WRIGHT: Kind of gives a new meaning to dog tags.

HARRIS: Sure does. Sure does. Exactly.

Chris Cornelius (ph) and Dr. James Wright. Congratulations for doing a good deed that really is going to give a lot of folks a smile. And hopefully we'll get a chance to talk with Bill when he comes back and get all these guys together again to hear the rest of the story, if you will. Take care, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

HARRIS: You, too, Yoge.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 8, 2003 - 11:24   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A German shepherd named Yoge is on the mend in the Detroit area. Now, a soldier rescued this abused animal in Baghdad and then somehow, some way, managed to get the dog to the U.S. for treatment. Now, you are going to meet Yoge and his caretakers in just a moment, but first here is his story, and we get it from WJBK reporter Melanie Brooks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So welcome to America, Yoge.

MELANIE BROOKS, WJBK CORRESPONDENT: It's an amazing story of rescue and risk. Yoge was able to make it all the way from Iraq, where he was tortured and beaten, to metro Detroit, where this German shepherd has captured hearts in the motor city, a canine connection, so to speak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not a whole lot of time for these guys to do anything, so for him to do what he did -- it is not like it is just an easy thing. He has got all his other obligations, all his other duties, and then he's doing this on top of it.

BROOKS: A U.S. Special Forces expert rescued Yoge when he saw him hanging by a wire, being beaten with a pipe by Iraqis in a border town. And the man who rescued him, animal lover Bill Gillette (ph), who is still stationed in Iraq. He saved Yoge and took him back to the Special Forces camp. He had to have a buddy in Detroit pick up the German shepherd in New York after the dog weathered a 14-hour flight from the Middle East.

DR. JAMES WRIGHT, VETERINARIAN: If two soldiers are willing to put themselves in harm's way for America, like all our soldiers are, the least I can do is take care of their dog.

BROOKS: And the cost was phenomenal: $1500 for Yoge's airline ticket, massive red tape at the embassy, but it was all worth it. Yoge is in good, caring hands.

And amazingly enough, after all the abuse, Yoge has a great disposition and loves people, especially the doctors at the Gasow (ph) Medical Clinic. Bill's best friend is taking care of Yoge for now, and it seems in battle, man's best friend was found for a soldier who risked his life to save another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And our thanks to Melanie Brooks for setting the story up for us. And there you see the three stars of the day for us this morning. Yoge and his caretakers joining us now from Detroit. Chris Cornelius (ph), who is there on the left. Chris Cornelius (ph) is the friend of Bill Gillette who is the soldier who rescued Yoge, and Dr. James Wright, he is the man in the white coat, as you probably have guessed, and he's the vet who is treating Yoge.

Good morning to all of you guys. Got to thank you for coming in and talking to us about it. First of all, doc, let's get to you and your assessment of Yoge. When you got a hold of him, what was his diagnosis?

WRIGHT: Well, when they called me -- from the phone when Chris (ph) and Todd (ph) called, I envisioned this poor, pathetic, beat up crippled dog. And of course I was pleasantly surprised that his coat and overall appearance was pretty good, but he does have major arthritic problems. He's pretty limpy and he is struggling getting around, so -- but we didn't know before we started whether those were from the beatings and some old fractures that never healed right, until we began to work him up and took some X-rays and figured out what the problems were.

HARRIS: Old fractures -- can you tell how long this dog has been abused?

WRIGHT: Well, it is hard to say. The good news is radiographically pretty well proved that there didn't seem to be any major injuries that had healed improperly. His main problem is a little bit more hereditary. He has some severe arthritic hips with degeneration, and a severe arthritic elbow. And if you watch him walk, it will be obvious that he struggles with those rear legs and left front leg. But mostly it's arthritic, and degeneration, and we think we can help him.

HARRIS: As I understand it, that kind of happens rather commonly with German shepherds and big dogs like that.

WRIGHT: Yes. That is correct.

HARRIS: Well, Chris (ph), tell us about how -- what were you thinking when you got that phone call to do this -- and come out here and go through all this trouble to bring this dog here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I just wanted to help out any way I could. You know, I get a call in the middle of the night, and Bill said he needed somebody to go pick up the dog. It is real important. The dog can't wait there. He said be there at 5:00 on Saturday, and I said, OK. I did my best to get there, and I got there on time and just taking care of the dog since.

HARRIS: Yes, but he told you this dog was abused. Weren't you worried that you'd be some strange white guy who would walk into this room with this abused dog, and this dog has never seen you before, and weren't you kind of worried this dog would actually freak out on you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was a little cautious, you know. I brought some treats for him, and so I just started off with a few treats and let him smell my hand, get used to me a little bit, and managed to talk them into letting me -- letting me take the dog out of the cage and take it for a quick walk. So after that, when I took him for the walk, saw what kind of a friendly dog it is. It's been great ever since.

HARRIS: Now, here's another question that first jumps to mind when you hear about a dog coming from Iraq, where they speak Arabic. Does the dog understand English?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, from what the doctor was saying is the dog understands tones. So when you call it a certain way, it will come.

HARRIS: No problems at all with that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no problems at all.

HARRIS: So what is going to happen in the meantime. How soon does Bill come back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should be home in the next two, three weeks maybe.

HARRIS: Oh, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not quite sure. Everything changes day to day over there.

HARRIS: All right. So, doc, what do you do for the dog in the next couple of weeks, then?

WRIGHT: Well, first we are going to try, since we assume he has not ever been medicated for his problems, we're going to try a medical approach with anti-inflammatories, and something for the discomfort, and then, of course, if that doesn't work, we'll talk to Bill when he gets back about some surgical possibilities.

HARRIS: All right. Now, we've been watching stories about how some of these Iraqi officials can't get out of Iraq.

How is it that this dog was able to -- what is it about people and animals that make it possible for people to jump through so many hoops to get this dog over here for help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. This dog -- I guess the dog got real lucky that Bill found him because it was quite a process getting the dog out. They had to clear all kinds of customs and get it to a friendly embassy to get its shots. So it probably took two, three weeks, maybe even a month to get the dog to where it needed to be to get out of the country there.

HARRIS: Too bad the dog can't speak English. I'd love to hear the dog tell us his own story.

WRIGHT: Kind of gives a new meaning to dog tags.

HARRIS: Sure does. Sure does. Exactly.

Chris Cornelius (ph) and Dr. James Wright. Congratulations for doing a good deed that really is going to give a lot of folks a smile. And hopefully we'll get a chance to talk with Bill when he comes back and get all these guys together again to hear the rest of the story, if you will. Take care, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

HARRIS: You, too, Yoge.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com