OVERLAND PARK, Kan (June 2002) – Kaiser was just shy of a year old when he helped save his family from a fire that nearly destroyed their Walpole, Massachusetts home. On Friday, June 21st, Kaiser will be awarded the ProHeart® Hero Award for his act of heroism from Fort Dodge Animal Health, a leading manufacturer of vaccines and pharmaceuticals for the animal health industry.
Just a week before Christmas this past year, Kaiser awoke his sleeping owners, Thomas and Julia Erdmann, at two o’clock in the morning with his insistent barking. The Erdmann’s four-year-old son, Zachary, was also sound asleep in the house.
“As soon as I woke up, I smelled smoke and something chemical,” said Thomas Erdmann. “We couldn’t see the fire because it was above the ceiling behind the fireplace. Without Kaiser waking us like he did, we probably wouldn’t have made it out alive and our house would have been completely destroyed.”
Kaiser, a male German shepherd with a loyal spirit, on that night in December, acted with a courageous heart and performed the act of a hero.
Fort Dodge Animal Health established the ProHeart® Hero Award program to recognize and honor canine companions that demonstrate heroism through acts of courage. The first ProHeart Hero Award was presented to the New York Police Department Canine Unit this past January for their work at the World Trade Center disaster site.
As a recipient of the ProHeart Hero Award, Kaiser will receive a Certificate of Recognition, a ProHeart Hero Medallion, a cash donation of $1,000 and complimentary veterinary care at the Heritage Hill Veterinary Clinic for one full year.
Dr. Jessica Young, Kaiser’s veterinarian, says he is an energetic, family loving dog and she couldn’t be happier that he’s being recognized as a hero.
Media are invited to attend the award presentation at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 21, 2002 at the Heritage Hill Veterinary Clinic at 57 Farm Street in Medfield, Massachusetts.
Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division of Wyeth (NYSE:WYE), is a leading manufacturer and distributor of prescription and over-the-counter animal health care products for the livestock, companion animal, equine, swine and poultry industries in North America and international markets. Key products include CYDECTIN® Pour-On, QUEST® Gel, EtoGesic® Tablets and ProHeart® Injection. The company is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.
###
