A Version of "Lost" We Really Don't Like: Dog Marooned on an Island in Santa Cruz for a Month

"This dog was literally starving to death on the island, and now he has a second chance at life."

When he was leaving for work earlier this month, Luis Castellanos noticed something odd when he looked out at the island in Northern California's Watsonville Slough. A dog, alone. He thought it was "peculiar," according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. 

Later, his wife and kids got a better look what was occupying the island, and they could tell the dog must be in trouble. Castellanos called the authorities, and Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter's field service manager Todd Stosuy showed up. He quickly realized he needed a boat. He called the Watsonville Fire Department for backup, and a few firefighters showed up -- without a boat. 

Castellanos got out his inflatable boat. 

Firefighter John Stone paddled and Stosuy navigated. They made their way to the island but couldn't find the dog. They searched for 30 minutes and then went home. A short time later, Castellanos saw the dog lying on the shore in the duckweed. 

And not a moment too soon. The dog was very confused and lethargic, and very, very skinny. Stosuy and Stone returned, then paddled to the island and quickly located and scooped up the dog. He was in bad shape -- "severely emaciated," according to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter's Facebook page. 

"It looked like it had been there forever," said Fire Capt. Corey Schaefer. "It looked pathetic and skinny. It was withering away."

Stosuy estimates the dog had been surviving on the island for a full month. He said the dog is an Australian Shepherd mix, 12 or 13 years old -- and was down to just 30 pounds. A healthy Shepherd at that age might weigh twice as much. 

How does a dog survive a month on an unpopulated island? Stosuy found his source of food: bird eggs. Lots of them. He found the remains of more than 100. 

The dog isn't out of danger yet

"He's not a full spry guy at this point, but he's walking on his own," said Stosuy.

He predicts the dog will have ongoing health problems, but he should be able to have a fine life with the right person or family. 

"This dog was literally starving to death on the island, and now he has a second chance at life," he said.

Via Santa Cruz Sentinel; photos via Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter's Facebook page

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Uggie Is Top Dog at Golden Collar Awards — The Dog World’s Version of the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys

Uggie looking downright heavenly on the "red" carpet at last night's Golden Collar Awards (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

The inaugural Golden Collar Awards, held last night in Los Angeles, paid homage to Tinseltown’s four-legged set, with six talented dogs trotting away with dazzling trophies and lots of stories to tell their pooch pals about the A-list human celebs they shook paws with on the red carpet.

Uggie, the talented and adorable 10-year-old Jack Russell co-star of The Artist, was the paws-down winner for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. He is retiring from the film business soon after the upcoming Oscars, so this was his penultimate swansong.

“He is a great family member as well as a great performer, and he will be enjoying a lot more couch time now,” Uggie’s owner-trainer, Omar Von Muller, told me after the ceremony, with Uggie trembling lightly in his arms. (Uggie has a mystery neurological syndrome vets haven’t yet been able to diagnose.) “He has helped pave the way for other dogs and trainers to get the recognition they deserve for their hard work in the future.”

Uggie is expected to take his final bow-wow at the Oscars, where he will reportedly open the show beside host Billy Crystal. I don’t normally glue myself to the Oscars, but I’ll definitely be watching this year’s from the start.

The evening's stand-ins for Blackie, of "Hugo" fame, did not mind sharing the spotlight with each other or the more physically diminutive Uggie, who won in their category. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

Acceptance speeches at the Golden Canine Awards were blissfully short, with no sentimental gushing. The award-winning dogs didn’t go on and on about their gratitude to their mothers, directors, and spouses, and their people had just a few well-chosen words for the audience, who braved an ice-cold banquet hall for the awards portion of the event.

The dogs who didn’t win anything didn’t seem to care. There was no dismay, no dashing of self-worth, no back-stabbing. When Wendy Malick from Hot in Cleveland announced Uggie as the winner of the night’s big award (pronouncing his name “You-gie” — oops), the two Dobies who were the evening’s stand-ins for Blackie, of Hugo fame, slept right through it. They only roused when they heard the name “Blackie” in the nominee list, but they went right back to sleep a few feet away from me when Blackie didn’t win. I am pretty sure I even heard one of them snoring.

What all the dogs — winners and otherwise (there are no losers in the dog world) really wanted was to know what goodies were inside the Natural Balance swag bags that seemed to smell insanely appealing to them. It was not uncommon at the end of the ceremony to witness a famous dog’s head buried in a blue bag, snortling around the sample packets of treats and kibbles. This is not something we generally see human celebs do at the end of the Oscars or Emmys. They wait until they’re in the car on the way home.

It was a quirky event, with its share of little gaffes (eg, no envelope for the very first winner, announced by actress Pauley Perrette, who handled the problem with aplomb), but that’s part of what made it a refreshing break from a typical Hollywood awards ceremony.

Even veterans of awards events were smitten by the Golden Collars.

Elizabeth Snead, one of last night's judges and a 15-year veteran of Hollywood awards shows, says the Golden Canines were the most fun. She atteneded the event with Posy, one of her six little Malteses. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

“This is more fun than I’ve had the whole time I’ve been covering the Oscars and Golden Globes,” said Elizabeth Snead, contributing editor at The Hollywood Reporter, who helped judge the Golden Collars. “Dogs make the awards season much more human.”

She’s right. There’s something about dogs that humanizes so many situations — even war. With a dog at your side, barriers break down, and people can see everything from a different perspective — a kinder, less judgmental one with admiration for the silent loyalty and love dogs bring with them. It’s hard to explain, but I think my regular readers know exactly what I’m talking about.

Uggie, who brought a strong dose of humanity to The Artist and to the evening’s festivities, was more than happy to share the spotlight with his “brother,” Dash, who will be taking over the family’s acting legacy. Uggie was often content to be in his handler’s arms while Dash did way-cute tricks on the red carpet. Move over, Barrymores!

There were plenty of other winners as well last night.

• The Best Dog in a Foreign Film category was won by Koko from the Australian film Red Dog, which is definitely on my list of must-see dog films. In Australia, Koko is just as famous as Uggie. A tongue-in-cheek video by Koko’s people said Koko wasn’t at the Golden Collars because the people of Australia refuse to let the dog leave the country.

• The Best Dog in a Television Series category went to the uber cute French bulldog Brigitte from the ever-popular TV series, Modern Family.

Shorty Rossi and Hercules, of Pit Boss fame. Shorty was happy Hercules won an award, because he's all about bringing awareness to pit bulls being great dogs. (Photo by Maria Goodavage)

• There was a tie in the Best Dog in a Reality Television Series category, with Hercules from Pit Boss and Giggy from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills sharing the award. After the ceremony, Pit Boss star Shorty Rossi told me he hoped that his loveable, mellow pit bull’s win would help the public see pit bulls as “the fantastic dogs they are.” A side note: Hercules has the world’s softest fur on his forehead, and it’s hard to stop petting it, especially when he looks at you with those soulful eyes.

• For Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD Film category, the two nominees from Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, which was the predicted winner, probably split up the votes for that DVD, which gave the win to Rody, the cuddly yellow Lab pup Rody, from Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.

I have a feeling that with the recognition brought to canine thespians by this show and by Uggie himself, we’ll be seeing more dogs in future productions. I have a feeling I’m going to have plenty of excuses to go to the movies in upcoming years. (“Honey, it’s for work! We have to go see (fill in the blank future movie title starring dog) tonight.”)

Dogster will shortly be featuring a fun photo post of the evening’s festivities, with images by our photographer-for-the-evening, Nanette Gonzales. Keep your eyes peeled for more celebrity canines.

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