FEEL THE LOVE (WOOF) - The sick little girl given a new leash of life by her dog: How Mr Gibbs keeps Alida, 3, alive by strapping oxygen tank to his back

Having fun: Alida, who was diagnosed with the condition at age eight months, lies on the floor with Mr Gibbs

Family: Mr Gibbs and Alida with her parents Aaron and Debbie Knoblach and her baby sister

* Alida can run and play with dog as he follows her while carrying oxygen

* She can survive briefly if tubes come loose from tank on golden doodle

* Family moved 2,000 miles so she could be with specially-trained animal

A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend – a dog who carries her oxygen tank on her back.

Alida Knobloch’s faithful canine companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes though a tube most of the time.

He follows her closely as she plays in her family's ten-acre land in Louisville, Georgia, uses the slide or even rides her bike.

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Faithful friend:Alida Knobloch, who breathes through a tube, with dog Mr Gibbs who carries her oxygen tank

Alida, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) when she was just eight months old, is able to breathe without the tube.

But it is very difficult for her and Mr Gibbs is on hand for when she needs the oxygen. It also means she can move around without having to carry the heavy canister herself.

Often the pair move about in tandom as she plays while breathing through the tube and he runs alongside her. 

'My best dog': The toddler cuddles Mr Gibbs at her home in Louisville, Georgia

The tubes can be reinserted into the tank if they come out. But it is not that easy for a toddler to do and her parents prefer them to be removed only when they are close to hand.

Her rare condition was only discovered in 2005 and has just 800 documented sufferers worldwide, it causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells making it hard or almost impossible to breathe.

For Alida, and her parents Aaron and Debbie Knobloch, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself.

As parents they wanted to do something to help their daughter navigate life despite having a tube trailing her at all times.

The couple found out about 'service dogs' from a TV programme and realised an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida.

They found help in the shape of golden doodle - a retriever crossed with a poodle - dog Mr Gibbs and even moved 2,000 miles from their native Utah so Alida and Mr Gibbs could be together.

The family realised there was a long waiting list for service dogs and didn't want to take one away from someone else who might need it more on the list.

Now - thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley - Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog literally acting as Alida's life saver.

Alida loves Mr Gibbs so much she said: ‘He's my best dog.’

By her side: Mr Gibbs beside Alida as she plays the part of as princess in a school play

Always around: Mr Gibbs follows Alida down a slide as she momentarily breathes without her oxygen tubes

Mrs Knobloch, 39, a nurse, said Alida and Mr Gibbs were growing up together and learning all the time.

She said: ‘Alida never complains about her condition, at the moment we she does have a habit of trying to pull out her tubes though, we have to tell her that's not a good idea.

‘She loves Mr Gibbs and he loves her too. We're trying to make life easier for her and she's just now starting to realise she's different, but as the bond between her and Gibbs gets stronger, we think things will get better.

‘As a pair they do work well together, Mr Gibbs has the oxygen tank on his back and then Alida has his leash.’

Loving: Alida, who suffers from a rare condition called neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy, has learned to rely on Mr Gibbs, who - in turn - has become a doting and attentive dog

Trip: Alida and Mr Gibbs on a family holiday to Florida where they were dwarfed by a giant Woody toy, right

Mrs Knobloch said Alida was born premature and when they first brought her home she was given oxygen as a precaution.

Canine companion: Alida and Mr Gibbs are rarely apart

She said: ‘She was on oxygen just to make sure she would make it through, but by eight months doctors became worried she still needed it.

‘It was then that they told us she had NEHI, it's so rare that it was only discovered in 2005 and there have been only 800 cases worldwide.

‘There is some good news because the damaged tissue in Alida's lungs is not growing so as her lungs grow and the healthy tissue increases we've been told that eventually she may be able to do without the oxygen during the day.

‘Alida knows she is different, she calls the oxygen her 'O' and she tells us if needs more because she can feel if she is getting low.

‘Mr Gibbs is still a young dog and obviously Alida is still too young to give him too many commands but the pair of them are growing up together.’

Mrs Knobloch is now working with the chiLD foundation charity to raise $30,000 to help families both in the US and the UK with research into the new disease.

Dad Aaron said: ‘We're trying to provide some independence for her, and then, after we saw this programme on TV, we thought, 'What about a service animal?'.

‘He's still learning, he's very much a puppy in some ways, playful and gangly. But when he wears the vest, he's all business and does really well, even in public.’

‘We have to train him to follow Alida's directions, he follows our instructions, but getting him to listen to a three-year-old is harder. But he's getting used to her.’

Happy: Mr Gibbs gives Alida hope despite the incredible hardship she must endure

Every order the family gives, Alida has been taught to echo, and the dog is starting to accept her as his charge, the pair even managed to negotiate the crowds on a recent family holiday to Disney World.

The family is currently raising funds for research into NEHI.

To donate to the cause, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sweetalida/nehi.

by dailymail.co.uk

Race against the tide: Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse's side for THREE HOURS after getting trapped in mud 'like quicksand'

* Panic as 78-stone show horse is 'swallowed-up' by mud

* Mother freed her daughter and another horse before returning to trapped animal

* Astro was freed just minutes before the tide closed in

This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud 'like quicksand'.

Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide.

The 78-stone show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.

'Like quicksand': Both Miss Graham and her horse were stuck up to their waists in the mud as the tide was closing in

Desperation: Nicole Graham comforts her 18-year-old show horse Astro after he gets stuck in coastal mud

Swallowed up: Astro was stuck fast and Miss Graham's efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire

Miss Graham had been out on an afternoon ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelong, south of Melbourne, when 18-year-old Astro suddenly sank into the mud.

Before she could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed up by the mud.

After dragging herself through the mire, Miss Graham helped her daughter and the other horse on to firmer ground.

However, Astro was stuck fast and her efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire.

To the rescue: Vet Stacey Sullivan prepares to sedate Astro in a bid to get him out safely

Tidal terror: The brave mother tries to keep the horse calm as rescuers work how out to free the animal

Emotional: Miss Graham said it was heartbreaking to see her horse so exhausted and struggling

As Paris ran to their car and phoned for help, Miss Graham stayed at her horse’s side. She courageously clung on to his neck, terrified that he would not be freed before the tide came in.

After three 'terrifying' hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Miss Graham from the mud.

Miss Graham, who owns more than 10 horses and runs an equine dentistry business, told the Geelong Advertiser how a peaceful afternoon's ride had turned to terror.

She said: ‘It was terrifying. It was also heartbreaking to see my horse exhausted and struggling.

Race against the tide: The water is seen getting closer to the horse as the group battles to free him

Stuck fast: Rescuers look for ways to free the stricken horse as time is slowly running out for him

Pulled free: Astro is dragged from the mud with the aid of a farmer's tractor

‘We went straight down and under. There was mud everywhere and every time I moved it sucked me back down. It wouldn’t let us go.'

After ensuring her daughter and her horse were safe, she returned to Astro and prayed that rescuers would arrive before the tide engulfed the horse.

She added: ‘I’ve been riding here for 20 years and never had a drama. I’ve never seen any signs and didn’t realise it was so boggy.

‘When I saw the dust from the rescue trucks I was so relieved. I was starting to get overwhelmed.’ 

Fire lieutenant Roger Buckle, who was among a team of helpers, said: ‘It was like a quicksand.’

Fire crews worked with a local farmer, who provided a tractor, and a veterinary team. The firemen used hoses and a winch, but none of this equipment was successful.

Sedated and exhausted: Astro collapses on the ground after he is pulled free of the mud, to the relief of rescuers

Saved: Vet Stacey Sullivan helps Astro to his feet as the effects of the sedation wear off

A local helicopter was put on standby as a last resort at pulling Astro from the mud.

The combined rescue effort paid off. With minutes to spare before the water reached him, Astro - who had been sedated by vet Stacey Sullivan - was dragged from the mud with the aid of the farmer’s tractor.

‘It was a race against the tide and fortunately we won,’ said Lieut Buckle, who praised everyone efforts, including those of Miss Sullivan whose work in sedating Astro made it easier to pull him free.

Miss Sullivan said Astro was dehydrated but had coped well.

‘A lot of horses don’t make it and I think without the owner there the chance of survival would have been a lot lower,’ she said.

It's all over: Miss Graham leads her horses away from the beach after the traumatic rescue

Aftermath: Astro and Miss Graham are led to safety after the drama. The vet said the horse may not have made it had it not been for the efforts of his owner

by dailymail.co.uk

HONESTLY THEY LOOK EVIL BY THEIR FACE AND THAT HOUSE LOOK SCARY & HAUNTED. HOW CRUEL THIS WORLD CAN BECOME?? Mother and son jailed for starving dogs and locking them in an attic for weeks

Jamie Taylor and mother Julie ignored the dogs' barks 

He said he was 'embarrassed' that they were skinny so didn't walk them

A mother and son have been jailed after they imprisoned two dogs in an attic and nailed it shut.

Rottweiler Axel and Staffordshire bull terrier Bully were starved and denied water and exercise for weeks before they died in agony, emaciated and dehydrated, a court heard.

Jamie Taylor, 31, and his mother Julie, 50, were each jailed for 16 weeks and disqualified from keeping animals for life after causing 'horrendous suffering' to the pets.

Caged: Julie Taylor and her son Jamie (right) were jailed for 16 weeks for allowing their two dogs to starve to death at their Bradford home

The pair ignored the dogs' barks for help and jobless Jamie refused to walk them because he was 'embarrassed' that they were too skinny.

RSPCA officers tried to rescue the animals but were denied access and when police finally broke into the house in Bradford, West Yorkshire, they found an 'overpowering stench' of rotten flesh and the maggot infested corpses of the dogs in the attic.

Jailing the Taylors, bench chairman Harry Atkinson told them: 'The dogs experienced horrendous suffering before their death.

Rottweiler Axel and Staffordshire bull terrier Bully were starved and denied water and exercise for weeks (file pictures of the two breeds pictured)

'The dogs were prisoners upstairs in the house and they died from prolonged neglect. 

'They had no access to the rest of the house, nor to the outside world.

'Mr Taylor said he would be embarrassed to take his dogs outside because they were too skinny to be seen out walking.'

Both pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs and failing to keep them in a suitable environment.

Jamie also admitted failing to exercise reasonable care and supervision.

Prosecutor for the RSPCA Nigel Monaghan told Bradford Magistrates' Court that the charity organisation had been contacted by members of the public concerned about the care of the Rottweiler and staffy, but when an inspector called at the house Mrs Taylor denied access and claimed her son, the dogs' owner, was not there.

Convicted: The Bradford house where Julie Taylor and her son Jamie locked up their starving dogs

RSPCA inspectors called several times at the house over the following weeks but Mrs Taylor failed to alert them to Bully and Axel's condition, said Mr Monaghan, who apologised to the bench for the graphic nature of the photographs he passed them showing the condition in which the dead dogs were found.

Police kicked down slats nailed to the attic door preventing the dogs escaping, the court heard.

'It is difficult to think of a worse case of animal cruelty than this,' said Mr Monaghan.

'A board of slats was nailed in place to stop the dogs, which were in the attic, from getting out and going down the stairs.'

When RSPCA officers were granted access the decomposing and maggot-ridden bodies of the dogs were found in an attic full of faeces, with plastic sheets instead of bedding, and empty food and water bowls.

A vet concluded they had died from starvation and hydration and had been 'ravenously' hungry and thirsty.

An American bulldog called Buster was living downstairs in the house, which was well fed and exercised - he is now in the care of the RSPCA.

The Taylors claimed Axel and Bully weren't allowed downstairs because Buster fought with them.

Both Taylors, who were each on income support and incapacity benefit, would not take the imprisoned dogs for walks and 'ignored their barks', said Mr Monaghan.

'They thought nothing of the dogs starving to death upstairs.

'Jamie said he couldn't take them out because they were too skinny and he didn't want to be seen taking them out.'

The RSPCA asked for costs of £1,333 to be paid, but because neither Taylor was working the magistrates awarded no costs or fines.

Both Taylors wept as their solicitor Ian Hudson explained Jamie had asked to keep the dogs at his mum's home because his girlfriend didn't like the animals.

But he failed to uphold his promise to feed, water and walk the pets, who he had owned for five years, and she did not enter the nailed-shut attic.

Speaking after the hearing RSPCA inspector Dave Holgate said: 'Walking up the stairs to the attic room, where these dogs had starved to death, the smell was atrocious. I don't know how anyone was able to live at the property. It was indescribable.

'Jamie Taylor and Julie Taylor both knew the dogs were in there. They most likely heard them barking but decided, for whatever reason, not to feed them. When the dogs finally died, they could certainly smell them but left them to rot.'

by dailymail.co.uk