These Facts About The Navy Reveal What Really Happens At Sea

There is no denying the importance of the American Navy, defending the United States since the dawn of its creation. Here are some of facts about the Navy that have recently been released.

Not For Fashionistas

Like every other aspect of its operation, the Navy is meticulous when comes to what kind of hairstyles that female soldiers can have. Hairstyles are required to be of a conventional style and it is “not authorized” to have pigtails or ponytails. If you consider yourself stylish, stay away from the Navy.

NCIS Is Real

One of the most common misconceptions surrounding NCIS is that it is purely a fictional TV show. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The show takes much inspiration from the real-life Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence are just a couple of issues that are tackled in this quality representation of Naval Investigation. The show was originally titled Navy NCIS, but the word “Navy” was later dropped as, understandably so, it was considered redundant.

Banned From Submarines

The amount of movies that have been made about submarines is absolutely staggering. This water vehicle has been associated with the Navy since the 1800’s, before being truly utilized at the turn of the 20th century. Amazingly, women were banned from using submarines up until 2010. Nowadays, there are many females who operate submarines, with a total of 80 female officers at this moment in time. After previous issues, the Navy is now ensuring that women have sufficient level of privacy.

Secret Life Of A Marine

Shannon Ihrke joined the Navy when she was 19 years of age. For four years, she was part of the Navy’s armed forces and during her time serving, she believes she grew tremendously. She claims that she “pushed [her] body harder than [she] could have ever imagined.” Although the connection wasn’t clear at the time, it would prove to be a huge stepping stone for her entry into a modeling career. As of now, Ihrke has 72,000 followers on Twitter.

Pull-up Inequality

Pull-ups are a standard fitness exercise in the Marine Corps. Initially, every single Marine, whether you were a man or a woman, was required to do them. The only difference was that women did a lower number of pull-ups. But stats showed that over 50% of women were unable to complete the training they were given. As a result, changes were made, providing different levels of exercise for men and women. Women are still encouraged to do pull-ups, but it’s not compulsory.

Special Uniforms

Pregnancies in the Navy are treated in a sensitive manner. Any woman, no matter how big or small their role is, is sent home for a certain time period. After reaching 20 weeks of pregnancy, female Marines are taken off the ships. After developing a bump, women are unable to fit comfortably into their shirts. As a result, the Navy has created maternity friendly uniforms. They are officially approved by the Navy and are designed to be comfortable for pregnant Marines.

Pregnancy Complications

The military tries to be as patient and as accommodating as possible when it comes to soldiers having babies. Like any other organization, they give maternity and paternity leave as well as giving pregnant soldiers uniforms which are more comfortable, but this has come at a cost. Pregnant women are more costly due to medical care and appropriate transportation that they need. In addition, maternity leave means that someone leaving the military for a period of time and their job must be filled in.

Life Off-Base

Unlike the movies, the reality of being on a Navy ship is much more manageable than expected. Rather than being at sea for years on end without seeing friends or family or touching land, boats will dock in major cities for Fleet Week. During this time, servicemen and women are given a chance to explore and take some time for themselves. In addition, the Navy are given 30 vacation days which rollover from year to year, allowing them to have well earned time off.

Training Is Torture

There were many exposes on torture imposed by the United States on terrorists in an attempt to drive classified information out of them. The controversial technique was condemned in many societies and in some extreme cases, it can kill the suspect. However, it might come as a surprise that elite military personnel are expected to undergo this method as a part of tough training. In recent years, it was reported that the Navy SEALs had to phase it out over time.

The Real Top Gun

The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program is more commonly known as Topgun and has a genuine reason why it was put in place. During the Vietnam War, the communist forces were maneuvering their way out of air-to-air missile attacks shot by the US pilots. One of the reasons why they were successfully avoiding them was potentially down to inaccuracy and to avoid this for the future, they introduced Topgun. You can thank Tom Cruise for bringing it to attention in his blockbuster movie.

What’s In A Name

Ever since the early 19th century, there is a specific way that Navy vessels are named. The Secretary of the Navy is partially responsible for this but there is also a procedure which is undertaken. Every ship must start with USS (United States Ship) and then everyone is allowed input for significant names who have contributed something monumental to US history. When the person’s name is approved, their oldest female descendent is given the honors of christening the ship.

Dogfight

Not all recruits in the Navy SEALs are required to have the same skill set. One important team is comprised of elite trained dogs which accompany the SEALs on missions, even the skydiving ones. The specific breed chosen is the Malinois, also known as the Belgian Shepherd dog. These dogs have a reputation of being incredibly intelligent and obedient, making them increasingly useful to sniff out explosives and toxic materials. In many cases, the dogs will be sent in on a mission first, prior to the soldiers.

Ban On Combat

For centuries, women were completely banned from taking to the front line and fight for their country. This position was reserved for men only and it wasn’t until 2015 that a lobby pushed through the decision to allow women to go into combat. Defense Secretary Ash Carter was responsible for giving it the green light but the decision also warranted condemnation and disapproval from other high ranking officials. Nevertheless, Carter insisted that it must happen “right away,” despite the controversial nature.

Sheer Quantities

With a total of 1.4 million soldiers on active duty in the United States military, only 15% of those are women. The Navy has 53,000 women, and the Marine Corps has 14,000. In regards to those who have achieved top of the rank status, there is one lone female general in the Marine Corps and 21 female Admirals in the Navy. The Navy does have many female officers, of whom just under half are involved in in the medical professions.

Disappointing Start

Since the ban on women in combat positions was lifted, many women have flooded in to enlist in the Army. One woman signed up to be part of the SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection Program, even though the Navy SEALS is one of the hardest units in the Army. As one of the toughest programs, where only the physically and mentally fittest in the world can handle, the woman had to drop out of the course after a few weeks.

Pixels

The Navy uses blocky squares for their uniform as a form of pixelated camouflage and, although it looks quite strange, it is considered to be the best camouflage developed so far. This is because, compared to the old camouflage, solid lines are easily picked up by the human brain, and the new design has none of that. Although the design has been working well and is the best so far, the plan is for the Navy to switch the color to green by 2019.

Most Aircraft Carriers

Aircraft carriers are some of the most impressive machines which can somehow float on the ocean, while also having the ability to allow for take-off and landing of fighter planes. The United States Navy has the best modern form of marvel engineering, and the American is the biggest in the world with 81 aircraft carriers. This is followed by Britain with 54, and France with 15, with the rest of the list falling steeply. There are only 20 in service in the world, and 11 of those are American.

Sydney Prank

When it comes to security on aircraft carriers, it seems that it is not as great as one would expect. This was proven in 1957 after 10 Australian college students managed to board the USS Bennington which was docked in Sydney. The students were dressed as pirates, and the pranksters somehow managed to make it to the bridge where they announced the ship had been “captured” by pirates. It seems the Navy was in need of some humor and found it funny, so no legal action was taken.

Connection To Budweiser

In an unexpected turn of events, there is a connection between the Navy and Budweiser beer. The Navy SEALS uniform can be found to have a pin on it called the “Special Warfare Insignia,” and this SEAL is also known colloquially as the “Budweiser.” The reason is because the training course to become is a SEAL is called the “BUD/S,” and secondly, the insignia looks like the Anheuser-Busch logo with its wings, which is the company that makes the beer.

Fraud Of Seal Team Six

Richard Marcinko is the man who first led Seal Team Six, the group renowned for taking out the terrorist behind the 9/11 attacks. Marcinko also founded Red Cell, the organization which finds the holes in security systems of the military. Meanwhile, he found himself in trouble when it was found that he had misused funds when it came to buying supplies and was convicted of defrauding the government. Although considered as a SEAL Team Six legend in the military, he was sentenced to 21 months in Federal prison.

War Will End Us

H. G. Wells put it best: “If we do not end war, war will end us.” And indeed, it’s hard to consider any side a winning one when counting the fatalities both sides endured. It is always favorable to be in a state of peace, but unfortunately, the past taught us there’s a need for a strong sovereign not only to avoid social chaos but also so someone with strength, bravery, and maturity to make tough decisions. Knowing this, is it really that surprising the Navy produced six presidents?

Talk The Talk

Professional Navy jargon, much like lingo used in other fields, consists of terms that others are not familiar with. The Navy specifically uses coded words that originate from old maritime terms, and are combined with military acronyms. For example, if someone says ‘the mess deck’, they are referring to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, windows are called ‘portholes’, and even simple terms like right and left are no in common use. Instead of the well-known words we use to this day, the two are replaced with port and starboard.

Devil Dogs

Leathernecks is a term commonly used when referring to Marines. The colloquial term was chosen seeing as how Marines are so tough. Notwithstanding with the former fact, this does not go to show that Marines are heartless. In fact, they are known for being dog lovers – the Marine Corps mascot is a bulldog, and Marines are nicknamed “Devil Dogs.” The nickname comes from an old tale that originated in World War I – apparently, German soldiers cursed the Marines, saying “Teufel Hunde,” which translates into devil dogs.

Kicking And Screaming

As an entity on its own, the Marine Corps wanted to develop its fighting method. Martial arts master Bruce Lee did so as well, and called it Jeet Kune Do. Come 2001, the Marine Corps made it official and named their technique the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. The technique involves a blend of different fighting styles, including boxing, kung fu, and krav maga. They too have a belt that symbolizes the stage of training the person is at, but unlike others that start at white, their first belt is tan.

Amazing Innovation

The Self Defense Test Ship is an innovation like no other, as it enables the Navy to test the weaponry on board when attacks are made on the ship without any crew members having to be on board. This way, the Navy can test the ship’s self-protecting and external attacking capabilities without causing any harm to sailors. Usually, a ship this size would require approximately 200 sailors to man the controls, which is what makes this innovation all the more amazing.

Take Your Time

The Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marines all need to handle and work with different sorts of fields of medicine. For example, Air Force doctors must have a fluent comprehension of atmospheric oxygen levels. Navy doctors must also understand the consequences of water pressure and dissolved oxygen since one of the most significant problems is the bends, which is also referred to as decompression sickness. This occurs when divers rise too quickly to the surface and consequently get sick, as often happens when under attack.

Thirteen Stripes

On each USS boat, a special flagpole called the jackstaff can be found. The jackstaff was added to US Navy vessels sometime during the 1800’s. While the boat is docked, the jackstaff crosses to the First Navy Jack. This special flag has thirteen stripes, which represents the original 13 colonies. Additionally, it has an American rattlesnake on that reads “DONT TREAD ON ME.” The snake was inspired by the Gadsden flag – a flag designed by the American revolutionary and patriot, Christopher Gadsden.

Stealthy Move

The Navy has a new ship sailing the seas that looks like it’s straight out of a science fiction movie. The USS Zumwalt, also known as the DDg1000 was designed specifically so that it would be nearly undetectable on radar. The ship is also shaped in such a way to optimize it’s journey through the water. Even funnier, this futuristic floating fortress is captained by James Kirk, who shares his name with the famed Star Trek  captain.

Fights With Pirates

America first commissioned its Navy during the Revolutionary War, when it had to contend with the British, who commanded the biggest and most powerful navy in the world at the time. Following the war, however, the Navy was disbanded, though that didn’t last very long. Only 20 years later, America realized they needed their navy back, but not to fight the British (yet). The Navy was recommissioned in order to protect American merchant ships from Barbary pirates, though they quietly built a few warships as well.

Barbara Ives

Inspired by her uncles’ stories from their time in the Navy, Barbara Ives want to experience that same thrill of adventure. She enrolled in the United States Naval Academy as one of the women in the first female class to attend in the Academy’s history. Barbara was one of the women who had to contend with the Navy’s lack of preparedness for accepting women, as there weren’t proper uniforms, in addition to rampant discrimination. Regardless, she was committed to the Navy and served a total 26 years.

Top Secret Operations

Many people have heard of the Navy’s special forces, known as the SEALs, which stands for “SEa, Air, Land”. The elite unit has one of the most difficult physical tests in any branch of the American military. Basic training for the SEALs is also one of the longest training bootcamps, lasting a total of seven months, and many don’t make it to the finish line. If you want to see their bootcamp for yourself, head to Imperial Beach in California, but the rest of their operations are top secret.

Famous Sailors

A number of celebrities have served time in the Navy, including Humphrey Bogart, the star of the classic film Casablanca. Bogart served in the 1920s on two separate ships. MC Hammer is another Navy veteran, though he was better known as Stanley Burrel at that time. One of the most well known people to have spent time in the Navy, however, was Neil Armstrong himself. Before he went to the moon, he flew planes for the Navy and took a hit during the Korean War.

Model Behavior

It can be hard to truly comprehend the intensity of the Navy SEAL training, but one model, Lauren Berlingeri, wanted to take it on herself. As part of a YouTube series, she titled “Women Versus Workout” she attempted a number of different exercise routines, including a particularly difficult SEALs regimen. The episode had to be split into three parts because the routine took 24 hours to complete. Despite their doubts, the men were surprised when Berlingeri managed to keep up.

First Female Infantry Officer

It may have taken some time, but since women’s introduction into the naval forces, there had never been a female infantry officer, until recently. The number of men who have completed the 13 week Marine Corps Infantry Course are practically countless. Commandant General Robert Neller shared his pride for this ground breaking woman. She has asked to remain anonymous to the public, but hopefully her dedication and hard work will inspire many more to follow in her footsteps.

Family Dog Withholds Baby, Then Mom Sees Surprising Reason Why

When Catherine Svilicic saw her new rescue dog displaying aggressive behavior against her 17-month-old baby, she was shellshocked. When she rushed over to bring her baby to safety, there was something unbelievable about the Doberman’s actions.

A Strange Morning

When Catherine Svilicic adopted her beloved Doberman, she never imagined her loving dog to display violent behavior. She expected her child and her dog would become the best of friends, but when things took a turn for the worse, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

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A Strange Morning

Unexpected Behavior

Svilicic adopted her dog with the best of intentions and thought he would act as a protector to her family. The only small doubt she had when she signed the adoption papers was that he might be a little unsteady as he was a rescue. It is known that rescue dogs can be a little problematic. She decided to have faith and trust the dog, but that might not have been the best decision.

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Unexpected Behavior

Dangerous Breeds

While dogs can often display behavior which is playful towards their owner and gently nip them as a sign of excitement or lick them to show affection, there are certain dogs which have a different genetic makeup that can result in them becoming aggressive. Specific breeds of dogs including Dobermans, Pitbulls, and Rottweilers have been accused in the past of being more aggressive breads and there have been numerous documented incidents in the past with owners.

Dangerous Breeds

Making Additions

Like many other families, the Svilicic’s decided they wanted to add a member to their family and have a pet. When Catherine gave birth to her baby Charlotte, she knew she wanted her daughter to grow up having a strong bond with a dog. She believed it would teach her baby to share, to show love to and to take care of. It was a no-brainer the family were going to adopt a rescue dog, but their choice of breed surprised many.

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Making Additions

The Time Had Come

The Svillcics wanted to give back and do a good deed by saving a dog’s life. They felt so fortunate to have a happy, healthy baby so they wanted to help another life. Catherine made some calls to their local dog shelter to ask what dog’s they had and if they could go and meet some. After becoming informed of the dog’s looking for a home, Catherine decided on one of the Doberman Pinschers. The papers were signed, and they named their dog Khan.

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The Time Had Come

Khan’s New Home

Catherine was informed that Khan had a difficult background but the mother absolutely fell in love with him and couldn’t wait to bring him home. Catherine was aware of the risks of having a small baby with a large, powerful canine, but put it to one side. Khan was due to be put down a week before the Svillcics adopted him, so his new family saved his life and they hoped for the very best with their new family member.

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Khan’s New Home

It Was A Normal Day

Khan was new to the family, and the Svillcics spent the first couple of days trying to train the Doberman. All was going smoothly until the fourth day when everything changed, and Khan reacted adversely. Khan was playing with Charlotte in the Svillcic’s yard, just like they had done previously. The two were under close watch from their parents, and although they observed gentle playtime between the two, they still had their suspicions.

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It Was A Normal Day

Playing Together

Under the watchful eye of Catherine, Charlotte and Khan continued to play with the mother confident in her decision for the canine and baby to get to know each other and feel comfortable and protected around one another. In an instant, everything changed, and Khan’s behavior immediately turned. The Doberman grabbed baby Charlotte and tossed her across the yard. The baby flew in the air and slammed on the ground. Everyone was shellshocked and numb from the incident.

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Playing Together

Wrath Of Khan

In the back of her mind, Catherine knew that Khan was capable of this disturbing behavior but honestly never imagined it would come at the expense of her baby. Nonetheless, Catherine was still devastated at the incident and was furious with her dog that acted in such an aggressive way to an innocent baby. Catherine knew there had to be something behind the Doberman’s actions for him to suddenly spiral. However, she never once doubted the actions of her baby.

Wrath Of Khan

Silent Witness

As the horrifying events unfolded, Catherine could do nothing but freeze and watch from the safety of her kitchen. It was as if something of a nightmare was unfolding in front of her very eyes and her precious baby was in grave danger. Catherine convinced herself that there had to be something more than her innocent baby which resulted in Khan seeing red and acting out in a moment of madness. The mother desperately hoped that was it, but unfortunately, it was just the beginning.

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Silent Witness

The Horror

The horrifying ordeal continued, and baby Charlotte was continuously targeted by the rescue dog. It looked as if Khan was trying to get something out of Charlotte, continuously pushing her around but the baby just was not responding to the actions of the hound. Charlotte continued to play and walk around as if nothing was happening. All of a sudden, Khan dug his sharp teeth into the baby’s diaper and powerfully threw her with Catherine witnessing she “was a rag doll.”

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The Horror

Crying In Silence

Shockingly, Charlotte did not cry at all, and she stayed incredibly calm throughout. However, others near the scene could not say the same. Catherine admitted, “Had I not seen it with my very own eyes, I’d never have believed it.” The panicked mother sprinted over to her baby to bring her to safety and care for her. As she was carrying Charlotte, Khan collapsed to the ground and began weeping. Everyone was stunned and confused at what was happening.

Crying In Silence

Something Went Wrong

As Catherine began checking Charlotte for wounds, cuts, and bruises, she noticed her daughter was completely unharmed. Catherine was more shaken up than her daughter but was totally relieved that her baby was fine. However, Khan wasn’t ok, and the dog was crying and became lifeless. Catherine began to panic, and her attention switched to her dog and looking into his dying eyes, she just knew that Khan was protecting Charlotte. Time was running out, and Khan needed immediate medical attention.

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Something Went Wrong

A Great Sacrifice

As it turned out, Khan had done something completely heroic, and instead of attacking the baby, he was protecting her from something else that was vicious and poisonous. Despite knowing the Svillcics for just four days, Khan became Charlotte’s protector. Khan’s life was hanging by a thread, and Catherine knew that she had to rescue her amazing dog which made the ultimate sacrifice for his family. Everyone was concerned, but they hoped that it was not too late.

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A Great Sacrifice

Unable To Move

The mysterious creature that had bitten Khan had such a poisonous venom that it resulted in him to go into instant paralysis. Khan was a strong Doberman, but the poison had proven too strong for him to cope with. There was not much time, and Catherine had committed to taking in an animal, and she knew she had to uphold her responsibility for him. She began to rush and knew that there were only a handful of people that could truly help her heroic dog.

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Unable To Move

Time For Action

As the rest of the family looked on in absolute horror and dismay, Catherine sprang into action and lifted the hurt and lifeless Khan into her arms. Charlotte was taken away from the scene by one of the other family members as everyone’s attention turned to Khan. Watching their new dog, gasping for air with his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth was too much to handle. Some thought it was too late, but Catherine refused to let him go.

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Time For Action

A Race Against Time

If the Svillcics left it any longer, Khan would be too far gone for help. Catherine used all her strength to carry the huge Doberman to the car, carefully placed him in the front seat and proceeded to jump in and drove as fast as she could towards the vet. Khan was still breathing very slowly, and Catherine had every hope that he would pull through. The next few hours were crucial in Khan’s life.

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A Race Against Time

On The Road

Catherine put her foot on the gas, frantically trying to give her dog every possible chance at life. She looked into his eyes and desperately hoped that he would pull through. Khan had sacrificed himself for baby Charlotte, and the only thing Catherine could do to repay the sheer bravery of her dog was to save his life. Catherine’s driving was somewhat reckless, explaining “I never knew I was able to drive this well. I guess adrenaline does its thing.”

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On The Road

Medical Attention

After speeding through the streets, Catherine and Khan finally arrived at the vet, and she jumped out the car to rush him inside for immediate attention. Upon running inside the vet, she was screaming for help and an anti-venom for her dying dog. Luckily, the vets darted over to Khan and rushed him away. They could see the dog was severely hurt and they knew they must revive him and remove the toxic substance from his body.

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Medical Attention

Unconditional Love

When Catherine initially picked up Khan to help him, she was running on pure adrenaline which helped her. She recalled, “if you asked me to carry his weight right now, I don’t think I’d be able to do it.” Catherine’s motherly instincts kicked in and she knew she had to protect Khan as he was a member of the family. Despite being with the Svillcics for four days, he was family, and he had already protected baby Charlotte from something very deadly.

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Unconditional Love

She Owed Him

Looking into Khan’s eyes, something took over Catherine, and she knew his intentions to protect Charlotte which displayed an unconditional love. Khan was now a solid member of the family, and it was Catherine’s duty to protect him and make sure he was taken care of. Her daughter was fine, and all her attention was focused on Khan. As the vets took him away, Catherine wept and she felt completely helpless, she could only pray now.

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She Owed Him

So How Was Khan?

Catherine had to be patient and wait for the vets to do everything in their power to ensure Khan’s survival. Although she knew he was in good hands, she couldn’t help but worry. She felt a bit of sickness in her stomach; she couldn’t fathom losing her new family member. When the vets returned to Catherine to speak with her about Khan’s state, she was pacing around the room and upon seeing the vets, ran to them will a million questions.

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So How Was Khan?

The Doctor’s Answer

The vet informed Catherine that they were not sure if Khan was going to make it and said, “We don’t know yet, madam. We did what we could, but now his body has to fight the poison.” He continued “The anti-venom will certainly help, but we don’t know to what extent. It’s best that you come back tomorrow morning.” Catherine’s heart sank, and the news was not what she was hoping for. She was still clinging on to every piece of hope.

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The Doctor’s Answer

A Sleepless Night

Catherine left the vet and all that was running through her mind is how Khan was. Replaying the whole situation in her head over and over again, she stayed up all night on edge. She watched baby Charlotte sleep and never expected her day to end like this. She was so incredibly grateful that her baby was ok, but she couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of guilt that she couldn’t have done more to help or stand in the way of a deadly attack.

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A Sleepless Night

Stepping Into Tomorrow

After a sleepless night, Catherine jumped out of bed the next morning, bright and early. She grabbed the first clothes that she could see, threw them on and rushed to get her kids ready for the day before jumping in the car to head to the vet. Catherine was not herself, and her mind was elsewhere. She wanted to be the first person down at the veterinary clinic so she could get the update on her heroic Khan.

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Stepping Into Tomorrow

The Moment Of Truth

Catherine was anxiously awaiting the news that could make or break her. She had gone over every possible scenario in her head both devastating and elating. There was nothing Catherine could do but her mind was wondering wild. She needed the news immediately; she simply could not cope for much longer. She headed to the receptionist at the vet to get a time when she would find out. They had the results, and it was finally time discover the news.

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The Moment Of Truth

What Almost Killed the Baby?

Before the vets revealed the results of Khan, they revealed to Catherine what was the deadly animal which almost attacked her baby, had Khan not sacrificed himself. This animal was living in her backyard and she had no idea. Catherine switched her thoughts to a case whereby the venomous animal would have caught one of her children. In that instance, she would be in an emergency room, not a veterinarian. She couldn’t fathom the severity of the situation.

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What Almost Killed the Baby?

Khan The Protecter

Khan’s animal instincts kicked in and he protected his family member from the deadly Mulga. Doberman’s may be considered attack dogs, but many people are unaware that they will protect their owners until death and this is exactly what Khan did. Throughout the entire attack, Khan guarded Charlotte at the expense of his own life, showing his loyalty and unconditional love to his family member. This was Khan’s way of giving back to the family which saved his life.

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Khan The Protecter

Will Khan Survive?

Khan may have been a hero to the family, but they were all worried sick that he wouldn’t survive the powerful venom. They all wanted to be there to see his safe and healthy return home, but things were not looking bright. They all surrounded Charlotte in total shock that she could have been the one on the receiving end of this horrifying afternoon. Through his sheer bravery, Khan deserved to fight this and come out on the other side.

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Will Khan Survive?

Feeling Helpless

At this point, all the Svillicic family was waiting, hope and pray for their protector. Khan’s life was now in the hands of the vets who were working tirelessly to remove all of the snakes’ deadly venom from his body. Catherine could only reflect on what had happened, and she said of her dog “He saved her life by risking his own.” She continued in explaining, “From now on, he’s Khan the Wonder Dog.” They were still forced to wait for the final life or death answer.

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Feeling Helpless

Khan’s Fate

The time that it took for the family to find out about the state of their dog felt like years. There is no bond like the one between dog and owner and despite only having Khan for four days, that short amount of time had portrayed his true character and his dedication to his family. The vet gave him a shot of anti-venom, working to revive him from all the trauma of a snake bite. Only time would tell if it worked.

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Khan’s Fate

Oh No!

When the Svillcic family picked Khan up from the rescue shelter, the workers informed Catherine that he had undergone abuse in his life. Khan was adopted into a loving and loyal home, and he didn’t get much time to experience what a real, loving family home was. Catherine and her kids were hoping that Khan would come back safe and sound so that they could treat him with the love, respect, and protection that he selflessly gave them.

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Oh No!

Put Him Down?

Khan’s life before the Svillcics adopted him sadly troubled. Khan was neglected and showed clear signs of abuse.  Catherine said, “When Kerry Kinder (Doberinling Boarding Kennels owner) rescued him, he was starving, had broken ribs and had been beaten – he was an abused dog.” She continued in explaining that “It was borderline on whether or not he should be put down because he was in such a bad way.” They were hoping Khan would pull through and live a happy life.

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Put Him Down?

He Only Wanted Love

Khan’s tough background led Catherine to gain insights into why he reacted to Charlotte the way he did. She further recalled, “He was starving for attention and wanted to be loved because he came from an abused home, so I’m not surprised about what he has done at his new home.” Speaking about Khan’s past, Catherine’s mind shifted to his future and decided to become more proactive in his recovery. She needed to speak to the vet.

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He Only Wanted Love

The Time Has Come…

Catherine nervously dialed the vet’s office to find out about Khan’s chances of survival and recovery. She so desperately wanted to bring Khan home to her hopeful family and shower him with love. Khan put his life on the line to protect another family member who he had known for a mere four days and the Svillcics wanted to return the favor. On the phone to the vet, they informed her that Khan had got sick in the night. Catherine’s heart sank.

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The Time Has Come…

Final Call

The vet kept Catherine on the phone line as she spoke with the team who were trying to save Khan. Catherine hoped they could give her even a little piece of hope that they could hold on to. The vet returned to the phone and had the wonderful news that Khan was slowly getting stronger. He was still incredibly weak nonetheless but was making progress and the snake’s venom had been removed. Catherine shed a tear of relief, but that wasn’t the last piece of news.

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Final Call

A Full Recovery?

Catherine needed to have confirmation whether Khan would make a full recovery and get back to the dog they brought home from the shelter. The vet assured Catherine that he was going to be fine. According to a reptile expert, Khan had survived the attack as the snake was not able to inject too much venom into the Doberman. Had the snake got a tighter grip on Khan, it would have been an entirely different outcome. But what happened next?

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A Full Recovery?

The Results Were In

Catherine was brought into the vets to become informed of all the information surrounding Khan’s injuries and recovery. After waiting for what felt like forever, Catherine was finally getting all the answers that she was waiting for. Khan was making a strong recovery, and all the vets were impressed with the rapid progress he was making. Catherine and the rest of the family were so excited to be reunited with their heroic, brave dog

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The Results Were In

Back Together!

Finally, the whole family could be reunited and move on with their lives. They were ecstatic to be able to love and care for the Doberman again. From then on, Catherine pledged to protect Khan as if she would protect one of her own children. She became indebted to her dog for saving her baby girl Charlotte and she would never be able to repay him for what he had done. Khan was so excited to be returned to his family. Their bond would never be broken.

dog- bond
Back Together!

Look What We Have Here

The deadly venomous animal which almost killed a member of her family was a snake. However, this was not any snake; it was a Mulga, an incredibly venomous snake and one of Australia’s most dangerous creatures. It suddenly became clear that Khan had noticed the brown snake moving swiftly through the grass, heading straight for Charlotte as its prey and he put himself in harm’s way to protect her. Khan was a hero.

dog-snake
Look What We Have Here

Predator On The Loose

The Mulga is one of the most venomous and deadly snakes on this planet. While Australia has an abundance of harmful creatures, this snake is amongst the most lethal. The snake’s venom is so strong that it can kill a fully grown human within minutes. Had Khan not been in the yard with Charlotte, she would not have stood a chance after one bite. She was an easier target due to her small size, thus making her easy prey for the deadly reptile.

dog-mulga
Predator On The Loose