Hundreds Twitter to Martha Stewart in Tribute to Her Chow Killed in Propane Explosion

"The lines are jammed . . . I can't get through to her blog," one person said.

Hundreds of fans and animal lovers are deluging The Martha Blog in tribute, and in tears over an explosion that left her young Chow and other animals running with their coats on fire until they toppled.

Carlos, animal caretaker at Martha's Farm in New York, holds the young Ghenghis Khan some weeks before the fire.

A story in The Morning Call described the tragic event . . .

THE CALL --- A day after a propane explosion killed 15 show dogs in a Carbon County kennel, co-owner Karen Tracy mourned the passing of a 16th dog that died Saturday morning, and tearfully described the propane delivery driver as a ''hero.''

Badly burned in the explosion, the truck driver managed to first toss a cairn terrier named Chilli over the fence to safety before getting himself out of harm's way.

''That man is a hero,'' Tracy said. ''My heart goes out to his family.''

Timothy Kleinhagen of Summit Hill was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-

Cedar Crest where he was listed in critical condition Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
He was filling the kennel's propane tank when the explosion occurred about 2:25 p.m. Friday. Fire officials have said a spark or static electricity could have ignited the fire, which sent flames 75 feet into the air and ripped through the pens at Pazzazz Pet Boarding kennel, near Beltzville State Park in Franklin Township.

In addition to the 15 dogs that died Friday, 13 dogs were taken two nearby animal hospitals. A 3-year-old chow chow named Shamrock was badly injured and didn't make it through the night, Tracy said. Six were released Saturday.

Creature Comforts of Saylorsburg was treating five of the dogs, most with second- or third-degree burns. Two were in critical condition Saturday, two were stable and ready to be transferred to another kennel and one will need skin grafts, said Dr. Karin Breitlauch, the veterinarian who owns Creature Comforts.

One of the dogs in critical condition sustained burns over 80 percent of her back, she said.

Like human burn victims, the dogs will get fluids, diuretics and antibiotics, Breitlauch said.

''Fortunately, they have very thick skin,'' she said, but added that for the dogs in critical condition, ''the next three or four days will be touch and go.''

Lehighton Animal Hospital is also treating some of the dogs.

A COMFORTING THOUGHT ON ANIMAL LOSS

THERE WILL BE HEALING,

AND THERE WILL BE FACES IN THE CLOUDS

AMONG SHOOTING STARS SO PROFUSE,

THAT WE WILL REVEL AT WHERE THESE FACES HAVE COME TO---

--AND KNOW SURELY, WE'LL SEE THEM AGAIN. Andrea Spencer


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