Hero dog’s lick-it list a hit, family thankful

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This article was published 13/08/2012 (4860 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The family of 11-year-old Cole Hein is thanking Free Press readers for their “amazing” support of the family dog Bingo’s bucket list.

By Sunday afternoon, hours after the story’s publication, 65 people had joined the Bingo Hein Facebook group in an effort to help cross off listings on the dog’s special bucket list, named the “lick-it list.”

The “lick-it list” asks people from around the world to send wet canned dog food so Bingo can “taste the world.”

“Cole is doing the happy dance,” Cole’s mother Mandi said on Sunday.

“He is teasing Bingo about her new treats coming. This is a huge thing for Cole. I tried (to get word out) and got one thing — from his grandmother in Australia,” said Mandi.

The “lick-it list” was started by the dog’s owner Cole as a thank you to the 14-year-old Jack Russell terrier for saving his life time and time again.

Cole has an undiagnosed disorder which causes him to suddenly stop breathing either when asleep or awake. When he was younger, Cole needed someone to perform CPR on him to revive him.

Bingo came to the Hein family in 2005 and was trained by the National Service Dogs to bark at the distinct gagging sound that Cole makes when he stops breathing. The bark notified Cole’s parents or caregivers he needed help,

After being told the dog didn’t have long to live after being diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dystfunction Syndrome, Cole and his mother set up the page to encourage people to send dog treats as a reward for Bingo’s many years of service.

Cole’s list for Bingo also includes a photo shoot for the pair and a final public outing to Ruckers.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca katherine.dow@freepress.mb.ca