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Let me begin with this simple disclaimer:
It has been over 12 years since this story began. I have NEVER written about it or sought out any of the publicity that resulted. Here is my one and only written version of some of the craziness that has transpired...
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| It all started on a rainy night, January 2, 1997....after days of heavy rain, the levee broke behind the home of a 4 year old Border Collie named Rodeo... he needed to seek higher ground... and did...somehow! |
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The morning of January 3, 1997 was like no other. Being a news photographer flying in a million dollar helicopter is an exciting job. It is obviously very tragic for victims of natural disasters, but I (in some small way) get to aide emergency officials and the general public in seeing the various levels of devastation from a new perspective. There had been massive flooding for days in Northern California. Our task this specific morning was to show the first daylight pictures in the Arboga area... near Marysville and Yuba City. KCRA was on the air non-stop for over 80 hours of TV coverage...commercial free. I am honored to have played a small role in what I believe were the finest 80+ hours in KCRA broadcasting history. The station provided a real public service.
Around 9:30 a.m. , while circling the actual levee break, the anchor on TV stated "Isn't that a dog down there"? Indeed we had zoomed in on a 3 story home, with over 30 feet of water almost up the highest eves. Perched on top was a Border Collie, we now know as Rodeo. Eventually, the home owners, Jim & Jan Thompson phoned the station and were on TV live telling their story. Now the world knew the dog and he had a name. It personalized the story.
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There was so much devastation, doom and gloom all over the north part of our state... this was an animal (obviously, aside from the hopes and prayers for human safety) that people wanted to root for. At the time, there was no way for a rescue...boat or otherwise. The water was too swift and the pitch of the roof made an aerial rescue impossible. We flew off to southern portions of our viewing area and came back north, then back south all day. Our pilot, Michael Kidd, the true unsung hero in this adventure, felt we could get in 1 more live report near the dog as the sun set across the valley about 5:30pm.
Rodeo had moved. Higher up the roof to escape the water that was closing in on him. Michael felt we might have a chance to scoop him up. Now a little known fact about me is that at that time, I was on light duty. (I seemed to have a couple of those in this job!?!?!)... Anyway, I was involved a few months earlier in a work related spill in an abandoned missile silo in Chico doing a story. I had injured my lower back, right shoulder and left knee.
Michael & I felt there would be no dog to rescue if an attempt was not made now. He said he could get the ship low enough if I felt I could grab him. So, I took off the headset, unbuckled the seatbelt, opened the door to deafening sounds of rotor noise. Rodeo had curled up around an air duct at the pinnacle of the roof. This was serious business folks... we were NOT on TV with this. It was the LAST thing on our minds.... it took about 3 minutes of me yelling for the dog and directing Michael where to hover closest to the dog. We never "landed" on the roof. The rear rotor was VERY close to the chimney but he kept it in a steady hover with slight variations to assist me. FINALLY, almost imperceptibly, Rodeo turned his neck j-u-s-t enough....
All I remember is a fist full of fur, skin and a collar...throwing him across my body into the ship and yelling to Mike to "take off"! Not wanting the excess weight to create a real problem, I waited until Michael had drifted out over the open water to climb back inside. Michael radioed the station now to "take us live" and they did... without knowing what was going on. I had hooked up a small "lipstick" style camera into a position where I could show the dog safely aboard, licking my face. The whole world watched this unfold via CNN and NBC (and other media outlets) now for over 8 hours. It took me years to understand it... but people needed a bright spot in all the calamity. This was it. On TV, the anchors and pilot joked that "If you like what Ron did, he likes burgers".
Not only did the community need an uplifting story... so did I. This "Rodeo" thing happened January 3, 1997. The whole calendar year 1996 really sucked for me personally... with the work injury, the death of a grandparent and some other very personal things... but I needed an emotional boost in the worst way. This rescue was it.
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| Ron Middlekauff & Michael Kidd with Rodeo right after rescue upon returning to Executive Airport |
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Upon landing, people were at the airport with dog leashes, water bowls, dog food, cameras... and yes, burgers! Michael and I went downtown to the station and reunited Rodeo with his owners. It was very emotional. They had lost EVERYTHING. Two of their neighbors had died in the flood... it was that serious. Rodeo gave them (and others) hope.
Upon leaving for the night...we were satisfied in making at least one family a tad happier. Of course the newsroom was getting hundreds of calls and we got a few telegrams (I am amazed people still send those!) and I was told I got 2 marriage proposals. Not sure about that... not very romantic huh? Anyway, we felt the story had run its course... the best part being reuniting Rodeo with the Thompson's. We had NO IDEA how this was just the beginning!
One more tid bit I think I'll thorw in... because I get asked about it a lot... there were rumors, that persist even today that we (Michael & I) got in trouble with the station or the Federal Aviation Administration or other people or agencies. ALL FALSE. I was never questioned, admonished, nothing over the incident. Happy story, happy ending. No wrist slapping!
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| Jim & Jan Thompson with Rodeo |
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| Okay, let me tell you a little story about the aftermath of this adventure...
I currently have 5 binders at home FULL of letters, telegrams, drawings... you name it. They came from all over the world. It is now 2009... over 12 years later... I STILL get mail and inquires. It could be from people reading the article from Readers Digest that was written... and is probably still sitting in a doctor's waiting room near you! Heck, I don't know why... but I get asked about it at least once a week.
We also got 2 big feature articles in PEOPLE MAGAZINE. Here are the links:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20143262,00.html
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124158,00.html
(Our story is towards the bottom of article in second link)
The photos at left are of a couple great kids that had a theme event to dress up like "heroes" at school. They chose Michael and myself. Notice the "cameraman" has a cheeseburger in his hand! I was deeply touched by this and the other heartfelt notes and drawings sent by school children. I have kept EVERYTHING!
One strange thing happened in my travels... at another school event I went and spoke at, it was again a "Heroes Day". I was not sure what to expect. Imagine my shock when I was in front of the school assembly with Firefighters, Policemen, Soldiers from almost every war America has fought... and a Pearl Harbor and a Holocaust survivor! Now, I have NEVER used the word "hero" about myself in any venue nor will I. To Rodeo, maybe I was...but these fine men and women are the REAL heroes we should honor. The men and women out filling sandbags during storms... driving food trucks to feed workers... there are thousands of unsung heroes. To be named among this group makes me VERY uneasy. I think we as a society toss the word "hero" around too loosely and it diminishes people who deserve it far more than I ever did or will....
At my junior high school alma mater, Arden Intermediate, at their annual Renaissance Fair, I was "knighted". I shall be known among friends now as "Sir Ron". I have the video to prove it... but I will NOT make it a "YouTube" moment! It's just one of the lighthearted moments I experienced. There are so many "behind the scenes" anecdotes about all of this, that it is too much to include here...
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| The Oprah Winfrey Show |
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We got media offers from all over the country. "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" called a couple times. He ended up on vacation, so the news value of our story diminished... but I turned down "Maury Povitch"... mainly because I did not want to be lured there and be shocked with some rotten paternity test! 
Yes, we got a lot of "ink" and TV and Radio attention, but when Oprah calls... you take that call! It was a great 24 hour trip in and out of Chicago. My only request to them was I wanted to bring Lisa. They said I could... IF I flew coach. Let's see.... me first class, non stop?... Or coach with a Dallas layover and having Lisa with me? This would be a once in a lifetime chance for both of us....Hmmmmm... Well, we've been married 15 years now, so I guess I did the right thing!
The show we were on did NOT air in Sacramento. At the time KXTV, Channel 10 carried the show. They did not want to promote KCRA people on their station. Dumb, dumb, dumb! They took a lot of heat from the public and in the Sacramento Bee newspaper over that decision. At least I have copies of the show to share!
Of course... maybe it had something to do with my appearance a couple weeks earlier... also on their station. The Thompson's, Rodeo and I were on "The Caryl & Marilyn Show". They are a comedy duo known as "Real Mommies". It was an ABC daytime show that eventually got cancelled so "The View" could replace it. The General Manager and one of the owners of KCRA at the time granted me permission to fly down and be on the show... IF... I wore a KCRA shirt. I did and nobody ever said a word. Except when I popped up on Channel 10's air... in a rating period wearing a shirt with the KCRA logo on it. I suppose they feared I was gonna do that on Oprah... but no way... I even bought a new suit for Oprah! I doubt 99.9% of the public even noticed... but KXTV did. Sorry! The boss made me do it! 
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| The Caryl & Marilyn Show (ABC Daytime) |
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| Ron & Governor Pete Wilson |
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Awards? Boy we got quite a few! The photo at left was me being honored at the State Capitol, here by then Governor Pete Wilson. I was given an award on behalf of the Governor and the California Legislature for being a "Flood Hero". There were only 10 of us honored. You had to be nominated, so I do not know the criteria... but again I will say... there were THOUSANDS of heroes... you pass them on the streets everyday. How can I be one of ten to be so honored? Well, I was deeply, deeply touched and honored. All of my family was there on the capitol steps to see this... it was a bit overwhelming. But I will always pass the compliments off for OUR story to Michael Kidd. One hell of a pilot. If I did not trust him completely, this would never have happened.
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" sent us shirts, coffee mugs and certificates for our heroism. Well, this avid hunter and fisherman looks back fondly at the accolades and hundreds of letters I got from P.E.T.A. and their supporters. Those alone almost fill up 1 of my 5 binders!
The bottom line??? To the REAL honest to God heroes, no matter what you do to help others in need... no matter how insignificant you feel your assistance is or was...you have my undying gratitude and admiration.
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| A childrens book was written about our adventure! |
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In conclusion I would just like to thank everyone who donated to a charity because of this story. Michael and I did many fund raisers for many charitable groups and a lot was raised. I even got a letter from an Arizona animal shelter that had a cage for adoptable animals named for us as a result of the "People Magazine" article. I am still shocked at the level of interest this story drew. So much more good has happened in our country and I wish more people could experience some of the "highs" we got. We simply did it out of compassion for the animal. One would hope anyone else would have done the same thing if they had the right tools.
One national animal rights advocate was quoted in the newspaper as saying we "did it for publicity". Complete crap. She even had the audacity to say this after showcasing us at her fundraisers! Won't name any names or groups here... but anything she's affiliated with now gets ZERO from me. Hope my comments on the matter are crisp and concise.
The biggest lesson we think this story accomplished? Don't forget about saving the lives of pets and other animals! Obviously, human life is paramount, but we must not forget our non-human friends too when disaster strikes.
Thank you all for your support and communications over the years. It has meant a lot.
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