[Toronto]
"On June 23, 2004, a forty-three-year-old unemployed mentally
disturbed New Brunswick man carried 6,296 rounds of ammunition,
two rifles, a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and
an air rifle in his car, along with a machete, a hunting knife,
a throwing knife, a camouflage mask and netting, while planning
to carry out a shooting spree to ensure he would be put in jail
permanently," Toronto police said.
When
the man had set himself up in a park near Victoria Park Avenue
and Queen Street, Toronto, and was about to get started on his
disturbing task, "A passerby was walking several dogs. One
of the dogs came up and started playing with him," explained
Detective Nick Ashley. "[The gunman] happened to be a pet
lover and decided that if there was such a nice dog in the area,
the people were too nice and he wasn't going to carry out his
plan. He then proceeded to drive around and search out a uniformed
officer to surrender himself."
After
sifting through two hundred reports from people who claimed they
owned the hero dog, on July 29 the police finally identified the
wonder pooch who saved the city as Dante - a husky-Australian
shepherd mutt.
"He's
extremely empathetic," said Kristina Kyser, the canine's
owner. "If one of my children cries he gets upset and so
it doesn't surprise me he would sense first of all a dog lover,
but a dog lover that's upset."
Michael
O'Sullivan, executive director of the Humane Society of Canada
said Dante will receive an award in early August. 
For
more details please visit:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040624/TSHOOTER24/National/Idx
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20040729-018/page.asp
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1088080916471_69/?hub=Canada
http://nb.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nb_stansonfit20040730
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=
Article&cid=1091052613661&call_pageid=968350130169
