Apr 24, 2006 By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

If Steve Courson is able to look down from heaven, Dr. Don Tummons said he’s confident the dog lover is smiling. Rufus, the black Labrador retriever he died trying to save in November 2005, is up and walking again after undergoing major surgery and several physical therapy sessions.

Courson, who won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 1985, was killed Nov. 10 when a tree he was cutting down on his Henry Clay Township property fell on him.

Authorities believe Courson was trying to save Rufus, one of his two beloved black Labs, from the falling tree, which was 44 feet tall and 5 feet in circumference.

When rescue workers arrived at Courson’s home, they found Rufus pinned beneath Courson’s legs, hurt, but still alive.

Courson’s other dog, Rachel, was not injured in the accident.

Since his death, Courson’s dogs, both 12 years old and from the same litter, have been cared for by several people, including Tummons, their primary veterinarian.

Tummons has adopted Rachel, who now spends most of her time at his Duck Hollow Animal Hospital in Menallen Township, visiting with people who come in. She has free reign at the hospital and is adjusting well, Tummons said.

After brief stays at the animal hospital and at Noah’s Ark Humane Society, which has since been renamed the Steve Courson Humane Society of Fayette County, Rufus has found a home with physical therapist Jim Burns of Uniontown.

Burns began to work with Rufus after the dog underwent emergency surgery in Pittsburgh to repair two dislocated hips.

As the director at Center for Rehab Services in Uniontown, Burns used the rehabilitation center to provide physical and aquatic therapy treatments. Rufus received therapy sessions every day and whirlpool treatments twice a week.

Though he was only able to sit up and drag himself around with his two front legs, Rufus is now able to stand up on his own and walk.

Tummons said he never thought Rufus would be able to get up on his own and move around and said the therapy session Burns offered free of charge were extremely beneficial.

“Rufus walks like a duck, but he can walk and he can get up on his own,” Tummons said. “I never though he’d be able to get up on his own, but he can as long as he’s on carpet. He does real well in grass, too.”

Tummons said Burns, who already owned an older Lab, decided to adopt Rufus and will continue therapy at his residence, which is located about a mile away from the animal hospital. It’s the perfect situation for Rufus, Tummons said, since the dog needs physical therapy more than he needs medical attention.

“Rachel’s staying with me and Rufus is staying about a mile down the road,” Tummons said. “Everybody is doing OK. The dogs are in good shape; they get to see each other. I think Steve would be happy.”

After the accident, Tummons said Rufus had about $5,000 in unpaid medical bills but said all his expenses were recently paid for as a result of a fund-raiser held March 18 at the All Saints Social Hall in Masontown. All of the money raised during the event went toward Rufus’ medical bills and treatment, Tummons said.

“All the bills are paid off,” he said.

Tummons said that Rufus and Rachel have become local celebrities of sorts and both get a lot of special attention. However, he said there are other animals at the hospital who are in need of medical treatment and good homes, such as a puppy named Hector, who suffers from bilateral paralysis.

Anyone interested in adopting an animal or donating money for medical treatments can call the animal hospital at 724-437-9900.