Dog’s amazing story has payoff for town
Lulu’s family donates winnings to be used to build dog park
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

Hal and Peggy Eisen of Manalapan have a lot of love for Lulu, their 9-year-old Lhasa apso whose barking alerted them to a problem that turned out to be a house fire.

MANALAPAN — When Hal and Peggy Eisen turned over a $7,500 grand prize they had won in a contest to Manalapan officials, it was just the latest development in a tale so full of twists and turns that if the events had not actually occurred no one would buy the story as fiction.

The story began on March 6 when the home the Eisens have lived in for 34 years on Becket Road in the Holiday Park development caught fire.

Hal Eisen recounted the story. He said that at about 4:30 a.m. his wife shook him awake and insisted she heard a burglar downstairs.

Noting that he and Peggy had recently celebrated 45 years of marriage, Eisen wryly informed a reporter that “this wasn’t the first time she thought she heard a burglar.”

Eisen, who gave his age as 69 and Peggy’s age as “a lot younger,” said that after reassuring his wife there was no burglar downstairs, he turned over, intending to go back to sleep.

That’s when Lulu, the Eisens’ 9-year-old Lhasa apso and the other woman in Hal’s life with whom Peggy happily shares his affections, started barking and that, said Eisen, was something he knew he should not ignore because it was out of character.

Eisen said at that point he went downstairs and found the utility room was on fire. He, Peggy and Lulu were able to make it safely out of the house.

He said fire officials later determined the blaze had been caused by a flame that shot out from the furnace when the furnace backfired. The flame ignited a pile of folded clothing that was on the dryer directly in front of the furnace.

Eisen said the fire caused burn damage in the utility room, bathroom and master bedroom, and extensive smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.

He said that when the firefighters arrived at the home in the early morning hours, neighbors came out to see what was going on. One of those neighbors was Paul Magid, with whom the Eisens had not been previously acquainted.

Eisen said Magid, the author of a book called “Veiled Blessings,” was leaving for the airport in a limousine that had arrived at about the same time as the firefighters.

Eisen said Magid, whose parents own and operate the Country Roads preschool, Manalapan, handed him the keys to his home and told the Eisens they could stay in his house since he was going to be away on business for five weeks.

Eisen said they took Magid up on his offer and stayed in his home until he returned from his business trip and they had arranged for a trailer to be placed on their property. They are living in the trailer until repairs to their home are completed.

That brings the story around to how the Eisens ended up with the $7,500 they eventually turned over to Manalapan.

Eisen said that at some point after the fire he saw a notice about a contest that was being sponsored by Bush’s Baked Beans. The contest asked people to explain why their pet was the “star of the family.”

Eisen said he wrote about how Lulu had saved his and Peggy’s lives, and about how the dog had defied the odds against her.

In June 2004 a veterinarian recommended that the Eisens euthanize Lulu because the dog had two ruptured discs in her back. Because of that condition the dog had to be placed in a wheelchair that was specially designed for her, Eisen said.

Instead, the Eisens turned to alternate therapies for Lulu, including veterinary acupuncture and swim therapy at Showplace Farms, Millstone Township.

Eisen said while Lulu was receiving therapy, the family took a trip and while they were at a rest stop in Maryland a conversation started between him and someone who remarked on Lulu’s wheelchair.

It turned out the person had a daughter who is an animal chiropractor with a practice in Lincroft. Eisen said he started taking Lulu to Dr. Lori Taylor in September and that Lulu is now walking.

Eisen said Lulu is now working as a therapy dog at The Chelsea assisted living facility on Route 9, Manalapan, where he is employed.

“They’re inspired by her. People refer to her as the miracle dog,” he said.

The Eisens won the $7,500 from Bush’s Baked Beans for sharing Lulu’s story. The money was turned over to the township with the stipulation that it be used for the construction of a municipal dog park.

Officials recently directed the township engineer to develop a plan for a dog park on Route 522 (Freehold-Englishtown Road) next door to the senior center.

Eisen said the remainder of the grand prize is something Lulu is looking forward to as much as the Eisens. Next summer Jay Bush, the owner of Bush’s Baked Beans, and his dog, Duke, will sponsor and attend a barbecue at the Eisens’ home for the couple, Lulu and 50 friends.

Eisen said he is hoping the repairs to the house will be completed by that time since he does not want to disappoint Lulu, who is looking forward to her date with Duke.