Eagan's 'Top Dog' is a survivor from Golden Valley shelter

Ed Greenagel has lived a hard life the past three years, and he has the physical and emotional scars to prove it.

During that time, he has been orphaned, beaten, stabbed and shot twice with buckshot.

Last year, he ran away from home and spent almost three months living outdoors on his own before being reunited with his adoptive parents.

In large part because of his remarkable story, Ed Greenagel, a 75-pound golden lab mix adopted from the Animal Humane Society shelter in Golden Valley, was named Eagan's "Top Dog" earlier this month by the city.

"It's a pretty amazing story, kind of a miracle," said Patti Greenagel, who with her husband, Bill, adopted Ed last year. "He's been through it."

Ed was selected by the city's animal control and police departments as Top Dog from among 85 dogs (and two cats) entered in the biannual event.

The contest is conducted every two years to coincide with the license renewals of 3,000 dogs in Eagan and emphasizes the need to license dogs, said Karen Grimm, Eagan's animal-control officer.

For winning, Ed will receive a Top Dog bandana and will be featured on the city's animal brochures.

Living alone in the wild

The Greenagels said they entered Ed in the contest because they wanted to share his story. They rescued him last year after he caught Bill Greenagel's attention.

"Bill just thought he would be a nice dog," Patti Greenagel said.

The workers told the couple that Ed had been found and that he showed signs of abuse, including the buckshot scars and others that appeared to be the result of stabbings or barbed wire cuts.

"The first morning he was with us," Patti Greenagel said, "I was letting him out. I remember him standing absolutely still, as if afraid to do the wrong thing. He looked up at me for direction. I told my husband that night that he may be more broke than we thought."

The dog eventually came to trust the Greenagels and after a couple of months was playing with them.

Then came the fireworks on July 4th of last year.

When loud noises began going off around the neighborhood, Ed was terrified, Patti Greenagel said. He may have associated the sounds with the times he had been shot.

Ed bolted from Bill's arms and ran out the door. The couple looked but could not find him anywhere.

"He's a very smart dog," Patti Greenagel said. "No human could get anywhere near him."

A couple living near where Ed was spotted fed him. Another woman who knew the dog and the family said Ed walked her son to his bus stop every morning, but always stayed about 10 feet behind the boy.

It was not until Bill and a friend rigged up an elaborate series of traps that Ed was captured and returned home early last fall.

"He was just the same," Patti Greenagel said. "But he smelled like a horse after living outside for so long.

"No one touched Ed for 87 days. For a dog that loves to be petted, that must have been tough, too."