By Russ Brown
Photos by Matt Johnson
A Courageous Dog Cheated Death and is on a Mission to Raise Awareness of Animal Abuse in Kentucky
While to those unfamiliar with his story, it could seem to be an doggone exaggeration, there can be no question that Ethan Almighty earned his name because he was within a hair of dying when he was found under a dirty blanket in the parking lot of the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) on January 21, 2021.
He was freezing to death, had been abused, and his body was shutting down. He was suffering from seizures, numerous lesions and brain damage to his frontal lobe. He would have normally weighed close to 90 pounds; instead he was at 30 pounds. It was estimated he hadn't eaten a substantial meal in weeks, or even months. He was rushed to KHS vet services and his body temperature was so low that it didn't register at all. His outlook, obviously, was not good, but that didn't take into account his heart and his will to live.
Ethan somehow survived and in recognition of her work to save him and oversee his recovery, Dr. Emily Bewley, a graduate of Assumption High and Purdue University who had been with KHS for five years, earned the 2021 Kentucky Veterinarian of the Year Award — the first shelter vet to win the honor. She was assisted by vet tech Angela Mikesell.
Ethan eventually joined the family of Jeff Callaway, director of facilities for KHS, and has gone on to fame, becoming one of the best-known and most-honored dogs in the country.
Ethan was named the American Humane National Shelter Hero Dog of the Year in 2023 and Gov. Andy Beshear named January Ethan Almighty Shelter Animal Awareness Month. A 60-by-20-foot banner hangs on the outside of the Downtown Marriott at 280 West Jefferson St. with Ethan posed in Southern Indiana looking across the Ohio River at Louisville. He has been inducted into the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association Animal Hall of Fame.
He is all over social media, with Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok accounts in addition to his own website, "EthanAlmighty.com," where his story is told and various items such as shirts and coffee mugs with Ethan's picture can be purchased to help further his mission of promoting animal abuse awareness.
As a Kentucky celebrity, it should not be surprising that Ethan is also in the bourbon business. Well, sort of. In partnership with former Louisville basketball star Russ Smith's Mr. and Mrs. Bourbon Company, a 270-bottle limited release single barrel product that features Ethan's photo on the label, quickly sold out. Callaway said he expects a new batch will be released later this year.
Ethan appears at numerous charitable fundraising events in the Louisville area and serves as an inspiration to people from all walks of life near and far. Recently, Ethan and Callaway were named Humanitarians of the Year and then Persons of the Year by Personsoftheyear.com. The pair has also received the Governor's Volunteer Service Award.
"Ethan has connected with people who have never met him all around the country and the world," Callaway said. "I've gotten emails, cards, letters from Australia, China, the Philippines, all over, from people telling me what his story did for them. I think he gives people hope when they see his resilience and his fight to live. I think it resonated in their own life and gave them the willpower to fight various adverse things in their own life, whether it was losing someone, a medical diagnosis, drug addiction, even thoughts of suicide.
"So I felt an obligation and responsibility to keep his story out there. Then these different awards and recognition came up and it showed me how loyal people who follow Ethan are and how much they love him and believe in his story even though they have never met him. His message is kindness and love and how a kind word might be what gets someone through their day. His posts begin with 'Do something kind for someone today.' That kind of blossomed into ‘how can we use animals to help people in the community and Commonwealth?’"
Ethan is a Presa Canario, which is a Spanish breed of large dog of mastiff or catch dog type. It originates in the Canary Islands, and is found mostly in the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. It was formerly known as the Dogo Canario. When he was, he was about nine months old. Callaway made his birthday July 4th, so he is nearing four years old and is a healthy and hefty specimen at 130 pounds.
He was initially named by vet tech Dakota Arnold after she learned by researching potential names that Ethan means strong, enduring and firm. She chose the name because the vets knew he had a long road ahead of him if he was going to make it. Callaway later added "Almighty."
"He is striking and beautiful," Callaway said. "Through the last couple years, I have gained small bits of knowledge of Ethan's beginnings. He was sold as a puppy before he was traded for drugs. This is when the abuse and torture began. Thankfully, a neighbor of this abuser came and took Ethan and dumped him in the parking lot after realizing he was so close to death that there was a good chance he would die on the ride to the Humane Society."
Callaway said he knew he wanted to adopt Ethan the first time he saw him on the vet table. Callaway volunteered to go in at night and take care of him — feeding him, cleaning his blankets and bedding, changing dressings — then started taking him home in the evenings. As Ethan continued to improve, an adoption celebration was planned and on March 10th, 2021, he was officially adopted and now shares the Callaway home with three "siblings", Luna, 7, a great dane; Jinx, 5, a pit bull mix; and Molly, 16, a boxer mix. And they all get along well.
"After three, four days of taking him back and forth, we hit a weekend and he stayed with us and kind of turned back into a dog," Callaway said. "He spent a lot of time outside with the other dogs, learned how to play, and it was the first time he ran and actually barked again. He kind of came out of his shell and you really saw that personality."
He actually has a split personality, Callaway said, but not in the sense of a “Jekyll and Hyde.’ Rather, both of his personas are good, but different depending on his environment.
"When he is just Ethan he's playful, he's a puppy, he wants to bounce around, play tug, wants to chase you around, play fetch, all those kinds of things," Callaway said. "But he has this unique thing about him when we go places, whether it's a gala with 500 people, or somewhere we go to speak, he has this other side of him. He kind of almost knows why we're there and understands, 'I'll behave in a different way, not the playful puppy I am. We're gonna tell my story, help other animals and some people.’'’
"When the camera comes on he just flips a switch. He's a big ham. He's got to be the most photographed dog in the country. I personally have 25-30,000 pictures of him on my phone and all the other people that take pictures of him. People who don't know who Ethan is will comment on two things: what a beautiful dog he is and how well-behaved he is. He's lovable and he loves everybody. The other thing people say is, 'I didn't know he is so big.'"
In connection with Ethan's mission, Callaway has spent time in Frankfort advocating for better animal welfare laws in Kentucky. "Ethan's Law," HB258 sponsored by District 31 Rep. R-Susan Witten, would strengthen an animal torture law that was passed 16 years ago and is known as "Romeo's Law," named for a dog who was beaten in Somerset, Ky. HB258 deals with tougher penalties for those who torture dogs and cats, including moving the violations from a misdemeanor to a felony and officially expanding the definition of torture under the law. The bill would also address concerns about hunters' dogs.
"It does not mention restraint," Rep. Witten said of “Romeo's Law.” "One of the key reasons a pet can be tortured is when it cannot escape."
Callaway and Ethan appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 21st to push for passage and the bill was passed out of committee by a 16 yes votes, with one no and one abstaining. It will now go to the full House, where it is expected to pass easily, and then on to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Callaway hopes it will become law before the end of the current legislative session that ends on March 12th. If it does, Ethan and Calloway will deserve yet another round of applause.
"I feel good about its prospects and I think it will really help," Callaway said. "Studies have shown that a lot of child and domestic abuse and even mass shooters had animal abuse in their backgrounds."