Protect pets with ICE, baby
It was a bitterly cold night and I had just finished teaching one of my Fort Collins dog training classes.
A private student asked if she could stop by after and talk to me about her Rottweiler, but she was very late. The dog training class had all left and I was about to give up and go home when my phone rang. Answering, I was quite surprised to find myself talking to a paramedic named Tina. Tina, it seemed, was having a tough time convincing Jenny, my client with the Rottweiler, to willingly exit her upside-down vehicle without Stryker, the rotty. Jenny wanted Stryker to go with her to the hospital and the poor ambulance driver said that was not an option.
As far as Jenny was concerned, no Stryker, no Jenny.
To make matters worse, Stryker, although apparently uninjured in the roll-over on Interstate 25, was traumatized, agitated and becoming increasingly difficult and unpredictable when it came to the rescue crew getting near his owner.
I knew the rescue crew had few options when it came to what to do with an aggressive-acting 120-pound Rottweiler.
I knew that Stryker, although very scary looking, probably wasn't going to do anything. I had seen Jenny and Stryker for a few private lessons and the biggest problem Jenny had with him was his separation anxiety - aggression had never been a problem. But the key word here is "probably." And who knows what a dog will do when it thinks it's protecting its owner.
With a 120-pound Rottweiler, rescue personnel not wanting to take chances is completely understandable. Jenny had called me as soon as she got her wits about her but was unable to talk while upside down, strapped in her seat and holding onto the dog to keep him from getting close to the paramedics.
That's why I was talking to Tina instead of Jenny.
The paramedic suggested they leave the dog in the upside-down car. Would I be willing to come get him?
"Yes,'' I said, "certainly.'' Placated, Jenny allowed the paramedics to do their job. I left immediately and within a few minutes had an apparently uninjured but extremely grateful Rottweiler in the front seat of my pickup. Jenny was released from the hospital the next day.
Jenny was lucky that she never lost consciousness and was able to call someone immediately to come take care of Stryker. It could have been a lot worse.
This New Year's Day, program ICE into your cell phone. It stands for in case of emergency. Have a few people familiar with your pets listed as ICE and ICE 2 so that if anything does happen, emergency personnel know who to call.
It's a good thing to do for yourself and for your pets.
Terry Jester is a nationally recognized companion animal behaviorist. To learn more about companion animal training, visit www.rockymountainrawhide.com. For questions about your own pet, call Jester at (970) 568-7585 or send e-mail to arriniranch@aol.com.
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