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WALLA WALLA, WA (USA) — I would call this a case of "copycat
syndrome", except that I know of a certain canine constituency that
may take offense at that phrase. So let's just call it a case of
"dog-see, dog-do" (wait... that didn't come out right, either).
At any rate, we have—for
the third month in a row—an
instance of a fast-acting human saving a dog by emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
...Not to mention the story last month of a fast-acting dog saving a
human in a similar fashion (see "Slobbery
Dog Kiss Saves Woman from Deadly Bee Sting").
Today, the Seattle
Times brings us the story of a terrible accident that would
have turned fatal if not for a couple carloads of good Samaritans who
happened to be on hand. According to the report, a man was driving a
pickup truck in College Place last Wednesday with a black and white Border
Collie in the bed of his truck. When the vehicle made a right turn,
the dog fell out of the truck and remained dangling by a rope tied to her
neck as the man, not knowing what had happened, proceeded to drive down
the road at about 40mph.
51-year-old Elizabeth Paladeni of
Prescott had just completed making an equipment delivery in the area when
she saw the dog fall from the truck. Ms. Paladeni followed the truck
in her vehicle, waving and honking her horn and was joined by two men in a
van who had also witnessed the accident. This continued for almost two
miles as the dog struggled in vain to keep up.
"Her toes were able to touch
the pavement so she would bounce to push herself up until she just lost
all strength," Ms. Paladeni later described. "And the more she lost strength, the more she was being choked to
death."
Finally Ms. Paladeni pulled in front of the man's pickup truck while
the van sandwiched the vehicle from behind. The man pulled over and
was horrified when he finally realized what had happened.
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"I'm hollering, 'Your dog! Your dog!' ", described Ms.
Paladeni. "So he got out, and he was just shook up and
shocked. I think the only reason he pulled over was because he
thought crazy people were behind him. But the moment he figured it
out, I could tell he was so crushed."
The man untied the rope and laid the motionless dog in the bed of the
truck. At that point, everyone believed the Border Collie to be
dead.
"I felt so sorry for the gentleman," Ms. Paladeni told
reporters. "His faced turned white and I heard him say, 'I've
had her for such a long time.' "
That's when the woman came up with the craziest idea (or perhaps she's
been reading The Scoop lately?). "It works for humans
and it should work for anything that breathes," she said.
"I knew it had to be similar."
And with that, she cupped her hands around the dog's snout and began
administering mouth-to-mouth. At first, there was no response, she
said. "And then I looked at the owner's face, and I thought,
'I'll try again.' "
Soon, the dog's eyes began to move, and the black-and-white dog began
to take slow, shallow breaths. Ms. Paladeni then pointed the man
in the direction of the Walla Walla Associated
Veterinary Clinic about two miles away on Wildwood Street. Without wasting a moment, the man drove off with the
groggy dog.
The good Samaritans never learned the name of the man, nor he
theirs. However, the Veterinary Clinic did report that they had
admitted a female Border Collie who was just released yesterday, in good
condition.
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