Last week in British Columbia, Canada, a golden revteiver-cross, was nearly drowned by three otters! Seriously. The dog went in the water to investigate the wildlife, and before the dog walker knew it, the three otters had attacked the dog. One was pulling on her tail, and other one was on top of the dog, probably attempting to drown her. The dog walker waded into the waist deep water, and pulled the dog away from the crazed otters.
This story really illustrates the need to be vigilant when it comes to wildlife. There have thankfully been no more reports of coyotes on our road, but my human has been carrying a walking stick when we go out after dark - just in case. Besides dangerous mammals, in other areas, dogs need to be careful when it comes to venomous snakes. We don't have any deadly snakes in Nova Scotia - but I creatinly know that in places in the US and Australia, it can be a real concern. There are even training programs to teach dogs snake aversion. Thank goodness we don't have tha to worry about too.
As spring is approaching (we hope) one also needs to be careful around ice on lakes. We are quite surprised at how open our lake is already. There is ice along the shoreline, but the middle of the lake is open water. My human will NEVER forget the time Paxton took off and headed down to the lake around this time of the year. My human expected him to race right back, but when he was gone for more than a few minutes, she went down to find him. He was racing along on the ice, and didn't want to come back on the shore, because he would have actually needed to go in the water. I'm not sure how he got on the ice in the first place. My human tried to coax him from the shore, but he just kept running back and forth - and she feared he would start running toward the center of the lake - and open water. So she did the only thing she thought she could do at that moment - she went in the freezing cold water. She knew it was not over her head BUT she was wearing rubber boots - which quickly filled with water. She somehow managed to grab his collar, and dragged him off the ice - thinking she had better move quickly - or they could both be in big trouble. Once he was in the water he headed for the shore and got out quickly. She slowly followed with the filled rubber boots. She dumped the water and raced up to the house with her freezing feet and one very wet and cold Bernese. Since then, no dog who likes the water is allowed off leash at this time of the year. She doesn't have to worry about us PONs - just the THOUGHT of cold water stresses us out! But she wouldn't want to see the FG running loose down there.
If a dog goes through ice, the first and BEST thing to do is call 911. Emergency professionals know what to do for ice rescues - and they will be able to perform the rescue safely. Hopefully you will never need to do this, but really - do not attempt an ice rescue on your own.
Who knew that being in the great outdoors could be so dangerous. From wild animals to icy lakes, it's importanat to be careful and vigilant. And remember to leave wildlife alone. Except for bunnies....mind you...I suppose a bunny COULD run out on that frozen lake....At least he would if he was smart and trying to get away from us PONs!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 38
No comments:
Post a Comment