A Google search helped save my dog’s life 12/27/2010
Posted by Derek Belt in Musings.Tags: Google, search
7 comments
I learned early in my relationship that the dog came with the girl. They were, as my wife said to me then, a package deal. I’m a huge fan now, but that wasn’t always the case. A rescue Chihuahua named Romey, this pup was kind of a laugher. She peed everywhere. She threw up on me once. And she was fat. Very fat. I can’t tell you how many times I got asked the question, “Is that a Chihuahua?” She looked more like a Dachshund to everyone else.
Then she almost died, I saved her life, and I couldn’t possibly imagine life without her. Funny how quickly things can change.
My wife was at school one night and it was just me and the dog on the couch. Romey’s lost nearly two pounds since I’ve known her, but it hasn’t been because of the exercise. She likes to sleep. A lot. At some point, she awoke from her slumber and headed into the kitchen for a quick bite. She worked on a chew stick, and I guess a small chunk of it broke off because she came running into the living room coughing and coughing. She just kept hacking and it was the most terrible sound.
When it first hit me that she was choking I almost lost it. It’s fascinating what flashes before your eyes in moments like this, and I couldn’t think of anything other than how sad my wife was going to be. This little dog means everything to her. I had to do something, but what could I do? I picked her up, massaged her tummy and neck, and poked my finger down her throat to try and lodge the piece free. I later learned this was not the correct course of action, but what else was I supposed to try at the time? Romey just kept coughing and coughing and her little eyes were so scared. My heart was racing. She was dying in my arms. When she jumped away from me and squiggled back behind the TV, my instincts told me this was pretty much the worst-case scenario. Animals tend to hide so they can be alone when they die, and I was running out of time.
