Jason
01-22-2006, 12:17 PM
A small dog lay motionless as rescuers surrounded a car that had skidded under a semi-trailer.
Then the bundle of blood-soaked fur moved.
Fast action by an Indianapolis paramedic helped save the dog's life.
The dog's master, Jerry L. Johns, 66, Lafayette, had been driving south on I-65 near Main Street in Greenwood when a semi jackknifed about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday. Johns attempted to dodge the trailer, but the car ended up under its rear. He was killed.
Paramedic Todd Goodner, 29, a Rural Metro Ambulance supervisor, arrived at the scene to determine if additional crews were needed.
"I saw this fuzzy patch in the back seat and then his head started moving," Goodner said. "His gray, shaggy fur was soaked in blood."
Wrapping the pooch in a blanket, Goodner carried him to his Ford Explorer and radioed Rural Metro's dispatch center.
"I wanted to know the location of the closest emergency pet clinic that was open," Goodner said today.
The dog, believed to be a Shih Tzu and beagle mix, was unresponsive and quiet during the trip to Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Center in Beech Grove.
"I wasn't sure at that point if he had brain damage," Goodner said. "He was bleeding from a cut inside his mouth and above the right eye. I'm not sure where else."
The center has treated pets struck by cars, burned in fires and injured in other emergencies since 1994.
"It was an extraordinary outcome for the pet," said Joe Huber, the veterinary center's executive director.
"The surprising thing is the dog wasn't injured that badly," Huber said.
Want to learn more?
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/NEWS01/601190499
Then the bundle of blood-soaked fur moved.
Fast action by an Indianapolis paramedic helped save the dog's life.
The dog's master, Jerry L. Johns, 66, Lafayette, had been driving south on I-65 near Main Street in Greenwood when a semi jackknifed about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday. Johns attempted to dodge the trailer, but the car ended up under its rear. He was killed.
Paramedic Todd Goodner, 29, a Rural Metro Ambulance supervisor, arrived at the scene to determine if additional crews were needed.
"I saw this fuzzy patch in the back seat and then his head started moving," Goodner said. "His gray, shaggy fur was soaked in blood."
Wrapping the pooch in a blanket, Goodner carried him to his Ford Explorer and radioed Rural Metro's dispatch center.
"I wanted to know the location of the closest emergency pet clinic that was open," Goodner said today.
The dog, believed to be a Shih Tzu and beagle mix, was unresponsive and quiet during the trip to Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Center in Beech Grove.
"I wasn't sure at that point if he had brain damage," Goodner said. "He was bleeding from a cut inside his mouth and above the right eye. I'm not sure where else."
The center has treated pets struck by cars, burned in fires and injured in other emergencies since 1994.
"It was an extraordinary outcome for the pet," said Joe Huber, the veterinary center's executive director.
"The surprising thing is the dog wasn't injured that badly," Huber said.
Want to learn more?
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/NEWS01/601190499