A Dog Trainer’s Tale
by Paul Owens

It was 2:30 in the afternoon and I was headed for an appointment.

I had just rounded the corner to my client’s home when I noticed two teenagers standing by a six-foot high wooden fence. As I got closer, I noticed something moving on the side of the fence. As I got closer still, I saw a large Pit Bull hanging from a chain from the top of the fence. I slammed on the brakes and jumped out of my van yelling, “Is that your dog?” The boys just stood there. I quickly reached the writhing dog but he was so heavy, I couldn’t release the clip. I turned to the boys for help, only to find that they had walked away. I tried to alleviate the crushing pressure on the neck of the frantically struggling dog by supporting his lower body and at the same time unclipping him from the chain—but the combination of his 80-plus pounds and his desperation made it difficult to free him. Cars stopped to watch. I yelled for help, but nobody moved.

The choking dog continued to writhe and scream as I struggled with the clip. Then his body started to go limp and I could hear gurgling sounds in his throat. I thought he was dying. Finally, with one last surge of strength, I managed to lift him up a few inches and, while supporting him against the fence with my left arm, unclip him from the chain. I gently lowered him to the ground. He didn’t move.

I ran across the street to my van to get some water, returning seconds later. In those few seconds, the dog had recovered a little and tried to stand. He fell over again as he struggled to find his balance. I knew he was dizzy from lack of oxygen and utter exhaustion. I quickly steadied him and told him he was going to be all right. After a few minutes of my gentle stroking and words of encouragement, the dog took a few sips of water. Slowly his strength returned. His cloudy eyes began to clear and as the minutes ticked by, he began to wag his tail and lick my hand. I carefully lifted him into my van, where he laid down on a blanket and sighed. The dog would be taken to the vet and watched closely, but I knew he was going to be all right. I made sure of it.

Whether the boys had teased the dog to get him to jump the fence or the dog had gotten excited and jumped on his own, I never found out. Why they left him hanging there in an obvious life-or-death struggle was incredibly troublesome. Were they afraid they would be bitten? Or were they just so insensitive that they looked at the poor dog as an unfeeling, lesser life form? I would never know.

There were no cars in the driveway and no one answered the door when I rang the bell. When I finally contacted the couple the next day, they seemed tremendously relieved that their dog had been found and was okay. When I related the story, they were shaken. They truly seemed remorseful. And because the dog was licensed, healthy and well-groomed, he was returned to them. The dog’s name was Thunder. When Thunder entered the house, he seemed very happy to be home and the couple seemed genuinely happy to see him too. The couple listened intently to the detailed instructions I gave for Thunder’s safety, including never leaving him tethered unsupervised and fixing the fence to eliminate the possibility of him ever jumping it again. Not only had they left Thunder tethered and unsupervised, they had put their new picnic table too close to the fence, which is how Thunder had been able to jump over.

When I checked in a week later Thunder was fine, the fence had been fixed and the picnic table moved. In this case, there was a happy ending.

I have been a professional dog trainer for over 30 years. We teach positive, non-violent methods to raise a happy, healthy dog. It all starts with creating a safe environment for both humans and dogs. I tell this story to illustrate how even the most caring people have blind spots that can be life-threatening to dogs and other family members. Non-violent dog training includes, first and foremost, safety. Taking a few seconds to review your dog’s environment can literally help save his or her life. This means not only securing escape routes, but also providing several sources of water when you are away from home, policing the environment for dangerous plants and other inappropriate things your dog could ingest, and making sure he or she is safe from heat, cold and predators.