I
tried to run after him in the direction I thought he
went and called his name. When he didn't respond, I
ran back up to the house, got my hunting retriever whistle
and called him in- which he is well trained to do. When
again he didn't respond, I ran back to the house to
get the car keys. As I burst through the door into the
kitchen, the Owner Alert operator had just left a message.
Unbeknownst to me, as I was told later by witnesses,
Lucas had gotten as far as the county road, heard my
whistle, turned to come back and was immediately hit
by a car and then a truck. Although he survived the
impacts, his injuries were severe and potentially fatal.
Fortunately several people stopped immediately. One of the Good
Samaritans called in the accident from the information
she read on the Owner Alert tag. As I was in the process
of returning the Owner Alert call, "call waiting"
beeped and it was my veterinarian. He was extremely
concerned and said "I just got a call from Owner
Alert that Lucas has been hit by a car, is everything
okay?" He relayed the details he had gotten from
the Owner Alert operator, and told me that he and his
staff would be prepped and ready for an emergency.
So
I never did get to talk to your service staff directly:
once I heard from my vet, I rushed to where Lucas had
been hit. Thank God he was alive, albeit quite seriously
injured. The kind strangers that stopped for Lucas helped
load him into the back of my SUV and off I went at top
speed. The vet triaged and stabilized him, and we transported
him to the emergency referral hospital.
So
from the time he was hit to the time that he received
immediate lifesaving care was about 25 minutes- and
I live out in a countryside so this is truly amazing.
He
survived, and it looks like he's going to make it, in
spite of serious internal injuries, broken bones and
chest trauma.
I
believe that Owner Alert was key to saving his life.
Had
it taken a long time to find out who Lucas' owner was,
then track me down, (or if no one had taken it into
their own hands to get him immediate veterinary care
if I couldn't be located), I believe he would have died
within hours.
When
I finally got home later that evening, there were messages
both on my home phone and cellphone, as the Owner Alert
team had continued to try to reach me. I apologize to
your staff that I didn't ultimately return their calls-
once I got the call from the vet's office, I jumped
in my car and got to Lucas as fast as humanly possible-
and spent the next 13 hours at vet clinics and the hospital.
I
can't thank your team enough- words are inadequate to
express my gratitude. I have told numerous people about
your service. My veterinarian was incredibly impressed
as well, and he understands first hand how time was
of the essence in saving Lucas.
So
whoever was on duty this past Monday morning, please
offer them my deepest thanks for their efforts. And
tell them they really made a difference in saving the
life of a sweet and gentle young guy- who has all the
veterinary staff charmed at the emergency hospital.
God
bless you all for being a member of the team that saved
Lucas' life.
Warm
regards,
Lydia F.
