The Breath of Life

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the almighty gives me life. Job 33:4

Veronica and Raven grew out of their puppy collars so quickly, that I decided to buy the adjustable kind. The extra length on the collars formed a loop and the collar could be made larger by sliding the buckle, decreasing the size of the loop. That turned out to be a deadly decision.

The two pups liked to wrestle and play fight, which they did outside in the snow. Occasionally I would check on them to make sure they stayed in the yard. I heard yelping and looked out the window. Veronica was dragging Raven around the yard by her collar. I could see blood dripping from Veronica’s mouth onto the snow. I ran out to see what had happened. Veronica’s lower jaw was caught in the adjustable loop and it was cutting her mouth. I tried to release it, but it was pulled too tight and her struggling only made it tighter, choking Raven.  I ran in the house for scissors. When I returned, Raven’s tongue was blue and lolled outside her mouth. Cutting through the collar was not easy, but I finally got if off and released Veronica’s jaw. Raven dropped to the ground. She was still, not breathing.

I had never done CPR on a dog, but I had taken a class for people years earlier. Raven was laying on her side. I checked her airway. Her tongue was blocking it, so I used my thumb to hold it down and breathed into her mouth. I found out later that the correct procedure is to breathe into a dog’s nostrils while holding the jaws together. I alternated doing CPR and breathing into Raven, while praying.  By accident I must have breathed into her nose.

I thanked God when I heard that first intake of air and Raven came back to life. After making sure she was breathing steadily, I wiped tears away as I ran into the house for the plastic toboggan sled I had bought when Mikey visited. Raven was unable to stand and I rolled her onto the sled and dragged her into the house to her bed. The fact that it was so cold outside helped save her life. Later that day she rallied and stood, but was shaky. She drank water, but wasn’t interested in food. Raven seemed a little confused.

As the days went by, I could tell there must have been some brain damage. Raven didn’t act like the same dog. Instead of the happy-go-lucky puppy, she was quiet, subdued and no longer interested in playing. She seemed unsure of her surroundings and still confused. She needed help finding her food bowl. I could understand that. She had died and come back. Of course, that would change anyone. I hoped that, with time, she would improve. The other two dogs treated her differently, like they knew something was wrong with Raven.

Spring came. Mounds of snow withered under the warmer winds. Patches of grass began to appear. One day Raven lay down for a nap and never got back up. Casey had brought the little pup to me to care for, and I had failed.

I am writing this as a warning to anyone who is thinking about buying an adjustable collar for their puppy. The life of your dog is not worth the few dollars you save by not buying a new collar every few weeks.